Both qualified chefs, Brad and Kylie Delacey have spent decades in the hospitality game.
Joining the industry in their teenage years, it has become a lifelong passion. They opened Eating Station in May 2016 in the suburb of Ravenhall in Melbourne’s outer west. This is the couple’s fourth café in the area, and they have gained a loyal following, with many of their customers happily following them over to their latest business venture.
“There are a lot of customers we have had for many years, who have moved across with us from café to café. I love being able to talk to our customers, and we’ve seen a lot of their children grow up too,” says Kylie.
“At Eating Station, the service is warm, friendly and welcoming. We have a lot of repeat business. Where we are in Ravenhall, one side of the street is residential, the other is industrial and there are also offices close by, so we get a really mixed crowd. On the weekends, we get a lot of families too. We are very family friendly and there is a playground out the back.”
Timber, concrete and black metal characterise the modern industrial-styled space, which Kylie describes as “pretty lively and always busy, with a good buzz”.
She says the café aims to provide customers with great coffee, lovely food and consistency.
At the coffee bar, a Rancilio Classe 7 machine pumps out Grinders Coffee’s Brazil Style blend. Popular since it was first introduced in the 1960s, it offers a smooth, well-balanced coffee with fruity overtones and a lingering mellow finish.
“We have used Grinders Coffee at all of our shops,” Kylie says. “I like the coffee, it’s consistent and the service from Grinders is great too. The Brazil blend is a great coffee to work with.”
Adding to the coffee offering, Eating Station also offers cold drip coffee during the warmer months, with blends changing based on Grinders’ recommendations. Since May this year, the café has also introduced single origin coffees.
For those after more than a caffeine fix, Eating Station has an impressive menu that covers everything from typical breakfast dishes, to steak, risotto and pasta, and is fully licensed. Brad puts together the menus, with specials changing from week to week and all cakes made in-house.
“We serve a lot of brekkies. The smashed avo is really popular, as is the smashed pumpkin too, served on sourdough with fetta cheese and poached eggs,” adds Kylie.
Eating Station
Shop 3/4 269 Robinsons Road
Ravenhall, Victoria
Open 7 days 6am until 4pm
(03) 8390 2655
