When customers walk through the door of Percy’s Aeroplane Café in Kew, Owner Wesley Lim knows they’ve come in for a specific purpose.
“When people visit a café it’s because they’re looking for an experience, maybe it’s a taste experience or maybe it’s just to step away from their busy lives,” Wesley says. “Either way, it’s our aim to make sure that purpose is met for every single customer.”
Wesley says part of that is ensuring his team is trained to take care of their customers’ needs from the moment they walk in the door. “Word of mouth has been our most powerful tool for getting ourselves known in Kew, so it’s very important that we get all customer service elements correct,” he says.
Getting Percy’s coffee offering spot on was another essential for Wesley, which is why he sought advice from the team at Zest Specialty Coffee Roasters. “I’ve known Roy Greenfield before he started roasting coffee. Actually, I was one of the people urging him to start doing so before Zest came to be,” Wesley says. “Zest and Percy’s work closely to ensure we give the customer the best experience. One of the Zest team members will come in and let us know what they’re currently roasting, and what we should be sharing with our customers – our businesses are really growing together.”
Percy’s serves Zest Specialty Coffee’s Espressist series, focusing on Corcovado, a blend of the Brazilian Martas Di Minas, Papua New Guinean Owen Estate and the Peruvian La Convencion. Zest Specialty Coffee’s micro-lot offerings, including the Sumatra Wahana natural process, are also on rotation.
“Seeing a customer’s face light up when trying something different is really magic,” Wesley says. “We want our coffee and service to provide that full sensory experience that enables us to get away from our crazy lives.”
To complete the treat for the senses, Percy’s café serves up healthy, freshly prepared dishes.
Wesley says Percy’s Thyme, a mushroom confit with thyme, garlic, smashed avocado, and goat’s cheese on multigrain toast, is a favourite.
“The goat’s cheese adds the craziness,” Wesley says. “We aim to go that little bit further with everything we do. Everyone here has that passion – that’s what we keep aspiring to.”