Cafe on the Goodwill Bridge

Cafe on the Goodwill Bridge updated their address.

End on an Era Chapter: 7

The Team...
Kleenex at the Ready...!

Another week gone... another closer to the cart lowering her wheel and rolling her way down the bridge...
(Yes, she's definitely a she/her ...!)

Remembering all of those that have woken ridiculously early, carted milk, removed waste, lugged furniture up and down, collected stock, wheeled 'Wheelie-Bins to and fro and walked the bridge in earnest to find the nearest open bathroom...

Endured rain and wind, the very cold and stinking humid exhausting heat...

These are the boys and girls that came to us, where embraced by you, encouraged to do their best, extended themselves well beyond their respective comfort zones and have become articulate, engaging, entertaining, beautiful, contributive humans in the community...

They have learnt the art of espresso, the art of conversation, the art of compassion, the art of comradely, the art of commitment, the art of ethic..!

But mostly the joy they are capable of giving.. the art of CARE.. for not only themselves but those around....

Truly beautiful souls that will go forward and spread the joy through their chosen art ...

Yoshi Hiro Yamamoto
Harry Ritchie
Ian Dreadlox
Saxon Harris
Aaron Hall
Sam aka Sven
Nick Pettigrew
Wilna ten Cate
Max Glasson
Machlan Scott
Haydn Richardson
Pasquale
Joel Morrison
Harry Mitchell
Max Carelton
Nash Mackay
Matt Beresford
Sam Bayford
Marcus
Demi Reichardt
Joel Sandford
Joshua Coombes
Mason Taylor
Ben Markey
Nelson Baker
Chris Bass
Mitchell
Ben Carleton
Jack Gallagher
Benjamin Myer
Jack Johnson
Gus Pursey
Mayukh Verna
Edwina Kelly
Matt Pettigrew
Jarryd Cox
Stirling Gallagher
Jackson
Scott Taavale
Janindu Samarasekera
Ben Dodds
Laksh Bhalla
Selina Cavaiuolo
Lucien McKnight
Xavier Olsen
Trent Wildman
Callum Fitzgerald
Andy Russell
Jack Hewson
Flinn McHugh
Haydn Lynch
Bill Bennett
Cooper Whitting
Jacob Doyle
Zen O'Shea

Just to name a few.... sadly not images of them all.., only the few the gram will allow to post and my heart before it crashes... 🖤

All incredible... All left their mark... All will be missed... 😊

End of an Era: Chapter 6

Those Sky High Parties...

Positive experiences happen to us every day...
True joy is when you have the opportunity to share them with others..

Welcome to our 'Sky High Cocktail Parties'

For any of you lucky to witness a sunset from the bridge, with a glass of champagne in one hand, an oyster in another and your loved one by your side, you've been truly blessed.

For me, my family and my team, we were so incredibly lucky to have had the honour of bringing this joy to others...

It wasn't without its dramas... remember EVERYTHING we needed had to be dragged up the bridge, and then removed at the end of the night... Tables, Chairs, Plants and Turf, kitchens, trestles, Cloths and curtains... lights, candles

Inevitably, at 4:30 pm, the clouds would gather the sky would blaze with lightening the thunder would crack and we'd huddle under the shutters of the cart... the heavens would open.. we would all be drenched...

But with smiles on our faces, laughter in our hearts and a silly amount of enthusiasm we'd greet our guests at 5:30PM, who, blissfully unaware of the mini cyclone that just prevailed would soak up the last of the evening sun, watch the city lights come to life, eat , drink and be ridiculously merry losing themselves in all the glory a perfect Brisbane summer evening can provide...

These were the evenings...

All the Best.. Brendan

End of an era #4

Christmas.. comes but once a year..

But when it does... we shine

The end of our first year needed to be acknowledged..

Although we had become quite the place to meet, find new friends, and learn from others... The Cafe had actually saved us too

We wanted to say thank you for all that everyone had done to make our first year such a success..

So, we had our first 'Regulars's Christmas Party' it was to be on Christmas Eve Tuesday 24th December 2013
Kelly baked cakes and rolled rum balls, I baked a ham and served some bubbles.. and our lads made coffees, lots of coffees.
We had a customer of ours offer to dress as Elvis and sing Christmas carols, and Lucia put up Christmas stars with all our regulars names on them in their favorite spot to sit.
We invited about 50.. and more than five times that amount turned up..
They brought their family and friends and as such our community grew stronger..

We laughed, we sang, we ate and we drank, but most of all our hearts were filled with joy. We were so very very grateful

These parties grew.. some years, pre Covid, we had as many as 1200 people turn up. Bikes stretched the length of the bridge, Duncan returned every year as Elvis and sang his heart out .. The staff entertained, Kelly baked for days to prepare and I got up even earlier to bake hams to feed the crowds.. for many it would be the only family Christmas party they would attend...

What celebrations... they will be missed...!

All the Best.. Brendan 🎄 xo

End of an era #3

What have we created...

Not one to ever shy away from hard work, and keen to make the absolute most of anything, it was time to move the boundaries, expand our horizons & continue to count our blessings...

Who ever said it was just a coffee cart..

We became a chapel, a restaurant, a party place, a place to celebrate, to propose, to entertain, to teach and to train...

We hosted birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, corporate events, hens nights, and baby showers, painting classes, beer and wine tastings, art exhibitions and installations.. we launched reality shows and amazing races, charity fundraisers and dinner parties...

We welcomed prime ministers and international guests during the G20 of 2014 artists, movie stars and thespians, celebrities and special forces, singers, dancers, stilt walkers and famous goats, yes a very famous goat... Doctors, Professors, and famous lawyers, movers and shakers from all over town, the country and the world.. we even featured on CNN.. you know you've made it then...
Oh, and every now and then... I was a bit of a celebrity too...

All the Best.. Brendan

End of an era #2

The weeks/months Passed..

Then there were Two...

Word began to spread... husbands brought wives, friends brought friends.. sisters brought brothers and mums brought dads.. cyclists got wind of it, and runners started to stop..
Students started university, sleep walkers transitioned to office workers as they took the first sip and onlookers from nearby apartments ventured out ...

Our little community had begun to grow...

The umbrellas went up seven days a week, from sunrise to sunset when the weather permitted...

I was committed to make this work, I had a family to feed a boy to educate and a wife to make feel secure...
I missed family events, holidays, social gatherings and sleep... so much sleep... that 03:45 alarm wore very thin very quickly... 💤

But it was all worth it..

Kelly was doing what she could and Saxon, well he was at school.. I needed some help..

Along came an angel... he had a smile that could light a room, enthusiasm that would perpetually fill glasses a work ethic that could move mountains.. and a heart of gold..

He just had never made coffee and couldn't speak English...

He was Yoshi Hiro Yamamoto... & He was my Hero and he brought me homemade sushi
So much to love..

He learnt English, how to extract the perfect espresso, and how to spin milk...

I learnt that I was not only capable of teaching these skills, but I loved doing it..

Over the nine years we have gone on to employ approximately 60 young men and women that I'm proud to say have taught me so much more about myself than I could have ever passed on to them collectively...

The good, and the not so
The very Tall and the not so
The young and the not so
The athletic and well, the down right sexy 😆
We love them all like our own

& I thank them all and am so incredibly grateful for their being....

All the Best.. Brendan xo

End of an era #1

As the day of our departure drawers near..

It's time to start remembering..

In the beginning... there was me..

The bridge came to our family at a time of great need..

It was the January of 2013, a very wet 26th. I remember it well.. I was to open at 05:00 and with all the enthusiasm I could muster, the intelligence I had accrued and all that the universe had to offer, the padlocks were unlocked, the shutters raised and the Wega primed, I was ready to embrace all that Brisbane had to offer...

What I didn't count on was the universe and in particular brisbane offered up a cyclone...

The rain fell, the winds blew, I stood alone.. on a grey bridge under a grey sky, a grey arch to frame a grey tin shed within which I took shelter..
I had coffee..!!

The the lightening struck, and that was it.. I was out of there...

Three days later, it was considered safe enough to return to this new adventure..

It rained.. and rained and rained....

But in the hours, days, weeks to follow... I forged the most beautiful relationships with people that to this day we still call our guests, our friends and now our family...

Rain, Hail or Shine...

Doug - small flat white double shot with Cobbles & Riley 🐶🐶

Jim - large flat white + 2 sugars... to be replaced with a medium long black when he realized the cycling wasn't working off quite all the calories.. haha

Graham & Pam - small flat white double shot + 1 sugar & small flat white respectively

Brian & Shirley - small flat white + 2 sugars and 8oz long macchiato + dash of cold water respectively

Warren - medium long black

I'm not sure why they stopped that first time.. Were they sorry for this lonely little drowned rat.. was it the promise of merlo coffee, or simply to take refuge from the rain in what little bit of shelter I could provide...

I'm not sure myself, but I'm very glad they did...

As is the case with many our hospitality piers...
Covid is causing many issues with staff availability..
As such we will post as soon as possible any closures as a result thereof...

Thank you for your continued support..

Stay safe..

All the Best.. Brendan

We are CLOSED for a little break..
are-opening NYE Friday 31st December

To our beloved family friends and fellow caffeine aficionados..

The cafe on the bridge as you know it is soon to be no longer...

As of February 18th it will become a community based project..., prioritizing the employment of people with a disability and those that have been long term unemployed..

A fantastic initiative of the State Government to ensure the ongoing community spirit we have striven to achieve over the past nine years...

My family and I will look forward to the tremendous opportunities this will bring to our beautiful city

All the Best.. Brendan, Kelly, Saxon and our amazing team both present and past

Available for early starts Monday to Friday, and the odd weekend..
Left alone at times, Good grasp of the English language & a head for math is essential..!!

• refined barista skills
• grind setting
• customer service
• opening/closing procedures
• stock management

OPEN...
We will remain open during the lock-down
Adhering to all Covid-19 restrictions and upholding personal hygiene

Daily from 05:00
Providing your daily caffeine intake whilst you exercise....

See you all soon..
All the Best.. Brendan

Responsible self motivated type with a sense of adventure required for this unique location.

Responsible to open daily, with assistance, the successful applicant will be well skilled in the art of making coffee from setting grind to spinning milk.
Stock control and management
EOD Procedures (full training provided)
Available for immediate start

Opening from 05:00 means early starts and most likely the need for your own reliable vehicle.

No food preparation skills required, but food handling necessary.

This position could be filled by two applicants if wanting to job share

Once again...
We do apologize for the inconvenience..
All the Best.. Brendan

Due to circumstances beyond our control... 😞

We have been given the go-ahead to operate during this lockdown period...
•Please take note of the following conditions...
•Please stay safe
•Please be patient, kind and courteous to everyone..!

All the Best.. Brendan

Gorgeous morning for it....

Cafe on the Goodwill Bridge 🚲🚲🚲

Come say hi.. till sunset on Sundays...

Credit to Rob Hughes Rob Hughes Photography for this awesome shot..! 🙏🏼

Open this long weekend..
But although some restrictions have been lifted, we are still TAKEAWAY ONLY..!

Open ANZAC Day
From 05:30 till 10:30

Essential advice for every brisbane student..!

♥️ ☕️ 😊

⏰ Wakey wakey, time for a morning run around Brisbane City! 🏃‍♀️ Start from South Bank, Brisbane, cross the Goodwill Bridge while getting a coffee from Cafe on the Goodwill Bridge, and finish up at QUT (Queensland University of Technology) and the city botanic gardens - you wouldn't regret the 5am start if it means witnessing fairy floss skies like this 😍

📸: via IG

Sorry for the interruption to coffee supply this morning....
Scheduled works to the mains, inadvertently not made evident to us, were carried out last night, and there was a delay to water being restored...

All good now..

See you all soon
All the Best.. Brendan
P.S. thanks to Warren for the beautiful pic..!