What’s in a name? When the time came to name their first café in the Sunshine State, Reagan Nongkhlaw and Urvik Bhalani turned to one the greatest creative minds in history – William Shakespeare.
Method to the Madness comes from a famous line in Hamlet, “Though this be madness, yet there is method”. Reagan says they settled on the name because it reflected his and Urvik’s decision to move from the dynamic Melbourne coffee scene to Kenmore.
“Before opening, we were travelling to and from Brisbane a lot, and people kept asking why we’d leave Melbourne to start a café,” Reagan says. “We loved the location and knew it would work. We said there was a method to our madness, then related that to the Shakespeare quote, and that became the idea behind the café.”
From Melbourne, Reagan brought with him an existing relationship with Veneziano Coffee Roasters. Method to the Madness runs the roaster’s Estate blend for milk coffee and rotates single origins for black and cold drip.
“I used Veneziano at a few cafés where I was working in Melbourne and really liked the coffee. When we came up to Brisbane, I did my research and got in touch with [Queensland State Sales Manager] Michaela Gerard to seal the deal,” Reagan says.
“Estate is really different from a lot of other blends on the market. It has a great taste and a strong acidity. It’s a great coffee, really consistent, and we get a lot of support from the Veneziano team.”
While the coffee keeps people coming, it’s the Shakespearean influence that gets them in the door. Iconic quotes are scattered across the walls, and literary allusions add character to the café’s menu. Favourites include the ‘sausage roll benny’, ‘Shakespeare never had an Avo’, and ‘Blow blow thou winter wind’ soup of the day.
“I studied Shakespeare a bit in school and we even have a small library in the café with some of his books and plays,” Reagan says. “As well as families and professionals, we get a lot of people who study English coming in and asking, ‘Who’s the Shakespeare fan?’ The theme receives a lot of good feedback.”
Following Method to the Madness’s success, Reagan hopes to expand across Queensland.
“We intend to open a few more cafés. We’re looking at the market, what places are available, and where we’ll fit in,” Reagan says.
Whether future cafés will continue the Shakespearean theme or not, that is the question.
Method to the Madness
3/9 Marshall Lane, Kenmore, Queensland, 4069
Open Monday to Friday 6:30am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 7am to 3pm
(07) 3706 3793
