When Heleana Genaus and her husband Adrian Sheather bought an SR400 Yamaha motorcycle they lived in a tiny apartment with no tools other than allen keys. Working on their bike meant street-side tinkering and using their kitchen sink to clean parts. “We’d just started being part of the Sydney Cafe Racers community, where a lot of people were buying old bikes and working on them themselves,” she recalls.
Shortly after, the pair moved in with Genaus’s parents. Now with access to a two-car garage, her dad’s tools and a knowledgeable retired mechanic for a neighbour, their little hobby transformed into a more serious passion project. “Once we had access to tools and a little community of people who had knowledge, the capacity to tinker a little bit expanded to building bikes.”
It wasn’t long before the family garage became a hang-out for other bike enthusiasts, complete with a makeshift coffee station set up by Genaus’s brother-in-law, Dan Cesarano. “Before we knew it, weekends were full of people coming over to use our tools and have a coffee.”
Genaus, Sheather, Cesarano and their friend Nick Smith saw the potential for something bigger. In 2013 they launched a crowdfunding campaign and sold over 160 memberships in three months. They raised $40,000 and opened their first pop-up in 2014 on Newtown’s Lennox Street, where Rising Sun Workshop’s signature ramen made its debut.
Eighteen months later, in 2016, Rising Sun Workshop moved into permanent digs. It now operates as a combined DIY workshop, cafe and restaurant, where people can come to work on their bikes and enjoy a coffee or a bowl of ramen. “It’s still a new idea for city dwellers – where most of us still don’t know our neighbours – to come into a space where you’re so welcome to work on other people’s bikes with them. It’s always been important that it’s easy to grab a ramen to slurp down whilst working on a bike.”
But it’s more than just a place for motorbike enthusiasts. Genaus says the open-plan design intentionally blurs the line between workshop and eatery to encourage connection. “There’s a reason why our tables are communal … you can sit next to someone that you’ve never met before.”
Like many hospitality businesses, Rising Sun Workshop faces tight margins, especially post-Covid. But it recently won a $21,500 grant from American Express and the International Downtown Association’s Backing International Small Restaurants program, which has helped make a difference. “Most of the time we’re just able to keep the doors open and pay our overheads,” Genaus says. “But any updates to the building that we need, we haven’t had the cash … so the Amex grant has given us the opportunity to do that.”
Rising Sun Workshop is using the funds to add storage space, update the bin system to include an organics collection so less waste is going to landfill, and create purpose-built benches in the workshop.
Four other venues in Sydney – including neighbouring Little Lagos, also in Newtown – and eight in Melbourne secured the same grant from American Express. The grants are designed to help operators with expenses and improving their businesses.
“Since its inception three years ago, the program has delivered more than $520,000 directly to small Australian dining venues, helping them to continue delivering meaningful contributions to their customers and community,” says Robert Tedesco, VP of global merchant network services for American Express Australia and New Zealand.
Rising Sun Workshop’s concept is rare for Sydney, and so is their lengthy tenure in the hospitality sector, having now been in operation for nearly a decade (more than, if you include their ad hoc start and pop-up). And while the term “institution” isn’t something Genaus likes to use to describe the business, it’s undoubtedly become one in their Newtown community.
“It’s amazing when you have the support of a community around you and access to tools in an affordable way, you can do quite a lot, and we’ve seen that over the eight years we’ve been here,” she says.
“Our approach is really to create the space and a welcoming environment for anyone to come. You don't have to be part of a clique or a community, there’s no secret handshake – it’s come as you are, you’re most welcome.”
Watch: Revving for Ramen: How Rising Sun Workshop Fuels Connection Through Food
In a city like Sydney, it's rare to find a spot like Rising Sun Workshop. Not only do they serve up delicious Japanese food, but they're also a DIY motorcycle workshop. And with nearly a decade under their belt, they've become a beloved fixture in the Newtown community. In this video, we chat with co-owner Heleana Genaus about what makes Rising Sun Workshop tick. From their humble beginnings as a pop-up to their current status as a Sydney institution, Heleana shares the story behind this unique and innovative space.
This article was produced by Broadsheet in partnership with American Express.
