A popular Sunshine Coast cafe has expanded into its third location, opening a “hole-in-the-wall” kiosk in the heart of a booming CBD development.
John Kyle Espresso launched the new outlet at Maroochy Private Hospital in the emerging Maroochydore CBD, joining its established stores in Buderim and First Avenue, Maroochydore.
Co-director Matt Allman said the opportunity aligned with a long-held goal to open a smaller-format venue.
“We got presented the opportunity at the new Maroochy Private Hospital and we were very interested because we have always wanted to open a hole-in-the-wall-type venue,” he said.
“I will be honest: a kiosk-type operation is very attractive due to lower overheads, simplicity, speed, convenience and scalability.”
Mr Allman said the new location would allow the brand to expand its reach while improving the typical food and beverage offering available at hospitals.
“This store gives us a chance to spread the John Kyle name further around the Coast and to provide good coffee in a hospital setting that would otherwise typically not have the best offerings,” he said.
The new venue differs from the group’s other cafes by operating without a full kitchen, instead fresh food prepared daily at its nearby First Avenue store.
“Everything about JK MPH (Maroochy Private Hospital) stays true to what we do across our other stores, with the main difference being the food offering,” Mr Allman said.
“Instead of a full kitchen, we have a display cabinet filled with fresh, house-made options prepared daily at our Maroochydore store, catering to a range of dietary needs.”
Despite the scaled-down footprint, the business has maintained a consistent design approach across its locations.
“From a design perspective, we’ve worked again with Barbie from Onyx Studios to maintain a consistent look and feel across all locations,” he said.
“While there’s a clear connection between each space, every store has its own charm and individuality.”
Founded more than eight years ago in Buderim, the brand has grown steadily and now employs 30 staff across the three locations. And as for the name?
“There’s no wild story behind the name John Kyle – it actually came from combining middle names when we first opened our Buderim store over eight years ago,” Mr Allman said.
“Since then, the business has grown and changed. My original business partner has moved on, and now Blyth (Shilling) and I lead the direction of John Kyle across our stores.
“At the end of the day, though, it’s not really about us – it’s our team who make it what it is. They’re the ones showing up every day and delivering the kind of hospitality we’re proud of.”
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Mr Allman said maintaining consistency had been one of the biggest challenges as the business expanded.
“Expanding from one cafe to multiple locations has really highlighted how important systems and team are,” he said.
“The biggest challenge has been keeping everything consistent – coffee quality, food, service and overall experience – across each store.”
Mr Allman attributed the cafe’s popularity to consistency and strong community support.
“I think it comes down to doing the basics really well consistently: good coffee, good food and treating people properly,” he said.
“We’ve also put a lot of effort into our social media, which has helped us stay connected with our community.”
While further expansion is on the cards, he said growth would be measured.
“We’re definitely open to expanding, but we’re not in a rush. For us, it’s more about doing things properly than growing quickly,” he said.
Mr Allman said he and Mr Shilling remained hands-on in the business despite its growth.
“My role is quite broad, which is pretty typical in a small business – you end up wearing a lot of different hats,” he said.
“I’m involved in everything from day-to-day operations and team management through to brand, systems and future growth.
“At the end of the day, it’s our love for hospitality that got us here in the first place, and that’s something we always want to stay connected to.”
