Spotlight Series
Meet the dedicated teams behind our restaurant venues.
Carmen, from Coca Bar
What’s your role and how long have you been working at Coca Bar? My family and I are the owners of Coca Bar and we’ve been here since December.
What’s unique about your store? Our menu has something for everyone! Our food has pretty traditional Asian flavours (people looove our satay sauce) and I also believe we are the first place to do Asian style shaved ice desserts on the Coast.
What do you love about your job? When people tell us our stuff tastes good.
What’s your favourite meal? Our vegan tofu satay bowl.
What do you like to do in your spare time? I like shredding on the guitar.
Where did you last travel to and what did you love about it? Singapore! I love it because that’s where I’m from and my family are all there.
What destination is next on your bucket list? I’ve always wanted to go to India for the culture and the food.
What’s something you can’t live without? Coca Bar coffee - it’s very good, believe me.
What are you most thankful for today? That my loved ones are happy and healthy.
If you could only give the future generation one piece of advice, what would it be? Just be kind, grateful and happy - life is good.
Click here to find more about Coca Bar.
Lani, from San Churro
What’s your role and how long have you been working at San Churro? My role is store manager and I have been working at San Churro for 2.5 years now, but have only been store manager for 1.5 years.
What’s unique about your store? Probably how close my staff are, there is no bad blood between anyone and how hard they all work amazes me all the time considering how young they are. There is never a boring shift and I am so thankful for them all, because I know not every workplace is as friendly as we are.
What do you love about your job? My staff, I love everyone that I work with and we are such a close knit team, everyone is friends and it makes for a really enjoyable workplace.
What’s your favourite meal? My favourite meal is probably any tomatoey pasta dish (gluten and lactose free of course) or a stir fry.
What do you like to do in your spare time? In my spare time I like to go to the beach with (or sometimes without) my dog or binge tv shows.
Where did you last travel to and what did you love about it? I last travelled to Melbourne and I just love the city, I love the fashion and vintage/op shops, I also reckon the food is 100 times better.
What destination is next on your bucket list? Europe is next on my bucket list, and I am actually going there in June and am hopefully going to nine different countries. But after this trip, I will hopefully visit the countries I didn't get to see in Europe or go to South America.
What’s something you can’t live without? Chocolate for sure, I think I have an addiction, which is why working in a chocolate shop is perfect for me.
What are you most thankful for today? I am most thankful for my family almost every day. I am very lucky to have a big extended family and cousins who I consider my best friends and even though they don't live on the coast, they are the ones that show up consistently in my life and I know I can always count on them.
If you could only give the future generation one piece of advice, what would it be? That you don't have to know what you want to do with your life in high school, or even early twenties. You have so much time to figure life out and don't spend your youth stressing because you will figure it out eventually, it doesn't matter how long it takes you, some people know straight away and others take time, everyone is on a different life path so experiment where you can.
Click here to find out more about San Churro.
Eric, from Jaco's Froyo & Acai
What’s your role and how long have you been working at Jaco’s? Owner/operator and nearly 2 years.
What’s unique about your store? We serve amazing frozen yoghurt and customer service with humour but our superfood bowls are the most unique thing with our range of exotic fruit bases.
What do you love about your job? Meeting all our wonderful customers everyday and hopefully brightening their day and providing new products that people haven't heard of.
What’s your favourite meal? A baked dinner.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Watch the EPL, movies and playing sport.
Where did you last travel to and what did you love about it? Orange in NSW - I love it because I grew up there.
What destination is next on your bucket list? Liverpool and Anfield Football Ground.
What’s something you can’t live without? My wife Keira.
What are you most thankful for today? Standing upright and breathing!
Click here to find more about Jaco's Froyo & Acai.
David and Cheryl, from Grill'd
What’s your role and how long have you been working at Grill’d? We’re the owners and we opened Grill’d 10 years ago.
What’s unique about your store?
David: All of our food is ethically sourced, it’s healthy and tastes fantastic. We give our customers an awesome experience, amazing staff, super friendly. We make eating here a really personal happy experience. We get a lot of positive feedbacks about our products and especially about our staff, we have a really amazing team or people.
What do you love about your job?
David: Mainly that I feel pretty lucky that I have such an amazing group of young people. Every day I come to work, and it’s awesome to be around such positive people, we have a fantastic product. All ethically sourced and Australian produced.
Cheryl: What I love is the opportunity we have to give back to the community through our Local Matters fundraising jars and other events and sponsorships that we support, like the Surf Life Saving club or the Daniel Morcombe foundation, ongoing, and it really feels good to contribute to our community.
What’s your favourite meal?
David: The Zen Hen burger, swap out the chicken for a game changer pattie, and onion rings and zucchini chips.
Cheryl: Superpower salad, every time.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
David: Snowboarding, surfing, golfing...
Cheryl: I like to hike with my girlfriends in the wildness.
Where did you last travel to and what did you love about it?
Cheryl: We just came back from a family holiday in Japan, where our boys got to ski, snowboard, and saw snow for the first time. We really loved the Japanese culture, they’re so friendly and civilised. Disneyland in Tokyo is amazing, so well executed, we were blown away.
David: Food was great too, beautiful place! We spent three weeks there.
What destination is next on your bucket list? I’d love to take the family on an African Safari.
What’s something you can’t live without?
David: I’d say Pizza!
Cheryl: It’s a tough one, I can’t live without my car!
What are you most thankful for today?
David: Thankful that over the last three years we’ve been surrounded by amazing family, staff and customers. It’s been a really hard three years, but being surrounded by all that is what I’m most thankful for.
Cheryl: I’m most thankful that is 2023 and we get a new year and a new start - we’re really hoping that this year will be good for everyone.
If you could only give the future generation one piece of advice, what would it be?
David: ‘Be you', no matter what anyone thinks.
Cheryl: When considering your career, peruse whatever you’re passionate about, enjoy and work hard!
Click here to find out more about Grill'd.
Jack, from Betty's Burgers
What’s your role and how long have you been working at Betty’s Burgers? Assistant Restaurant Manager and I’ve been working here for the past 6 months.
What’s unique about your store? The restaurant vibe, great atmosphere and good eats.
What do you love about your job? The team.
What’s your favourite meal? Supreme Crispy Chicken burger.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Take my dog to the dog park.
Where did you last travel to and what did you love about it? I went to Europe, and I loved to explore different cultures.
What destination is next on your bucket list? Definitely Japan.
What’s something you can’t live without? My phone.
What are you most thankful for today? My partner.
If you could only give the future generation one piece of advice, what would it be? Slow down and breathe it all in.
Click here to find out more about Betty's Burgers.