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It’s the “absolute best coffee in West End”. That’s how local John Maier describes his beloved Cordeaux Social Club.
He’s there almost every weekday – he doesn’t come on weekends “when all of the yuppies are here” – and there’s even a coffee named after him on the menu: the John Magic, a warm double ristretto latte.
“The inside tip is that anybody coming here should ask for a John Magic … best John Magic in Brisbane,” he says. “It’s better than a Melbourne magic.”
For those who aren’t yet part of the club, Cordeaux has established itself among the best coffee spots in the city. Located on the corner of Montague Road and Cordeaux Street, it’s often buzzing with cyclists, dog walkers, groups of friends and families – all enjoying the café fare and welcoming atmosphere.
For owner Michael Jokovich, growing this café in the past three years – they celebrated their third birthday on October 31 – has been a labour of love, but not without hiccups, including a vital pivot that set it apart from the usual café offerings in the city.
Belts tightened, Cordeaux evolved
One year. That’s how long Jokovich had given the initial concept of a day-and-night affair. Having opened the café with his brother and sister-in-law, he was adamant the night-time crowd would be the winner, while his brother backed the morning trade.
“It took about a year to realise that opening day and night isn’t sustainable,” he tells this masthead on a sunny day while sitting in the café’s courtyard.
“I quickly realised that this location, this setting, is probably more suited to daytime trade.”
Michael Jokovich, Cordeaux Social Club owner: “We just try and make everyone feel good as they walk through the door.”Credit: Brittney Deguara
If anything, the morning crowd is pushing them to open earlier – the doors currently fling open at 6am to a cluster of local caffeine fiends.
“There are lot of customers that have commented and hinted at the fact we should be open a little bit earlier,” he says.
Unfortunately, the evening trade’s downfall was out of Jokovich’s control. It was just a sign of the times.
“When the interest rates went up and times got tough … we noticed that spend per head of an evening was going down gradually,” he says.
Moreover, being in West End, they’re a stone’s throw from some high-end, fine-dining spots – think Pilloni, Layla and Rich & Rare. These establishments proved hard to compete with.
“We’re not a high-end venue either; we’re a very relaxed setting, and I think for that reason it’s hard to position yourself in that competitive market,” Jokovich says.
But the appetite for Cordeaux after dark lingered, prompting Jokovich to pivot the business.
If your social feed is full of Brisbane bites, then you’ve probably seen their approach online, hence this Brisbane Social Scene feature.
They’ve hosted collaborative supper clubs with Bar Technicality and Club Gilates, and one with Dimmies and Tinnies (as the name suggests, it featured dim sims and beers). But a big drawcard has been their semi-regular jazz nights.
“Now we’re very selective about when we do open for nights, and when we do, it’s for things like … pop-up dinners, private events … every four to six weeks we team up with a local jazz band to do a live jazz night, things like that are still a bit of fun for the community,” he says.
“We’re constantly getting asked when we’re doing the next [jazz night] and I think there’s a little bit of anticipation around it … Because we’re not doing it too often, people do make an effort to come out, it’s always a good time.”
Not ‘reinventing the wheel’
Jokovich attributes much of the café‘s success to his team and their “old-school hospitality” – their barista has been making coffee for more than two decades and the chef grew up working in his parents’ restaurants in Italy.
“We’ve got some really great staff … they’re lifetime hospitality workers as well, like myself, we just try and make everyone feel good as they walk through the door,” he says.
“We really lucked out with the team that we have.”
He admits their approach isn’t rocket science and they’re not reinventing the wheel, but they’re focusing on giving their customers a good time.
“We’re just trying to give consistent, good-value food, and the goal really is just to promote people to come back as much as they can,” Jokovich says.
And it’s working. Their regular customer, Maier, is proof.
“It’s such a pleasure to come to a coffee shop and see the same barista day in and day out,” Maier tells this masthead.
Sitting there, watching the team at work and the string of happy customers walking through the door on a weekday, it’s obvious luck has nothing to do with having the likes of Maier become regulars – the Cordeaux Social Club team has worked tirelessly over three years to ingrain itself in the community, and become one of the locals.
What is Brisbane’s Social Scene?
Brisbane Times is shining a spotlight on Brisbane people and businesses with a following on social media – from viral videos of your local butcher to a popular craft movie night.
