Friday, November 16, 2007

Australia, Brisbane, The Coffee Club

Coffee drinking in Australia has a long history that comes from the influx of Italian immigrants that gained strength from the late 1800’s through to modern times and now coffee drinking has become an integral part of the modern lifestyle for many younger Australians. The Coffee Club’s first premises in 1988 were in a small store on the banks of the Brisbane river. From those small beginning has grown a franchised operation of more than 150 outlets around Australia and New Zealand.

Each franchise is based on great coffee but franchise owners personalize their stores. The particular Coffee Club we visited, in The Gap, had a great coffee shop, and a full selection of snacks and sandwiches on the menu. The coffee was great, and the toasted banana and walnut cake smeared with fresh butter was wonderful. But the neatest idea was a small fenced area for tots to play with a padded floor and padded things to climb on and toys to play with. Mums would come and sit around the play area having their morning coffee while their kids (ages 1 - 4) cavorted in the play area.

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