Community Cornerstone is brought to you by Square. 

We all have a grá for our local coffee spot.

All over Cork, nestled amidst the bustling streets and historic landmarks, lies a vibrant tapestry of local cafés. These cosy havens, each with its unique charm, serve more than just coffee and pastries; they are the cornerstones of our communities.

We’re delving into the personal stories of the passionate individuals behind those busy counters, all powered by Square’s all-in-one solution for food and beverage businesses.

Jean-Paul Frenett, The Arch, Cobh

“I always wanted to own my own small business. An opportunity came up to rent this unit in the centre of Cobh town and I couldn’t pass it up, although I didn’t quite know the amount of work that would be required. The unit was in complete disrepair, including an earth floor, no back wall, no running water, and a jungle for a garden! It was a complete renovation project.

Jean-Paul Frenett, The Arch, Cobh

“The Arch is named after The Arch Cinema, which my grandfather owned in the town. My father ran it – it was just under the archway from here. Our logo says ‘est 1932, re-est 2023’, this is a nod to the original establishment of The Arch Cinema in 1932.

“This is the first business like this in Cobh. Opening in a small town was a risk but it worked out. We’re a place for people to meet, morning or evening, from a coffee at 9 am to a glass of wine at 9 pm.

“The day starts early, typically 6:30 am when food prep for our sandwiches and evening plates begins. The coffee machine is also dialled in, pastries and newspapers collected, and paperwork is done before putting the flowers on the tables and opening up.

“Using Square has made taking payments very easy from day one. All our reporting and the data insights we need to drive decisions have been available to us. As we only accept cards, Square really is our one-stop shop for payment processing and information.”

“We see lots of our coffee regulars early and the busy period is from 11 am-12 pm. Our toasted sandwiches start to sell from 11 am onwards, so the staff are also working the sandwich press, alongside selling pastries and making coffee. The transition into the evening starts in the late afternoon when more tables move from ordering coffee to ordering beer or wine! Our plates and boards are available from 3 pm, so all of this is ready to go for the evening. Business meetings and morning coffee chats change into dates and overdue catchups over a glass of wine as the day progresses, until we start to close at 10 pm. Then it’s time to clean up, restock, and close up, which typically takes 60-90 minutes. Then we’re back at it again the next morning!

“The morning bun is one of the simpler pastries we get from The Grumpy Bakers in Midleton. It’s also one of the most popular, tied with the Almond Croissant.

“We’ve built an amazing team. Gaining the increased institutional knowledge each of the team members brings and shares has been very rewarding. Our most common piece of feedback is the friendliness of our staff, and we all consider ourselves lucky for that. It can be very challenging being in a tourist town, where outside the tourist season we can see sales dip by 30 per cent compared to the summer sales.

“The most valuable lesson I’ve learned along the way is that everything can change. You just need to keep finding the best path forward in changing circumstances. The advice I’d give to any entrepreneur is that an experienced hand on the rudder is essential. Don’t hire inexperienced people, particularly when you’re starting out.

“We’re doing a renovation of the shop in January, to expand our service area. This will allow us to provide more to customers in the coming months, so very excited about that.

“In the very long term, we’d love to expand our offering as a separate restaurant business serving Irish food. I’m excited to see Cobh grow as a town. I’m very hopeful more restaurants can open in Cobh, and the people who live on the island and in the city can come to Cobh town for a great night.”

Community Cornerstone is brought to you by Square, the flexible restaurant POS solution your staff can learn in minutes. Square takes payments quickly and keeps the queue moving, with a host of extra bonuses to track sales and manage inventory. Find the best solutions for your business needs at square.com. Square is Big in Cafes, and The Arch is Big in Cork.

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Photos: Louis Tang