Angus Marrickville Co-Founder Christos Arsenis reflects on his hospitality origins, the key to a great venue, and what it takes to make it in the Sydney café scene.
Why did you get into hospitality?
About 10 years ago, I fell into the coffee industry by accident. I was studying law and finance at university and working at a small law firm that was closing down. I was told to find another job, so I started working at a café on campus because it was something quick and easy. About six months later, my local specialty café, White Horse Coffee in Sutherland, offered me a job. That was my introduction to specialty coffee. Over the next two or three years, I fell in love with the hospitality, the people, and the vibe. I finished my degrees but realised this was the career I wanted to pursue.
What was the ‘aha’ moment that made you want to open your own venue?
I’ve always been pretty ambitious. I realised that if I was going to stay in this for the long haul, owning a café was the natural next step. It really sank in around 2017, when the person who trained me at White Horse opened his own café in Brisbane. He was about 28 at the time and I was 25. Seeing him do it made me think, “Okay, this is achievable”. From that moment, I knew that owning a café was something I would eventually do.
How do you make sure the venue stands out?
For me, the key is always good hospitality and good product, with a strong focus on community. From a product perspective, it’s about offering something unique that you won’t find at every café and doing it well while still keeping it approachable. On the hospitality side, it’s about building relationships with your regulars, being a part of their lives. It’s about genuinely connecting with people, providing great service, but keeping it casual and relatable. We don’t want the experience to feel stiff or overly formal. I want people to come back every day, happy to see us, and for us to be a positive start to their morning.
How would you describe the menu?
Being a café bakery, we draw a lot of influence from what we can pull out of the oven. One of the things we’re known for is our focaccia. We’ve also been working hard on our bread and pastry offerings, which have evolved over time. We’ve got a solid core of products, especially our sourdough and laminated dough croissant-based items.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I usually wake up at 5am, roll into work, and get the café ready for the day. I start by preparing our morning bake and set it up at the front of the shop. By the time we open, the kitchen team finishes off the baking and we dive into service. We’re open from 7am to 3pm on weekdays and 8am to 2pm on weekends, so during those hours it’s full steam ahead. Afterwards, everyone chips in with closing duties, cleaning, and paperwork – lots of fun stuff.
Advice for those wanting to break into the café scene?
You’re going to need a lot more money than you think you will. You really have to love it, because it’s a lot of work. It’s incredibly rewarding, though, and I’m finding it rewarding even though I’m working 80-hour weeks. Be prepared for it to be a slog for a while. It does get better, but you have to know what you’re getting into and have the stamina to stick with it. Beyond that, having a good product is the price of entry. But also, just be good to people, be excited about your product, and what you’re bringing to the market.
This article appears in the June 2025 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
