On Furnishings & Funding: How to Make a House a Home with Sydney Charity ReLove

Hailing from Brisbane, via Barcelona, Adele Arkell burst onto the café scene in 2001 and has been shaping our tastes ever since. The founder and owner of St Kilda’s popular Radio Mexico was a trailblazer in Melbourne’s burgeoning breakfast circuit before turning her hand to chilaquiles and tacos. We sat down with the hospitality veteran to talk about BLATs, barbacoas, and the secret sauce to a successful restaurant. When Adele Arkell started running cafés, the menus were big and English. “Everything was all about big breakfasts and eggs Benedict.” she explains. “As a self-taught chef, I had my own ideas about what I liked to eat, so I didn't really follow the convention of what was already available.” Armed with a fierce conviction, she and a group of friends from her home city of Brisbane made the bold move to open a coffee shop directly next to a well-established competitor “It was massive, it was a really big deal. It’d been there for about 5 years and was killing it. And we opened up right next to them because we wanted to do something different.” At the time, Melbourne’s coffee culture was still burgeoning; lattes were served with skim milk and you’d be hard-pressed to find one topped with ‘art’. So when Adele’s team started pouring full-cream and soy milk coffees adorned with hearts and rosettas, it didn’t take long for the word to get out. Champions of breakfast. It was in these early years that Adele’s signature style for ‘everyday eating’ began to take form. “We wanted to make food that you could eat every day… Something simple, something that was easy to eat, really yummy, but something you wouldn't really make at home.” Perhaps the archetype of Adele’s everyday cuisine came in the form of the beloved BLT remixed with avocado. “It's really ubiquitous now, but we actually introduced the expression BLAT”, a dish that now graces café menus all over the world. This fact of making an otherwise simple breakfast a little bit fancy was what Adele and her team became known for, setting a tone for the way that café culture would develop over the next few years, and inadvertently joining the founding members of Melbourne’s world-renowned breakfast scene. Off the back of their success on Acland Street, the group went on to open more than a dozen cafés over the next fifteen years, breathing new life into old, dilapidated spaces before moving onto something else. “We'd do the café, we'd build the clientele, then we'd renovate it and then we’d sell,” explains Adele, “we worked very hard. It was very bootstrap.” Through this process, however, there came a point when she realised she was ready to focus her attention on something else. By accident or by design, while on a trip to New York, she discovered Mexican cuisine. “I wanted to keep doing casual dining, with high quality, accessible, healthy food that you could eat every day… and Mexican fit that to a tee.” The birth of ‘Mel-Mex’. Adele spent three years researching Mexican food. A fluent Spanish speaker, – having spent several years living and working in Barcelona – Adele was able to delve deep into the cuisine, rather than relying on the Tex Mex influences that dominated the English-speaking search results. “I’m not Mexican, I don’t have a Mexican grandmother who can tell me all the secrets, I had to work it out on my own. I had to meet people and search YouTube videos. I had to read cookbooks in Spanish, because I wanted to get to this thing that was really unique and different.” She opened the doors to Radio Mexico in St Kilda in 2012 with a menu that boasted myriad flavours from all over the country: barbacoa tacos from Guadalajara, classic Yucatan cochinita pibil pulled pork, and tacos al pastor, a popular dish from the capital. While Adele has always strived to do justice to the original dishes, she understands her market, and has always kept her customers front of mind. “We try to hit authenticity from a different angle. Our food is not ‘authentic’ per se, you'd never find this in Mexico, but there are so many influences that only come from there.” What she wound up with, is what she deems today as “Mel-Mex”, a distinct hybrid that takes Mexican flavours, and combines them with Melbourne’s unique dining culture. A restaurant is what your customers make it. Located a stone’s throw from St Kilda’s iconic Palais Theatre and Luna Park, and surrounded by the neighbourhood’s newly developed residential highrises, Radio Mexico’s clientele is unique. “We get a lot of people going to shows, but we also have a lot of regulars with the high-density population. So, we cater for people who just want a beer and a taco, but we also cater for people who want to sit for a few hours.” Responding to the needs of her clientele didn’t happen by chance. In each venue Adele has run, she has worked to uncover its individual character, something that can’t always be forced, but that develops in response to the people, the location, the space, and with time. When asked what she believes is the making of a successful venue, she repeats the idea of sustainability, “It takes so much effort to build these restaurants, you want the idea to be something that can really take root in people’s sensibility in the area, particularly your locals.” Find a product that is approachable, accessible, and high quality, and stick with it, she advises. “It's sticking to something that will actually make it really refined… Sometimes you’ve gotta go through the pain, but I really think the best long term sustainable choice is to just stick with it, because no one can run it like you.” When asked if she’s ever considered selling Radio Mexico, she admits that she has, but that not selling it was the best decision she’s ever made, “I'm here forever. I've decided. I'm committed for life. I'm married to Radio Mexico.” she laughs. The true meaning of hospitality. A sustainable business that continues to service the community into the future doesn't just come from good products, it requires good management. “You want to employ staff that you can keep for a long time, you can’t work them into the ground. Everyone's gotta be part of the organism.” Adele says. Over her career she has worked tirelessly to develop her own style of operating, and in each venue she’s run, has made sure that everybody is on the same page. “Twenty years ago I’d get these young male chefs coming in and calling me ‘chef’. I’d say "Let's drop it and just focus on the food instead of the hierarchy.”” Not having come up through the traditional chef training, Adele has lent more on her instincts than her technical skills, and she believes it’s what more women in hospitality should be doing. “Women have a feel for the true sense of hospitality.” she says. “Hospitality is often approached as an accounting proposition, but people forget what the word ‘hospitality’ means… it’s all about collaboration and interaction and face to face.” Something she believes women do inherently well. “I would just say to any woman in business, do it in a woman’s way. Do it in your own way.” To give good service, you need to receive it. As an active member of the service industry, Adele knows how to recognise good service, and she doesn’t stand for anything less than the best. “Service is a big deal for me. That’s why I love using local startup companies because often I'm in contact with the people who are very close to the development of the business… so I can relate better.” Her question to any service providers, be them suppliers or tech companies, is always “If I have a problem, will somebody pick up the phone?” Since transitioning to Zeller in early 2022, someone has always been at the other end of the line. “Zeller’s service is very good,” she says. “What's really important is that the Terminals work, they don't fail, they're fast, they connect. And also I love being able to easily search transactions in a hurry… we could never do that through the bank terminal.” For a fast-paced business like Radio Mexico, being able to visualise their cash flow has also been a huge advantage, especially when it comes to recognising dips or spikes in revenue “I use the Zeller Dashboard a lot. It’s a great back-of-house tool and it’s very easy to use… It’s a great way of getting that information that you most likely wouldn’t have searched for, but because it’s there, you might notice something that you’ll want to follow up on.” If Adele Arkell were to write a book about opening a restaurant, the chapters might read something like ‘carving out a point of difference’, ‘defining your own style’, and ‘sticking with it’. However she knows more than anyone that to be truly successful in hospitality you have to work hard, and you have to love what you do. As she says, “hospitality is to care for someone, to give service, to be of service, and to listen”. Indeed, taking a seat at Radio Mexico is to feel truly looked after, and it’s this feeling that might just be the secret sauce that keeps people coming back year after year. To read about other Australians growing their businesses with Zeller, head to the Zeller Business Blog and  sign up to our newsletter  to receive stories straight to your inbox.

If you were wearing a vintage pair of Levi's in the early '80s, there's a strong chance they were sourced by Tina Lowe and Ross Waddington. The founders of vintage clothing store, Route 66 , were arguably the first to bring second hand American fashion to Australia. Forging a community of devotees not just through clothing, but through the musical subculture it serves, the couple has created a 40-year legacy that continues to thrive in Sydney's inner west. Today run by their son Leroi, Route 66 has no plans of slowing. We sat down with Tina and Leroi to talk about selling old school fashion in the age of technology. From America’s heartland to Greville St, Prahran. Route 66 started on the eponymous mother road that crosses North America, connecting the East to the West. Cruising through beautiful grasslands and sun-scorched landscapes, Tina and Ross spent six months in their Chevy station wagon chasing swap meets and collecting vintage treasures through America’s heartland. Back in Melbourne they opened their first shop on Greville Street, Prahran. Far from the clean, gentrified image the street exudes today, the run-down highstreet of 1983 boasted cheap rent and a community of musicians, artists, students and hippies: a market primed for their haul of anti-fashion. Route 66 was one of the very first retailers to introduce Australians to classic vintage American fashion, and helped change the public’s view on used clothing, which until this point was exclusively available at the Salvos or St Vincent de Paul. “I wanted to get people to understand buying vintage clothing. Clothing that’s been imported and selected as opposed to opp shop clothing. So I made sure that everything was absolutely clean, presented on really good hangers, and displayed really well” Tina explains. Ross’s passion for American roots music, from pre-war blues to '60s garage, drew in even more people, helping to make this iconic store much more than just another clothing outlet. “It gave us a point of difference, by creating a sub-culture around the music we played. So, it became really popular and that’s what we became renowned for. It was about sharing the things we loved.” says Tina. The winning sartorial strategy. Following the overwhelming success of the Melbourne store — Tina moved to Sydney five years later, in the summer of 1988, to open Route 66’s second store on the iconic Crown Street strip in Surry Hills. Tina says it’s here that things really took off, in large part thanks to the Sydney-based magazines that featured them, but also owing to Tina’s more strategic approach, “In Sydney I started buying and mixing in new clothing with the vintage so that customers could buy a complete outfit. Because what’s difficult with vintage is finding the right sizing, especially with jeans and pants.” Well before the ‘buy better, buy less’ mantra entered the common vernacular, Tina was championing timeless fashion. “It’s always been about finding that classic item that you’ll love forever, it’s not disposable fashion. That’s why even with the new stuff I try to select items that still have a vintage, timeless feel, you know like Levi’s 501s. So, I guess that's always been my concept without even really thinking about it, I just did it instinctively. Retailing on the right side of history. “I didn't think I was going to last this long” says Tina, “but now with this whole movement away from fast fashion, people are more aware. Buying vintage has become much more accepted and people actually feel better buying things that are not going to landfill.” The growing environmental consciousness has led to a boom in the pre-loved clothing industry: a study by Reluv reported that about 75% of Australians purchased secondhand clothing last year. Yet even with this growing trend towards sustainable fashion, Tina knows they can’t rest on their laurels, “We still have to stay on top of a certain style, we can’t just sell any old second-hand clothes.” At Route 66, each piece is hand-selected, cleaned and pressed, offering customers not only a collection of unique styles from eras gone by, but garments that have and continue to stand the test of time. “I love it when someone comes in and they've had their favourite jacket or pair of jeans for the last 10 years, I think that's fantastic” says Tina. Old threads meet new technology. Boasting the biggest supply of second hand 501 Levi’s in all of Sydney does indeed come with its difficulties. “With the dollar fluctuating all the time and shipping costs going up, that’s really very challenging. Not to mention rent and everything else that’s going up” explains Tina. To combat rising prices and streamline their operations, Route 66 has been using Zeller Terminal since April 2022. “I'm so old school, I used to do everything on paper… But I’ve found Zeller has made taking money so much easier, and having a record of it. I can log in at any time to see how they're doing at work. Which is really fantastic, I couldn't do that before” explains Tina. Additionally, being able to track sales has allowed them to optimise their rostering, “We can see what days are the busiest during the week, and make comparisons... it’s really good to be able to check when it’s busy when you're not there” explains Leroi. Having a system that can easily support refunds, work wirelessly, and provide additional branding also proves to be a boon for any business dealing in vintage wares, “if something breaks, I can refund someone and it’s very easy to do” says Leroi, “and it's great that it’s got a SIM card in it so I can go anywhere with it, which is very handy when we’re doing a market or an event. Plus having the logo on the receipt makes it a bit more individual.” Invest local, think global. When Ross passed away in 2011, it marked the end of Route 66’s presence in Melbourne. However his son Leroi has his sights set on reopening a second store in the brand’s founding city within the next few years. Until then, he is focusing on growing the online business and getting more people through the door in Newtown. Following the legacy that helped build the brand’s profile in the '80s, Leroi has been organising music events and free shows in-store: an out-of-the-ordinary marketing tactic that’s paying dividends. “The council helps us out a bit with putting on live music and then we partner with Young Henrys and Heaps Normal to provide the drinks. It helps to build a bit more of a community vibe.” And it’s not the only way Route 66 is investing back into the community, they regularly donate gift vouchers at the local pub’s spin-the-wheel competition to further embed their brand name into the local culture. In conjunction with an active Instagram presence, Route 66 has successfully built more than just a brand, it’s built a cultural institution, “We mostly get returning customers” says Leroi, “there are a lot of artists or musicians who hang around the area, and they’ll always pop in.” Paradoxically, by investing so heavily in their community and supporting the local arts scene they’ve garnered a loyal network of followers that extends much further than their postcode, “We get people coming in from Melbourne or interstate or even overseas… the Instagram presence makes a big difference." For a business dealing in old school clothing, Route 66’s approach to retail is far from dated. Keeping their offering fresh and accessible, fostering a community and embracing new technology have kept the Waddington’s family business alive and thriving for over four decades. A winning combination that you might just say, is the road to success. To read about other Australians growing their businesses with Zeller, head to the Zeller Business Blog and sign up to our newsletter to receive stories straight to your inbox.

Discover what it takes to scale a business in a crowded niche. Kings Domain is a small business success story of epic scale. With an in-house training program well above industry standards, a line of professional hair products, and an absolute focus on the customer experience — it’s so much more than a barbershop. The Kings Domain empire began as a humble, single shop front in South Yarra nine short years ago. Since then, an additional six shops have opened across Melbourne — kept fully staffed by the crème de la crème of its 204 square foot training academy in Collingwood. We sat down with Creative Director and Head Barber Aaron to learn more about scaling a successful barber business with consistently exceptional customer service across every shop, and the tech tools he’s relying on to ensure business runs smoothly. The first of seven barber shops Old-school barber shops stay true to their traditions. Often, customers are required to walk in, take a seat and wait their turn. Some barbers offer a board for customers to write their name on. “Traditionally, it’s a low cost, high volume business. There’s not usually anyone manning reception or anyone there to speak to you when you walk in. The barber might turn around and say ‘hi’, and expect you to know whether it’s a walk-in business, whether to write your name on the board, or if you need a booking. Sometimes, the barber might not even turn around. You’re just expected to know the drill.” There’s none of that at Kings Domain. With a background in fine dining, Aaron understood the importance of customer service from early on. It’s this absolute dedication to customers’ comfort that lay the foundations for what Kings Domain is today. “There weren't many barbershops around providing a high end service, and coming from a high end salon and prior to that in a fine dining restaurant, customer service was at the forefront of what I wanted to provide.” Aaron streamlined inefficiencies and prioritised the customer experience in one fell swoop, offering customers the ability to book online and get an exceptional haircut in less than the time it takes to get a bite to eat, in convenient locations across Melbourne — with a beer in hand while they enjoy it. “They always say people come for a haircut, and they come back for the experience.” Scaling a successful business Since its establishment in 2013, Kings Domain has exploded. “At the start we opened the first shop with five chairs and no intention of opening any more shops. Then, six months later, we knocked the back wall down and put another chair in that shop. 18 months later we opened the second shop on Collins Street, and it just kept going from there. In 2017, we opened four shops in one year. It just kept growing.” Far from taking a step back as the business grows, Aaron chose to hire an assistant so that he could continue cutting hair for 20 hours a week — for the benefit of both long-term client relationships, and his own headspace. “Half of my week is cutting hair and the other half is working on the business. I’ve been cutting some of my clients’ hair since I was an apprentice, 16 or 17 years ago, and I see them more than I see my friends or family — so I feel a large responsibility to them,” he says. “Mostly though I just enjoy cutting hair, I find it quite meditative and something I don't have to think about. I just do it.” Along with the expansion of more shop fronts, Kings Domain has established a training academy, produced a line of professional hair products, and revolutionised its tech suite to support further business growth to create efficiencies. Something to take home The idea for a take-home product line sparked as something for Kings Domain’s growing community of customers, without the intention of widespread distribution. “We wanted to have a product our barbers and client community could feel was their own.” Just like the concept for the barber shop itself, Aaron proved again that if you create something you love, there’s a good chance others will love it too. The Kings Domain Melbourne products are now stocked in over 800 Coles stores across Australia. “It stemmed from doing something for ourselves and then taking the time to refine it and make sure we’re doing it properly. Our line of high performing products are accessible to the wider community now, in price and location.” “I think if you do it that way, with time, you’ll have good growth.” A powerful new tech toolkit Kings Domain has gone through a significant transformation to ensure its operations are as efficient, and its customer service as optimised, as possible. “We’ve banked with a big-4 and used their terminals since we opened. They served their purpose — the money ended up in the bank account. But since having the Zeller Terminals, we’ve realised how much better terminals can be.” The decision to move to Zeller came about after shifting other business operations to the cloud, and discovering the efficiencies a shakeup can bring about. “The rest of the business has really evolved over the years with new technology. Like instead of having to write rosters on a board in the salon, we’re using cloud based apps for rostering and point-of-sale. And now in hindsight, when I compare Zeller to our old terminals, the old terminal just wasn’t up to date with the latest technology.” For a business that prides itself on customer service, Zeller has a few handy features that make life easy. “The ability for the terminal to connect directly with the client by sending an e-receipt is great. And it means we don’t have to keep a hard copy paper receipt, because it’s all stored online.” Training the next generation Aaron spotted another opportunity for business growth while training hairdressing students at TAFE. When COVID-19 struck and shuttered barbershops, he got to work. “I used that time to formulate the curriculum and start planning the business model for the academy,” Aaron says. The Kings Domain Academy and Barbershop is housed in a converted warehouse with soaring ceilings and 17 trainee chairs, with an additional three chairs reserved for qualified barbers. This was a strategic decision to ensure trainees aren’t just appropriately skilled in cutting hair, but also in providing exceptional customer service. “The students and apprentices get exposure to a real life working barbershop with the same expectations and standards as all of our other shops.” As part of the Academy, Kings Domain also operates its Refugee Scholarship Program — offering refugees and asylum seekers the opportunity to become fully qualified barbers by undertaking six months of free training at the Collingwood Academy. Scholarship students also receive a $2,000 tool kit donated by sponsors Turnleys and Excellent Edges. “We’ve got this vehicle now where we can really help the community. The main thing we want to do is give people an opportunity to have a fresh start with a new skill, and create awareness about what some people in the community are going through.” Supporting growing Australian business Kings Domain is a success story of impressive scale. By focusing solely on carving out his own niche within the industry, Aaron has created “something that suited me a little more” than the bright lights and blaring music typical of the hairdressing environment. By drawing inspiration from high-end restaurants, always keeping the customers’ needs at the forefront, and carefully selecting the tech tools the team needs to grow efficiently, Aaron has scaled Kings Domain to heights beyond his dreams.