Every January, my parents would cram my four siblings and I into the family van and we would leave the hot, dry, mining town we called home and drive all day to our summer beach haven for two glorious weeks.
From early morning until dusk, five dusty desert kids would revel in catching waves and avoiding dumpers and rips that quickly swept us down wind, dragging our patched-up inflatable raft. Aside from the odd Bubble O’ Bill or can of Fanta, it is the memory of my father’s white terry towelling hat and the slathering of zinc cream that is etched in my mind, more than the kiosk where I slapped my fifty-cent coin on the counter to pay for my ice cream. As a child and even throughout my early adulthood, ‘going to the beach’ was only ever about the water and I definitely only visited in summer. There was also the familiar smell of Reef coconut sun tan oil wafting through the air and one-piece swimmers that made extrapolating a tonne of sand from the crotch area an Olympic sport.
Today the humble beach kiosk has evolved and while it is still a constant of Australian summer -serving up quintessential takeaway food, it also serves as an important part of many people’s lives and routines all year round – whether they dip their feet in the water or not. The kiosk provides a place for the elderly couple that visit daily just to have a chat to the staff and tell a joke or the all-year round swimmers who savour their coffee. The carers who share the view with their loved one, or the new parents who need a change of scenery (and lots of coffee) are amongst those who gather at the kiosk.
Today the humble beach kiosk has evolved and while it is still a constant of Australian summer – serving up quintessential takeaway food, it also serves as an important part of many people’s lives and routines all year round…
Swell kiosks owner Mark Prince said his two flagship kiosks at Bar Beach and Nobby’s Beach, are many things to many people and he and his staff take great pride in the role they play in that. He dubbed his staff, ‘the modern-day barman’ such was the role the small, but beautifully located lifestyle hubs have grown to become.
Swell kiosks have been a part of Novocastrians’ beach days for twenty years, serving up simple and delicious fare, coffee, fresh juices, iced teas and wholesome homemade muffins worthy of their own following. Oh, and they do still harbour a freezer full of familiar favourites on a stick.
The two kiosks are open 364 days a year from 6.30am every day – something unheard of or even considered twenty-plus years ago.
Mark commented, “A whole cultural change has occurred where people don’t necessarily use the water.”
Decades ago, only hardcore swimmers and dedicated surfers would be seen in winter around, or near Newcastle’s favourite breaks. Today though, you can expect queues at either venue regardless of the season because people now use or visit the beach for diverse reasons. “We are here when it is raining, and when it’s blowing a gale we’re still here,” Mark remarked.
They want people to hark back to the ‘good ol’ days’ of fish and chips by the sea, a time when life was simple.
“There’s a basic premise for why we’ve been open from 6.30am every morning for 20 years. We have to get it open because you’re relying on us. We’re servicing our community and it goes back to that old truism: 20 per cent of your clientele give you 80 per cent of your revenue because they’re here every day. They see this as their local. We know people’s lives and we know people’s families.”
Twenty years has not meant going with the latest food fad or employing the best baristas. Mark has ridden the highs and lows of hospitality. He set up coffee carts at the University of Newcastle when a ‘white coffee with two sugars’ was the general request and he has opened restaurants, bars, cafes and catering services across an array of venues within the city’s landscape.
Mark has honed his years of experience to now concentrate on Swell as a reliable, unpretentious place to spend part of your day – no matter the season. He said it’s all about simplicity- but doing simple well and ensuring all staff can move between roles to create consistency no matter what day or time people visit.
Long-time staff members and Swell kiosk managers, Tina Bengowski and Rhearna McAllister, have relished the opportunity to grow and learn within the business. They believe more people come back to Swell kiosks now because they know what to expect. “People know what they’re going to get, they know the service and the products,” Tina said.
Tina has worked for Mark for nineteen years and Rhearna nine years. Both cut their hospitality teeth serving coffee to bleary-eyed passengers arriving and departing Newcastle Airport at Insomnia and Grappa wine bar.
When those venues closed they followed Mark to his beach kiosks and after many years at the helm of the day-to-day operations, now treat the business as their own. “We’re family now.”
“I came from retail and I was asked, ‘Can you make coffee?’ and I said, ‘Oh yeah’- I definitely couldn’t,’ she chuckled. “So I came from not knowing anything, to being shown everything. We’re always talking about food, product testing and what works and what doesn’t. A lot of thought, time and planning goes on.”
Decades ago, only hardcore swimmers and dedicated surfers would be seen in winter around Newcastle’s favourite breaks. Today though, you can expect queues at either venue regardless of the season because people now use or visit the beach for diverse reasons.
To the hungry, weathered on-looker it may seem all just deep fryers and checking out the waves for the Swell staff. But take a closer look next time you visit. Although the Bar Beach venue is probably one of the most picturesque places to work – like most hospitality jobs, it’s still hard work.
Some may call Swell’s food simple, but they pride themselves on doing it well. “If we don’t do it properly, people vote with their feet.” They want people to hark back to the ‘good ol’ days’ of fish and chips by the sea, a time when life was simple.
A growing coffee culture has impacted the role of these kiosks. They also offer hearty breakfast staples featuring eggs and bacon, smoothie bowls, Bircher muesli and granola. Lunch and dinner include tacos to suit most tastes, juicy burgers with house-made relish and of course fish and chips. Swell’s seafood is sustainably sourced and patrons are encouraged to dine in and soak up the view or they provide plant-based takeaway packaging so you can indulge your tastebuds on the beach.
People seek the positive mental and physical benefits that an ocean setting provides. “It’s their space for a time period- it might be twenty minutes or an hour but people have a sense of ownership -that this is their world.
So we feel a responsibility in making your coffee every day and we take it seriously,” Mark said.
So as another summer rolls around and we head to the beach to find sanctuary after what has been a trying year, Swell kiosks are poised to become more than just a backdrop for people’s summertime memories.
Words: Cecilia Peoples | Photography: Zoë Lonergan
As seen in Swell Issue 8. Grab your copy here
