A café in a prime beachfront location has a new owner, a new name and a new menu.
Ryan Truscott took over what was known as Salt and Sand opposite the water on the esplanade at Bulcock Beach nine weeks ago and has renamed it The Corner in Cali.
Mr Truscott is embracing the chance to step away from a government job of 10 years and move into hospitality.
He said the opportunity to buy the business had come about by chance while staying in Caloundra during a fortnight gap between the sale of his house and moving into a rental property.
“I was sitting there having a coffee. It was the one day the owner happened to turn up there,” said.
He came and chatted at the table and, long story short, it was a deal I couldn’t walk past and, in that moment, I became a restaurateur.
Mr Truscott opted for the name, The Corner in Cali, because of its corner location, incorporating a shortened version of Caloundra used by the younger set getting about town.
He said he was focused on building The Corner in Cali as the go-to for locals wanting a coffee or a drink and a meal, and drew on lyrics from the Cheers theme song: “You wanna go where people know, people are all the same, you wanna go where everybody knows your name.”‘
“My thoughts when I bought it, and they’re still the same, were I just wanted a really chilled place down near the water where locals could come and enjoy themselves,” he said.
The change in ownership and name has been accompanied by a changeover in staff and in menu offerings.
Gone is a quirky breakfast bar of boxed cereals.
Mr Truscott said he had been fortunate to gain two Nepalese chefs who had helped create a new menu that includes goat curry, lamb shank, and prawn linguini and more.
He said all mains were under $35, apart from the seafood platter, and he hopes to be able to offer a locals’ night, with a 10 per cent discount for them, in the future.
He said he had also been lucky to score one of the Sunshine Coast’s best baristas.
Mr Truscott said he wanted The Corner in Cali to offer top customer service and he has shunned QR codes for ordering in favour of having staff talk to customers.
“I’ve instructed staff that if they see regulars they need to get to know their names. If someone’s ordering food, we take it out to them and ask how they’ve been,” he said.
“They won’t be just a number. They won’t ever feel that way here,” he said.
Mr Truscott said taking over a restaurant had been challenging but “I don’t want to die wondering”.
He is enjoying the career change.
“I’m really amongst it. I’m really enjoying talking to people. It’s a massive change for me but I’m really liking it and I think it’s changing me as a person,” he said.
“Working in a job as long as I have, there’s tendency to become stale, and it’s stressful, but this is really refreshing.
“It’s fun and when I turn up to work, I look out at the beautiful, beautiful, beautiful water and it never looks the same. It’s not like I’m working, and I’m putting together a really good team of guys.”
Local journalists supporting local people. Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your email at the bottom of this article.
