Central Victoria youth run pop-up cafe to start in hospitality

Youth Take Over Loddon Campaspe (YTO) saw 10 youngsters operate a pop-up cafe - the Loaded Cafe - at Kyneton Community House.

It came after they spent three months of observing customer service in the hospitality trade, which included visits to local cafes and lunch spots in Kyneton.

Bendigo intern Krissy said the immersive experience was "astonishing".

MORE NEWS:

"We had so much fun trying out cafes, and it helped us think about what we want our cafe to be like," she said.

"Working with others was a great experience to learn how to communicate and bring ourselves together and work as a team."

Project co-ordinator at Kyneton Community House, Alex Graham, said the interns gained skills in food handling and safety training, menu planning, cafe design and customer service.

"They wanted to be a point of difference and not compete with local businesses," Ms Graham said.

"Customers agreed a menu like theirs would be a great addition to Kyneton's lunchtime food scene."

Kyneton Community House director Claire Rawlinson praised the group's fresh ideas and the food.

"Their 'Loaded' cafe has offered us a contemporary menu that we could potentially see working on a regular basis into the future," she said.

READ NOW:

The young people gained additional hands-on training from Sue-Lee and Josh at The Social Foundry, who took the interns through a barista course and front-of-house skills.

YTO Project director Ryan Hale said what made Take Overs special was that young people entered the workforce as a group, which could bring down the barriers some young people feel about starting their careers or entering a new work environment on their own.

Central Ranges LLEN, Kyneton Community House and The Social Foundry led the project with support from the Agnico Eagle Community Partnership Program, Daylesford Macedon Tourism and the Youth in Action Engage! program funded by the Victorian Government.

Visit youthtakeover.org.au to learn more.

Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.