"How did the Depot come about?" 

Originally in 2008, The Depot is a family business started in north Bondi. It's been through a few different formats, venues and partners but the team have been in hospo a long time so it was a natural progression to come together for what it is now. 

The current iteration which was re-opened 2021 is owned by brothers Clint and Guy Turland, and their cousin John Kelly. Clint and Guy are both chefs, and John has worked in hospitality, and specialised in coffee for a long time! 

"What's been the biggest challenge so far?"

Fuck! Covid. We opened 2 weeks before lockdown was enforced and had to make some pretty steep adjustments very quickly. We're a 69 seat venue so had to work out how to make the business work with take away only. The support that we got from our local community was amazing. We put a focus on coffee, take away meals and our bakery. 

"What's your morning routine- how do you drink your coffee?"

Black - some days I take the kids to school, some days I do opening shift at 5:30am! We're located at north Bondi so most days it involves a spectacular sunrise. 

"What's your favourite thing on the menu?"

For coffee, I love the variety that comes with single origin rotations. Breakfast wise - our rainbow bowl or GF pancakes are always great and definitely our two best sellers. 

"What do you think makes a great cafe experience?"

Community. Inside and outside the business. We know our customers and they know us. That relationship allowed us to pivot pretty quickly once lockdowns started but it's also maintained strong relationships that help keep the cafe going, and our customers coming back day after day. We also work to foster a strong community from our kitchen, floor staff, baristas and bakery. We need to be able to trust all parts of our team for the business to succeed. 

"What’s the one piece of advice you wished someone told you before opening a cafe"

Don't do it... (Jk) Staff will always be both your biggest asset and (sometimes!) your biggest headache.  

"Where do you like to hang out on your days off?"

Skate park with my wife Tan and the kids or a sneaky surf when it fits. We live in one of the most beautiful places on earth so when we're not in the cafe we're always outside taking advantage of how lucky we are to be here.