When you live in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, having brunch at Harry’s isn’t a question of if, but when.
The café sits up at the north end of Bondi Beach, just off Campbell Parade, and has been drawing crowds of locals and day-trippers since 1997. Staying in business for over 25 years is impressive anywhere, but in a suburb as iconic and hard-to-crack as Bondi, it’s a massive achievement. According to owner Harry Lambropoulos, the secret to its longevity has been steady evolution.
“Before we opened in ’97, this was a grocery store,” he says. “Then we slowly changed it: got a coffee machine, had a bit of delicatessen with sandwiches, then the food component evolved, and we gradually introduced dining in – so we’ve always been slowly changing.”
In 2017, Harry’s took over the laundromat next door, expanding the venue’s floor space to keep up with a growing local clientele, as well as diners from farther afield. The upsize was a tricky decision to make, but Lambropoulos says that taking on risk – and recognising opportunity – is all part of the journey.
“As your business grows, you reach this kind of bridging point where you say, ‘Do I take a leap of faith and go for it, or do I stay where I am?’” he says. “You can’t pinpoint it, it just kind of happens – then you’ve got to take the challenge and do it. As long you’ve got the right people around you, anything and everything is possible.”
For operations manager Jonna Kristiansson, looking after locals has been key to Harrys’ staying power.
“Probably about 80 per cent of our takeaway coffees are local people that come to us every day,” Kristiansson says. “Locals don’t eat out for breakfast every single weekend, but they come for coffee every single day – so we know our regulars and their patterns.”
A big part of knowing your regulars is noticing when their preferences change, and Bondi is a very different place now to what it was when Harry’s opened in the ’90s. Lambropoulos and his staff have had to thread the needle of keeping up with the times without compromising the venue’s DNA.
“We’ve always tried to stay true to ourselves and to what Harrys has always been,” says Kristiansson. “But obviously you have to keep up – you can’t not have matcha on the menu.”
Harrys also can’t leave plant-based milks off its menu. The team uses the The Alternative Dairy Co. range, crafted for cafes in both hot and cold drinks. The oat and almond milks are the most popular at Harrys.
Another recent addition to the offering is canned iced coffee, just in time for summer. The team recently got a sealing machine, which means it can seal your freshly made iced latte, chocolate or matcha in a spill-proof can to take away.
“You can take a coffee order for five of your friends, chuck them in a beach bag and crack them open at the beach instead of wobbling them down,” Kristiansson says.
There’s no single offering or characteristic that’s given Harrys its long-lasting success – it’s been a combination of attention to detail, awareness of its surroundings, listening to customers’ needs and a willingness shake things up.
“To keep this place moving forward, we’re always trying to create new things,” Lambropoulos says. “Doing new things, changing your menu – that’s what keeps you going.”
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This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with The Alternative Dairy Co.