Overview
With every endeavour, there comes a time when you're faced with difficult decisions. Whether it's scaling back, making a major change or trying something different, it's important to know when and how to make a tough call that just might benefit you in the long run.
So how do you know when you're making the right choice? There's no one-size-fits-all answer, but we sought out some advice from two Sydney venues who have become beloved local fixtures in the industry, in partnership with Square.
Good Ways Deli started slinging sandwiches in Redfern in 2021 and quickly developed so much of a following that they opened a second outpost in Alexandria the following year. The Barber Shop is a fair bit older, having opened in 2013. The city speakeasy is known for its extensive collection of 700-plus gins and has been voted Australia's Best Gin Bar by Australian Bartender Magazine four times.
The Barber Shop's co-owner Mike Enright and Good Ways' co-founder Jordan McKenzie share their wisdom on making big changes, unexpected surprises and what they've learnt along the way.
Credit Cassandra Hannigan
The Barber Shop on Closing the Actual Barbershop
The Barber Shop was, aptly, concealed behind a fully operational barbershop that served clients during the day. However, after consistent losses from that portion of the business, the team decided to shut down the front of the venue.
"We closed our actual barbershop at the front of the bar. The barbers are a completely different business to hospitality. It was taking up too much time and we barely broke even post-covid," said co-owner Mike Enright. "It meant that we could focus on the bar and not have our bottom line suffering by the losses it was making."
When asked whether it was a tough call, Enright answered: "We had to make a few redundancies, but it was a smooth transition." He elaborated, "We tried hard and long to keep that part of the business operating and I didn't want to let it go, but it was the best decision in the end."
Did it work? "The space is now a prop for the bar. It still looks like a barbershop but with no cutting hair, which is a shame. It used to be a great business pre-covid." But, Enright added, "It turned out exactly as planned — the losses and the stress of trying to run two businesses disappeared."
Another benefit of closing the barbershop was that Enright was able to devote more attention to producing events, which he says are "another source of additional income for us and great promotion for the brand." Thanks to Square, these events, whether on or off-site, can go off without a hitch. "The Tap-To-Pay on iPhone is super useful," Enright shared. "We always have a device to take payments on."
Good Ways Deli on Choosing to Bake Their Own Bread
Good Ways Deli had been making their own bread for about a year when they made the decision to commit to baking on a bigger scale. "We started to think about what made Good Ways what it is and how we could double down on that. Baking bread in house is a labour of love for a sandwich shop, and we needed a way to make it worthwhile and differentiate us from the market," shared co-founder Jordan McKenzie.
McKenzie recalled when they shut down the store to renovate the space. "To make this change we had to close the shop for four days — we ripped apart the bar and benches, and rebuilt them in a way that left more space for a deck oven and a bigger mixer. Our trades came in and upgraded the services to account for the new equipment. It was an ambitious feat in the timeframe we gave ourselves and sleep wasn't really factored into the equation, but we got it done!"
So how did they make this decision? "We looked at our business plan and what we'd done up until now, and what would take it to the next level. You can't do everything you want to do when you first open, so change is inevitable," said McKenzie. "We knew that quality, healthy and sustainably minded food were core values for us, and the health benefits of slowly fermented sourdough breads were a big draw in a growing sandwich scene."
Once the decision has been made, it can be another challenge entirely to get the staff and customers on board. "We have regular staff meetings to communicate our values and why we have them, but people who come to work at Good Ways can see what we do and it really resonates. There is strong buy-in." As for the customers, "we have some messaging on the website and through social media, but for the most part, we try to let our actions speak. The fact that you can see the bread being made as soon as you walk in really helps," explained McKenzie.
Was it a success? "I don't know if I'd pin it as the game-changer, but it's definitely been a step forward for us in this long walk." McKenzie added, "The fact that not only Tom and I, but all of the team are still excited to eat a sandwich for lunch every day after four years is testament to that."
McKenzie's additional piece of advice was: "Cafes and restaurants are well-oiled machines that rely on repetition to hone efficiency, so whenever you make changes there will always be teething issues. You can't have business without problem-solving though, so get on with it!" He went on to say, "Ask people smarter than you for advice, plan well and crack on. When you find the problems, fix them."
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