Java Juice’s sister cafe concept, Java Joe, will be replicated at a new store to open on St Georges Terrace in November.
Java Juice and Java Joe owner Biff Brody (pictured above) says the cafe concept, which sells his own blend of coffee and a range of bite-size foods, has been doing quite well considering its location – opposite the jack-hammers and de-construction of the building that will be the new William Street Train Station.
“Obviously it’s not as proven as we would like,” he says.
While constant drilling and mall closures have had an impact on sales, Mr Brody believes enough people are enjoying the product and service it provides.
That includes bite-size sweets such as muffins for 60 cents and baby sandwiches.
“I think people are enjoying the option of something other than a huge sandwich,” he says.
Mr Brody is also planning to open a third Java Juice site in the CBD.
It is planned that the Terrace-based Java Joe, which will also sell Java juices, will open in November.
Also arriving in about six to eight weeks are Mr Brody’s new fruit-only juices, which will replace varieties that currently use sorbets.
According to Mr Brody this will differentiate his business from many of his competitors.
“We’re pretty excited about that because they’ll be made completely from fruit, there will be no sugar,” he says.
“That will definitely set us apart.
“Other places might only have 5 or 10 per cent fruit. I don’t think consumers really understand that because it’s a new thing and there’s fruit everywhere in the stores.
“And sure, it’s a fruit drink, but it’s a drink filled with sugar and flavour and I think our industry needs a kick in the butt.”
Neal Jackson invested a significant amount of time and resources organising his restaurant’s recent sixth birthday party.
These celebrations involved showcasing a new-look restaurant that Mr Jackson hopes his customers will enjoy.
And the mantra at Jackson’s has been out with the rustic feel and in with the modern.
The limestone walls and the archways have been replaced with fittings and artwork that have moved Jackson’s up in the fashion stakes.
“We’ve made some considerable changes,” Mr Jackson says.
“We’ve done nothing like it before; we’ve done little things but nothing this big.
“I thought it was getting a little tired and we needed to redecorate but people are saying how much they liked it so I hope they like this as much.”
Gusto is sure most will approve of the new look, which really started out as a small project but, like most home renovation projects, just got bigger and bigger.
“It just evolved really, we were going to render the limestone but that was hard to do,” Mr Jackson says.
After consulting with an interior designer, Mr Jackson and his wife Linda decided they’d replaster and, while they were at it, take away the arches.
About $50,000 later they’ve got a modern and contemporary restaurant that will be matched with the favourite flavours from Mr Jackson’s kitchen.
