'Happy staff, happy customers': Cafe owners take a stand on bullying

In this episode of May PERAan, get to know Canberra entrepreneurs Lovelyn Natividad, Chef Mikaela Sarmiento, and Clarice Miranda, who are prioritising workplace respect by using cross-training to minimise service errors and protect their staff from customer bullying.

Canberra entrepreneurs Lovelyn Natividad, Chef Mikaela Sarmiento, and Clarice Miranda, with their team. Credit: Northside Garden Cafe

Key Points

• A Growing Industry: According to Statista, the number of operational cafes and restaurants reached 1,108 in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in 2024, emphasizing a highly competitive market,
• Strategic Investment: The business capital reached $235,000 AUD for Northside Garden Cafe, which was established by friends in 2022 and was recently expanded with the addition of another branch, Cafe Luzon.
• Culture of Success: According to Natividad, a tightly-knit bond between leadership and staff has been fundamental to the team's four-year success.

Our team comes first before the customers. We believe that a happy staff is a happy customer. We make sure that their mental and physical state is okay. We also equip them with strategies so that they will not be bullied or harassed by any customer.

Lovelyn Natividad, Entrepreneur

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only. For specific financial advice, you should consider seeking independent business, legal, financial, taxation or other advice to check how the information here relates to your unique circumstances.

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