Angie is a single Mother who ranked in the Top Five Businesswomen category in the 2022 Moreton Bay Business Awards.
Her dream was to create a funky cafe where visitors can have a ‘moment,’ with friends, do a spot of shopping, sit in the garden and be amazed at the food, all without having to travel to Brisbane. She has achieved it all by doing business a little differently.
“It’s not just about fresh food or delicious coffee. It’s about truly valuing customers because, without them, I don’t have a business.”
“The last few days have been mad, and it’s been like that since the day we opened,” discloses Angie Moore, owner of The Coffee Patch on Hasking, referencing the cafe’s booming sales.
Angie grew up with parents who were canteen operators, which meant she was cooking for pony clubs, dog shows, schools and tuckshops by age seven. Although Angie pursued a career in education for 15 years, she still dreamt of owning a cafe.
She opened the doors to the Coffee Patch three years ago and was busy from the get-go. Three months later, pandemic lockdowns threatened its viability, so Angie and her team scrambled.
They kept the cafe afloat by introducing burger and rib nights, picnic and Mother’s Day hampers, beach food takeaways and catering options. It worked.
During an earlier stint, while working as front-of-house in a high-end learning centre, Angie had witnessed the power and positive value a kind gesture or a show of empathy had in lifting the spirits of another person struggling emotionally. Angie has a child with special needs and appreciates a kind word more than most, especially if it’s been a bad day. Showing care and concern for her customers is a habit she’s adopted in running the Coffee Patch cafe, and it is evident the customers love it.
“It is not hard to engage and check in with other people because, honestly, sometimes, life is really tough,” confesses Angie.
You rarely see customers checking their phones at Angie’s cafe, making it unique. Instead, the customers will browse for gifts and pot plants or chat with others. Angie says, “People want to engage because we engage with them.” Angie’s bubbly, larger-than-life presence, chatting or cracking joking with patrons, is a significant part of the cafe’s popularity, but Angie remains modest.
“The public might say, ‘I am the Coffee patch,’ but it’s about my team, it’s not about me,” she insists. Despite not having had a day off in five months, Angie praises her team’s hard work, emphasizing their collaborative, efficient qualities – which she considers crucial in hospitality.
Furthermore, Angie believes the consistency of her products also accounts for the cafe’s success, post-Covid, adding, “It’s not just about fresh food or delicious coffee. It’s about truly valuing customers because, without them, I don’t have a business. Angie states, “She wants customers to leave the cafe saying they can’t wait to return. If that doesn’t happen, I’ve failed.” She believes the cafe hasn’t done a good job until a customer has been back three times, and she thinks they are on track with that.
Angie describes being involved in the Moreton Bay Business and Innovation Awards as a mind-blowing experience. Although she was surprised to make the Businesswomen’s Top Five, she hopes the achievement will inspire everyday women and Mums to enter the business world because she says, “being in business can be so, so tough, but it is so, so worth it.”
Not one to rest on her laurels, Angie is currently tossing over new ideas for her business. She isn’t yet ready to reveal those ideas, but I imagine they will involve a lot of hard work and many kind, caring words.
The Coffee Patch on Hasking
Breakfast and Brunch
11 Hasking St, Caboolture
Ph. 0455 024 833
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