Cafe owner

Henry Budd

Kush Cafe owner and manager Melissa Kushkarian says despite having recently started her own business at the tender age of 19, there is plenty more she wants to achieve.

“I might have my own cafe but I don’t think my dream is completed,” she says.

“I want something bigger. Working here I just want to take each step as it comes. Hopefully this will go well and I can expand.”

Kushkarian began working in hospitality as soon as she was legally able to do so.

With a friend she applied for a position at the Gloria Jean’s coffee chain.

“`We thought it would be awesome working together,” she says.

“We were 15, we both got the job and we had a great employer. I remember him saying: ‘You’ll never find a boss like me again’.”

Kushkarian credits that first boss for bringing out the best in her.

“I was quite shy before I started but he built up my self-esteem and confidence,” she says.

After working at Gloria Jean’s for two years, Kushkarian decided to try her hand in the world of fashion but it didn’t last long.

“I realised I enjoyed the hospitality industry so much more,” she says.

“It’s very social and fun; you get to interact with your customers and employees.”

Kushkarian has completed a hospitality management diploma at TAFE.

“I was very lucky to have the teachers I had,” she says of the Northern Beaches campus.

“A lot of them had been in the industry themselves I could relate to them.”

While she studied, Kushkarian worked full-time as a cafe manager and has combined her theoretical knowledge with practical experience to open her own business.

But there’s a big difference between managing someone else’s business and running your own, she says.

“It’s more stressful,” she says.

“It’s hard to sleep at night because your mind is always ticking, whereas being a manager you only have to do certain tasks. Being an owner you have to think of everything.”

Kushkarian combined her own savings with some financial assistance from her parents to establish the cafe at the North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre this year.

Despite the long hours and having to work weekends, Kushkarian continues to enjoy being in the hospitality industry.

“It’s not as if you’re sitting in an office in front of a computer screen for eight hours a day,” she says.

“You are on your feet, you’re moving around, you’re talking to people, and yes, you might get bad customers but you just smile and say, ‘Yes’.”

Love your work

How did you get into your job?

Before opening the cafe, I completed a diploma of hospitality management at Northern Beaches TAFE. I’ve always loved being in the industry.

Upside?

It’s very social, and you get to know your regulars. You’re always doing something and it’s always different, so the time goes quickly.

Downside?

Definitely the hours. It’s probably 70 hours a week.