May Street Larder is a “destination” in East Fremantle, a place where people go when they want a special café experience. While the same could be said of its sister venue at The Mezz Shopping Centre, Owner Eamon Sullivan tells BeanScene the location also meant many customers were looking for something on the run.
“A lot of the people just wanted a takeaway roll or a quick coffee. So, we decided to make a change and split it into two venues – [café and Mediterranean restaurant] Pogo on one side, Sammy’s on the other,” Eamon says.
“Sammy’s is a toastie and coffee bar, catering to those customers. It’s got a coffee window, online ordering, and all the food can be done in about three minutes.”
The new focus has provided Sammy’s with a consistency that Eamon says has made the business easier to run and experiment with.
“People go to the shops at least once a week, so we know we’ve got those regular customers coming in, which frees us up to branch out and take risks with more funky things,” Eamon says.
A “risk” that paid off for Sammy’s is the French Dip, a toasted panini served with roast beef, caramelised onion, cheddar, mustard, and a pot of gravy on the side.
“It’s our take on one of those famous American subs,” Eamon says.
“We wanted to make Sammy’s a really fun and approachable brand, all about those creature comforts you want when you’re on the run.”
For coffee, Eamon has partnered with Locale Coffee Roasters across his venues. Sammy’s serves the roaster’s Ultimate Wingman blend for milk-based coffee, the organic Eco Warrior blend for black coffee, and single origins for filter or on request.
“Locale being carbon neutral really stood out to me, and it’s a nice touch having money from the organic blend going to the Orangutan Coffee Project,” Eamon says. “It’s added a few more strings to our bow on the environmental side we didn’t have in the past.”
The pandemic also illustrated to Eamon how important it was to have access to someone local that could offer on-the-ground support.
“We’ve got reps who come to the shop weekly and provide that level of training and attention I can’t give when jumping between venues,” he says.
“We’re lucky to be where we are. For us, it’s now about making sure we’re ready for anything that gets thrown our way.”
Sammy’s
2/148 Scarborough Beach Road, Mount Hawthorn, Western Australia, 6006
Open Monday to Saturday 8am to 3pm, Sunday 9am to 2pm
0428 631 650