The owners of tiger, tiger remain unsure about their future.
Changes to small bar licensing laws in Perth may have provided opportunities for some hospitality operators, but the owners of tiger, tiger coffee bar, who were involved in the ‘Goodbye Dullsville’ campaign, remain unsure about the future of their business.
Tiger, tiger owners Braydon Harriss and Clare Wayne hosted the campaign launch in September 2006 at a party where only mineral water was served as a sign of protest against the laws as they were.
The cafe was opened two years ago in Murray Mews, located in the west end of the CBD off Murray Street, only a few metres down from Wolf Lane where the small bar, Alda’s, operates.
The couple brought extensive experience in hospitality with them to tiger, tiger.
Mrs Wayne used to manage the popular Cafe 130 on Oxford Street in Leederville and Mr Harriss moved to Perth eight years ago from Melbourne, where he worked in high-end restaurants.
Mr Harriss says he always wanted to open a small bar in Perth, although his family and friends in Melbourne warned against moving west because of the state’s restrictive liquor licensing laws.
“I came to Perth in 2000 to open a small bar, thinking that WA was only two or three years behind the eastern states in terms of liquor licensing,” Mr Harriss told Gusto.
However, the process of getting a small bar licence has proved to be more complex than expected.
“When the liquor licensing laws where eventually changed we were first to look into getting a small bar licence,” Mr Harriss says.
“However, it took us a few months to get around things that we never considered.” Almost a year down the track, in February 2008, the couple lodged their application for the small bar licence, the advertising period for which finished mid-March.
Although there were no objections to the application, the couple is still waiting for a response.
They are also concerned about the future of the site, which is owned by Western Power, as is an unused power substation located next door to tiger, tiger.
“When we submitted to lease the property two years ago we clearly stated in our business plan that, when small bar licences were introduced, we would apply for one,” Mr Harriss says.
The couple is currently seeking clarification from Western Power about its plans for the Murray Mews site.
Tiger, tiger has an all-day breakfast menu, which includes classic breakfast items as well as home-made muffins and cakes.
The cafe is also a favorite spot for coffee lovers as it holds coffee tastings in partnership with West Perth-based Fiori Coffee.
Mr Harriss says 90 per cent of tiger, tiger’s clientele are regular customers, who are looking forward to the venue obtaining its small bar licence.
If the licence is granted, Mr Harriss and Ms Wayne are hoping to develop a tapas menu, which they will match with their wine list.
“I have been working in hospitality for over 20 years and yet never had a chance to play with my own wine list,” Mr Harriss says.
He says that tiger, tiger plans to offer a “skinny list”, which will be a short list of wines by the glass, and the “snake list”, which will be a more extensive selection of wines by the bottle.
They are hoping to extend their trading hours to 8pm on weekdays and 10pm on week ends.
It is currently open from Monday to Saturday, 7am to 5pm.
