Maylands cafe to be run by Rockingham company
Ambrosia Catering & Event Hire was awarded the deal to run The Rise recreation centre cafe at the city's July 1 council meeting.
It was one of three groups that put their hands up for the work. The others were Grow & Grind, which is based in Maylands, and KBD Pty Ltd, which runs a cafe in Bayswater.
The Rise cafe has been vacant since 2021.
A city assessment panel scored Ambrosia's submission 92 out of 100, well ahead of the others.
A city report said Ambrosia had been operating since 2002 and provided cafe and canteen services for high schools, industrial sites, small home parties, corporate events and weddings.
KBD runs a cafe on Beechboro Road South. Grow & Grind is a social enterprise that said it had outgrown its current coffee van.
The council was questioned at its meeting by Cale Black, who is intending to run for council in the October elections, over why local operators were not preferenced.
Mayor Filomena Piffaretti said the city considered local business for procurements but it did not apply to commercial leases and local weighting was not part of the selection criteria.
Cr Nat Latter said the city could look at giving weighting to local businesses in the future.
She said the community had been waiting a long time for The Rise cafe to be open.
'This particular applicant was extremely strong on the criteria and what we really need in that place is an extremely strong business that we know can succeed,' Cr Latter said.
Deputy mayor Elli Petersen-Pik said the city had missed an earlier opportunity to make the most of the space.
'I used to see people coming to the gym, staying, read the newspaper, have coffee and lunch; it's gone,' he said.
'Hopefully we will bring some people to stay there and also provide more safety for that location which is also a concern for some residents, so it's a win-win.'
Ambrosia operations manager Jason Floyd said they wanted to transform it into something 'stylish yet approachable'.
'We're going to bring the concept of Ambrosia through but embrace the gorgeous location by incorporating more native tones and colours to complement it,' he said.
'I'm doing a little bit of research about the clientele that use that recreational space but we're aiming for nourishment; good coffee, great options for pre and post workouts, something appropriate for the library attached too.
'We're not chasing to break the mould; we're just chasing to be a good space to catch up with somebody before or after an event.'
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