When Anthony Nguyen saw hipster cafes popping up everywhere he saw a chance to shift from his car wash business into hospitality. So with a group of equally-inexperienced friends, he plunged into business, ambitiously opening an independent restaurant.

Now as a Soul Origin multi-unit franchisee, he can see clearly the challenges of starting out in a new sphere without experience or expert support.

While the business didn’t work out, it did ignite a spark for Anthony – he knew he wanted to be in hospitality. 

So he went to work with his cousin who operated a Soul Origin store at both Sydney’s International and Domestic Airports, to learn more about the business.

“It was crazy busy, the stores are open 4am to 10pm. I learned so fast,” Anthony says.

“I really thought I wanted to run a restaurant, and then found that with quick service you engage with so many customers, and I liked the fast sales,” he adds.

He was immersed in the business, and the brand, and so when an opportunity arose to take over the Warriewood store in northern Sydney as a franchisee, it was the ideal next step.

The strategy was for the cousins to partner together in the franchise with the long term plan of Anthony taking over the store.

“I ran Warriewood and I learned a lot, I gained so much all-round experience,” he explains.

He received a call from Soul Origin about opening a store in Far North Queensland, he jumped at the opportunity.

Taking advantage of the sea-change

“I did want to move out of Sydney. I was looking for a real community spirit and I found it up here, the people here are amazing.”

Anthony moved to Cairns in 2023 to open the first Soul Origin store in the bustling tourist town, leaving behind his partner and young daughter.

“There was a lot of travelling back and forth for a couple of years,” he admits.

He ran the Cairns store for one year, ably supported by good team members. The Soul Origin business model makes the operational side simple, he says.

“There’s always competition, but the model makes it easy to focus on customers and that’s the biggest thing in hospitality. It’s simple: don’t skip the steps and deliver a good customer experience. We remember people by name, and we remember their orders,” he says.

From the beginning Anthony worked to ensure his staff had the capabilities to run the business, which enabled him to expand. And a year later he opened the doors to his Townsville store.

“I had a customer from Warriewood, Denise, who came into my store in Cairns, and she sowed the seed of opening in Townsville, where she now lived,” he says.

Anthony now calls Townsville home, having picked the town as the best place for a family. 

“It’s a bit slower here; Cairns is beautiful but it’s busier,” he says.

Anthony’s Soul Origin stores deliver lifestyle and profits

“I miss family in Sydney, but living there, something was missing. Moving to regional Australia, it’s just more community based. You get plenty of regular customers and people have more time,” he says.

There’s an advantage to the sea-change when it comes to business too.

“If you have a city mindset you can get a lot done and still be part of the community. I’m happy with the performance of my two stores so far,” he says.

“When I saw the cost of regional rents, I could see how we could do well here. We have a really good deal – Soul Origin negotiated everything for me. That’s the power of the brand, and a great leasing negotiator,” Anthony says.

Now with the family moved up to Townsville, he is able to oversee the two stores and still have plenty of time to relax with his daughter.

“With Soul Origin, it does really feel you are part of a family. The support you get with the franchise is amazing, they care.

“I can call anyone, anytime, and they will help troubleshoot. Buying into Soul Origin instead of learning and making mistakes myself, has been a good decision.

“I’m happy with this model.  I’m scaling my business, my finances are good, I’m getting job satisfaction with my customer interaction, and I have a great lifestyle.”