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Many islanders dream of quitting their day jobs and swapping the office for the sea... but is operating a beachside business as dreamy as it seems?
While kiosk operators do benefit from tranquil surrounds, the sound of sea waves can often be drowned out by staffing stresses and supply chain issues.
Five local beach café owners told Express about the problems that plague them as well as the privileges of working à la plage...
Driving along Gorey Coast Road, you could almost be forgiven for missing Rhona’s at the Beach.
The charming little green kiosk is dwarfed by the towering figure of Gorey Castle in the background, but locals know that Rhona’s is one of Jersey’s longest standing and most loved beach cafés.
Pictured: Rhona’s is one of Jersey’s longest standing and most loved beach cafés.
Rhona Hewit opened her café 18 years ago, after being made redundant from her job as area manager for Ann Street Brewery.
She described the feeling of being made redundant as “hard” and “almost degrading”, and it was this that made her decide that she wanted to work for herself.
Rhona had always wanted to own a little sandwich bar – a notion she expressed to her doctor at a routine appointment shortly after losing her job. She explained that “fate stepped in” as her doctor told her that that patient before had just said that their beach café was for sale and would be advertised in the paper that night.
“The rest is history!” laughed Rhona.
Continuing west along the coast road from Rhona’s café, it’s about a 15-minute drive to Havre des Pas beach. Residents of this area are lucky enough to have had two new beach cafés spring up within the last five years – The Good Egg, and Hooray Henri’s.
Former nurse Kate Mills owns The Good Egg, which she runs alongside her daughter, Molly.
Kate worked in healthcare for 30 years before realising her “little dream” of owning a beach café, which she describes as “the hardest but best thing” she’s ever done.
She explained that “ignorance is bliss” when deciding to open a beach café, admitting that the job is “all-consuming”.
“I’ve never worked so hard in my life,” said Kate. “Even during my time as a nurse!”
She added: “People always say to me ‘I’d love to have your job’, but that’s because they see the sun, sea and smiles rather than the huge amount of hard work that goes on behind the scenes.”
Jayne Gruchy – who owns neighbouring Havre des Pas café, Hooray Henri’s – also had no hospitality experience before opening her kiosk last summer. However, she said that she has always had “a love of feeding people”.
Jayne echoes Kate’s sentiment that owning a beach café is exhausting. She explained people see her working all day at the café, but don’t realise that she then has to go home and do all the admin, accounts and ordering to keep her business running.
Jayne used the example of one evening when she was ordering supplies for the next day and, exhausted after a long day at the café, accidentally fell asleep – head on her laptop keyboard.
“The next morning, a box of croissants arrived at the café which I didn't remember ordering. Then I realised I must have ordered them with my head when I fell asleep!” she said.
Pictured: Jayne Gruchy – who owns Havre des Pas café, Hooray Henri’s – said that she has always had “a love of feeding people”.
On the opposite side of the island, nestled in the soft sandy beaches and rolling dunes of St Ouen’s Bay is Sands, owned by local surfer Joe Davies.
Although he only took over Sands in 2019, Joe has plenty of experience working in the hospitality industry as well as owning Little Joe’s Surf Shop and teaching surfing.
“St Ouen's Bay is basically my whole life,” Joe joked.
With a more serious tone, he added: “It is such a beautiful place, I think Jersey should be very proud of its beaches.”
Mary Tunney of Mad Mary’s beach café at Bouley Bay echoed this sense of pride, describing the island’s beach cafes as “Jersey’s Food Ambassadors”.
She said: “We are renowned for our vast local and cultural offerings, feeding our locals and those from far afield whilst supporting each other as a community.
“We’re proud of every one of our beach cafes who thrive to serve you all.”
Mary added: “I’ve always seen my café as my lounge where my friends come for lunch, the only difference is they’re customers.”
Although there is no lack of job satisfaction amongst the beach café owners, they are not immune to the economic pressures which particularly affect small businesses.
The Good Egg has been plagued by such pressures since its inception.
After having its planned March 2020 opening delayed by covid, the pressures of the pandemic continue to have an impact on the café, as well as staffing difficulties and supply chain issues.
“Supply costs have gone through the roof!” explained owner Kate. “Some things now cost double what they did last year or the year before.
“It puts a huge amount of pressure on local businesses. We try hard to keep costs down for us customers but it’s really hard.”
Joe from Sands agrees.
“We try to keep costs down as people are really feeling the pinch at the moment,” he said.
“We want to be that neighbourhood spot that is an easy choice for people deciding where to go for a bite to eat or drink, and price definitely comes into that decision.”
Pictured: “We want to be that neighbourhood spot..."
Rhona reinforced this fierce desire to keep costs down for customers.
Interestingly, she explained that the rise in the cost of packaging has been one of the most surprising problems.
“Everyone knows that the price of food has gone up, but it’s actually packaging which has been the worst for me,” she said.
“It’s increased by a ridiculous amount – up to 75% in some instances! We’ve actually started cutting boxes in half to avoid passing on the costs to the customer.”
Rhona added that the price of bread rolls has also increased three times in the last 12 months alone.
Mary admitted that it has been a “very difficult few years”. She described the impact of Covid and Brexit on prices – which she says are “still continually rising on a weekly basis”.
Mary admitted that it is difficulty to strike a balance between buying local, and giving customers value for money when supplies are often cheaper to import from the UK.
Alongside rising costs, staffing issues come up time and time again when owners are asked about the struggles in the hospitality industry.
The Good Egg is run by a team of 18 seasonal staff members, which Kate lovingly describes as “one big, happy, dysfunctional family!”However, this year – as she enters her fourth summer running The Good Egg – Kate has had to look outside the island for staff for the first time.
Hooray Henri’s and Rhona’s are also struggling for staff; in fact, the two cafés actually have one staff member that they share between them on different days.
“He’s actually only back in Jersey for a month,” admitted Rhona. “But it’s so difficult to find staff that even if someone is only available for a short amount of time, we’ll snap them up!”
Jayne says that the sharing of staff only works as it’s “not a competitive industry.”
She explained: “It’s more about the community and the people than about making money.
“The customers are very kind.You spend a lot of time being a bit of a counsellor to people who visit; they share their lives with me and I share my lives with them.”
Out west, Joe also describes beach cafés as community "hubs” – but he too struggles to find enough staff to keep the café open for as many evenings as he would like in the summer months.
He explained that the “public perception of beach cafes has changed” with people expecting bigger menus with more choice which is often hard to cater for with limited staff members and increasing stock prices.
However, Joe says that it is important for businesses to “adapt and evolve” and believes he has done just that with his newest offering of Friday night tacos and cocktails.
Pictured: “I’ve always seen my café as my lounge where my friends come for lunch, the only difference is they’re customers.”
Taking advantage of the nighttime economy, Joe acknowledges that this is not a “formal dinner” offering but hopes that it will be enjoyed by those who “come off the beach, maybe after a surf, and want a bite to eat, something to drink, and to enjoy the view.”
As well as Sands’ creative new cocktail menu, Joe has also started offering homemade ice creams that are dipped in chocolate and embellished with whatever toppings the customers desires.
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It’s not just Joe’s menu items that are innovative; he has come up with some clever ways to combat rising prices and staffing struggles.
He explained that Sands has switched to palm plates to reduce washing up – saving money on both water usage and staffing costs.
However, these money-saving ideas only work up to a certain point. Some factors, such as the weather, have a huge impact on business but are completely out of the owners’ control.
Jayne explained that the business of beach cafés is heavily “weather dependent”, and Rhona agreed as she acknowledged that it is completely different to any other industry.
“You become obsessed with checking weather forecasts,” Rhona said. “I pride myself on being open every day regardless of the weather – it's part of my reputation – but I need to have a successful summer to make it through the quieter times in the winter.”
“Balance across the year is crucial,” Rhona added.
For the cafes that close during the winter, a successful summer season is even more important.
Pictured: It has always been Kate's "dream" to own a beach café.
Since opening The Good Egg, it was always Kate’s plan to close the café between December and March each year if possible – which she has “been lucky enough to do” every year so far.
She explained: “Although Havre des Pas is lovely in the summer, it’s just a completely different place during the winter.”
Kate added that it also allows staff time to “recharge” after working “extremely hard” all summer.
However, she admitted that the “awful weather” this year has resulted in the café's worst start so the summer season so far.
Kate said: “The weather is just something you can’t plan for, and it makes it really hard to deal with changing staff levels and stock levels. It’s difficult for the chefs to know how much food to order each day and how many staff members we need in.”
Despite the difficulties, Kate is proud of the “sense of community” that The Good Egg and other beach cafés evoke.
She said: “There’s a growing sense of community in the area so it’s nice to have a place for people to meet, and we’ve also noticed the number of tourists in the area increasing over the last couple of years.”
Both The Good Egg and Hooray Henri’s are both part of a recent boom of business in the Havre des Pas area – which is soon to also become home to several new housing developments such as La Collette, the Limes, and Fort d’Auvergne.
“I didn’t realise how much Havre des Pas needed a beach café," added Kate. “If you think about it, there’s barely any beach cafés between Rhona's in Gorey and Havre des Pas.”
From about 50 metres away, Jayne at Hooray Henri’s agrees. She added that it’s nice to “bring a bit of life back into the area”, particularly in the evenings with both cafés running themed dinner events.
Despite the pressures, all of the beach café owners are looking ahead to the summer with enthusiasm.
At the end of each interview, I asked for their advice for someone who might be thinking about opening their own beach café. The most common response? “Do it!”
Kate admits that you have to be “brave” and “ready to put your life on hold” if you are wanting to run a beach café, but added that “if you love what you do it doesn’t feel like work.”
“You’ll never know until you try!” she added.
Jayne agrees: “If you’ve got a dream, do it!”
Pictured: "Go that extra mile, you need your customers more than they need you as, without them, you won’t have a beach café at all.
Mary offered the most comprehensive advice: “Be prepared to work long hours - not just when the café is open, but after hours - preparation is key. It’s one of the hardest jobs to do ensuring your staff, customers and family are all catered for. Sacrifices will have to be made, not being able to attend family events, not having a holiday, not being sick.”
“...But in return, your rewards will be tenfold for every customer who loves your food, thanks you for your service, and who returns time and time again because they have enjoyed the experience and were made to feel special.
“You’ll go home at night feeling elated because you, your staff and your customers have all had a great day. Go that extra mile, you need your customers more than they need you as, without them, you won’t have a beach café at all. Happy Summer everyone.”
This article first appeared in the June edition of Connect Magazine, which you can read in full below...
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