Tan, the owner of Revolver cafe at 291 Annandale St. A true North Annandale favourite has been serving school-run coffee, amazing food and specials, at a beautiful corner spot. You might know Tan, who has owned it since weeks before COVID hit. He came to hospitality in his early 40s, after 18 years in the public service, and still can't fully explain the switch: "For some bizarre reason, I enjoy doing this."
Tan Outside Revolver
To start: did you always think you'd end up in food?
Never. I studied economics at university, then worked in the public service for the most part of my younger life. Eighteen years all up, in Canberra and Sydney. And then, I don't know, one day suddenly I did a whole backflip. Decided to go: let's do hospitality. Zero hospitality experience. Zero business experience. Just jumped in, head first.
And what was the trigger?
Oh, my wife. She was a white collar worker as well and she always said to me that I would do well in business and so, she encouraged me to make the change. There was also another trigger. At the time I was working in Transport for NSW, and it was just the whole bureaucratic system that kind of slowly got to me. Projects that I worked on and was very passionate about often took a very long time to get through the machinery of government. Sometimes, they got stalled completely because of political outcomes such as, change in government, change in minister, change in head of department. I felt so frustrated after a while. So yeah: I just decided to go with my heart (into small business).
Was Revolver your first cafe?
No. It’s the second. I had another cafe before Revolver, Rocco's Cafe in Five Dock. It was quite a big and very busy cafe, which I ran for a number of years before taking over Revolver, just before COVID hit. I managed both concurrently through COVID. The one in Five Dock struggled a lot more. Because it was on the main drag, so all businesses there struggled during COVID. Then the state government started the Metro project there. There was no parking, no people, and my shop got stuck in the middle. In the end the lease finished and I didn't renew.
Whereas this cafe is tucked within the community. It probably works a lot better?
I had this one in January 2020, and COVID came six weeks after I took over. It felt like the sky was falling in. But I made it work. The window turned into the takeaway window, and slowly, slowly it picked up. People came out. It turned out that this shop was a blessing. It kind of carried the other one.
What's the hardest part of running a place like this that customers never see?
The front of house part they see, but they don't see what's behind. Staffing/hiring, book keeping, accounting, and taxation are half of the battle. You go home and there's all the paperwork, and it's getting harder and harder with new laws. I'm lucky I have my wife to carry most of that work in the background. But it's taking a toll on the family. We have four kids, young kids at home. My mind never stops. I come home and there are always things to do. That’s why it's very important to have strong family support and that you’ve got to love what you do.
So, no regrets?
No. Maybe sometimes. It’s very tiring. But I enjoy waking up and coming out here and doing the work. The public service was great for work life balance. However, for some reason I never felt it was for me. Here it's heaps more physically and mentally challenging, but I enjoy everything about it. I feel a sense of achievement/job satisfaction and happiness just from simply doing the daily tasks and talking to people. Being my own boss feels great too. I have total freedom and control over how I want to run the business. Of course, in the early days it was immensely challenging: learning new skills, staffing matters, stock control, managing relationships with suppliers, accounting and tax matters. But I soon found my feet and rhythm in my system to make it work.
There's a Korean or Vietnamese or Chinese influence in the specials. Where does that come from?
The menu has always been a fusion type. Not authentically linked to a particular culture. Vietnamese with a twist, Korean with a slight twist. My chef is Vietnamese, she knows all the authentic Vietnamese food. She also has a lot of experience with international cuisines, as she used to be a chef in the Intercontinental Hotel chain in Vietnam.
A Revolver Special
And the dish where you're like: yes, I'm glad you ordered that?
Must be a Vietnamese one. A bowl of pho, for example. We did it a couple of times here, and she made it so good. So authentic. With me, I'm just very big on Vietnamese food.
Could you do me a favour? Pho is my favourite food. Next time it's on, can we mention it in the Troll?
Yeah, sure.
Do you have family that work here as well?
My wife during the week, and my two boys on weekends, are helping me behind the bar doing coffee. My oldest son is now a very good barista, he’s very efficient.
Last one. If there was no chance of failure and money was no object, what's the one thing you'd add or change at Revolver?
If one day I could get a liquor licence, I would add some alcohol to the menu, like wine and beer. Perhaps tap beer too. But getting a liquor licence is not easy, there are quite a few hoops, and the community would need to be on side too.
(with thanks to Tan)