25 July 2023
Sales Agent Georgi Bates with Andrew Dawes, Owner of the Butchers Cafe, Fairlight.
You have a pretty prominent spot up there in Fairlight, what attracted you to that location to establish the butcher and then the café?
I’d love to give you a more embellished answer but it really was simple: we lived in Fairlight at the time. I was doing some fill in work at the butcher shop and it was close to home. We loved the area and the people so when the butcher shop came up for sale we thought “let’s give it a go.”
How did your business as the Fairlight Butcher start? And then you opened the café? Tell us more!
The butcher shop has been there since the 1930s . So I can’t claim to have started it. In fact there were three butcher shops on the Fairlight strip originally. When our butcher shop became available, I thought it could be a really successful business so we redid the shop and bought in new cuts and varieties of meats and meals and it took off. The video shop next door came up for sale so we bought that business in 2007 and ran it as a video rental store for a while (remember those?!) Then I thought, let’s try a deli. We knocked the wall out between the two shops but I soon realised coffee was the big seller, so we switched to a full time cafe in 2009.
Fairlight has evolved over the last two decades. What changes have you seen in the area and has it changed your business?
Fairlight has changed and it hasn’t. Physically it’s still the same beautiful place with a lovely village feel. It’s become busier: traffic and more people. But still wonderful, caring, interested and interesting people.
Who is your regular café clientele? Most importantly do you/ your baristas have that special skill of remembering someone’s coffee order as soon as they walk through the door?!
Our regulars are locals who might pop in on their way to work, school drop off, after a Bold & Beautiful swim. We have lots of tradies too. My main barista is my amazing son Wil and it’s a job requirement that we all remember our customers names! My wife gets annoyed when I describe someone as “you know: tall guy, regular flat white.!”
Do you have any speciality recipes that appear on your café menu? Is there something we simply should order when we come to the Butchers Café?
Well, being The Butchers Cafe, our standard fare is meat. And specifically burgers. Although we do have lots of vegetarian options too! I’d say our most popular meal is the double cheeseburger. Although the coffee’s not bad either!
You recently celebrated your 15-year anniversary in business – congratulations! What are your secrets to running a successful business on the beaches?
The people. Great staff and wonderful loyal customers. We also pride ourselves on having top quality produce that’s served quickly. People appreciate that.
Operating a butcher shop and a cafe requires managing different aspects of both businesses. What challenges (if any) have you faced over the years?
Covid was undoubtedly our biggest challenge (see below.) But we also had some tough times when Stockland opened at Balgowlah. The GFC hit hard too. Any time that the economy is impacted, we feel the flow through.
Covid was tough for so many small businesses. How did you get through it?
It WAS tough. Traumatic. No one really knew what they were doing or what was coming next. We had to pivot quickly like a lot of small businesses. We went to takeaway only, opened at night for take home meals. I couldn’t be more grateful to our customers who remained loyal and backed us and kept coming in. Then people started working from home and would sometimes come twice a day for a meal or a coffee and a chat. I think we all helped each other get through it.
We know that engaging with the local community is crucial for any small business. How do you connect with the Fairlight community?
I’m always talking with our customers so I get a feel for what’s happening in our area. I’m close with some of the other small businesses at Fairlight too. We all support each other: Ryan at The Fairlight Butcher (he was my former apprentice!) Jason at the vet, Nic and Lena at the IGA and Dr Gav. I’m also involved in Manly Cricket. It’s important to know what’s going on
Tell us a fun fact about you or the business – is there something funny or strange about you/or the café that people generally wouldn’t know?!
I love my lawn! I’ve been told I’m a lawn fanatic. I’m also a country guy at heart. Born and bred in Narromine NSW.
Strange? My wife says … all the time!
Located at 152 Sydney Road, Fairlight, The Butchers Cafe is open 6 days, Monday to Saturday 6am – 2pm so drop past and say hi!
Click here to read our last ‘Meet the Locals’ interview.
