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If you can’t beat them, join them. Or, in the case of Adelaide sisters Shayla and Lisana, start a café just around the corner. While they weren’t exactly competing with their parents’ cult-favourite CBD lunch spot, the concept behind their new King William Street venture certainly makes the old adage ring true.
If you’ve ever happened to stumble upon Pirie Street at about 1pm, you’ve likely witnessed the phenomena of lines out the door at Rolls ‘n’ Rice, which continues to prove that Adelaide will always turn up for an affordable, trusty bánh mì.
After helping their parents behind the scenes for several years, Shayla and Lisana decided they wanted to start their own venture, and lucky for us, it’s just around the corner.
Combining specialty coffee and signature drinks with the affordable Vietnamese menu that made Rolls ‘n’ Rice a city favourite, this new cafe is hoping to become a new go-to for early morning commutes and grab-and-go lunches. But with a café on almost every corner of the CBD, the question quickly became: how do they stand out?
“There’s a lot of cafés around who do really good stuff,” Shayla said.
“We wanted to separate ourselves. How do we stand out amongst everyone else?”
Their first idea was a sandwich-focused café… but it didn’t last long.
“People weren’t really interested,” Shayla admitted.
But perhaps this set-back helped steer them in the right direction, making them realise that the smartest business decision was the most obvious one. Their parents seemingly mastered the secret to capturing the lunchtime rush, so if you can’t beat them, why not join them?
“When we tried to differentiate ourselves from other people, we were also making Rolls ‘n’ Rice, my mum and dad, our competition.”
“They’re super busy. They’re really popular, so it was sort of like, well, we’re competing with ourselves here, and it’s not really doing anyone any favours.”
That’s why they opened The Next Turn – a grab-and-go cafe that offers their parents’ beloved Vietnamese menu to a second CBD location. Now, instead of spending half a lunch break waiting in line at Rolls ‘n’ Rice, customers can simply take the next turn to get their hands on a bánh mì or rice bowl (perhaps paired with one of the sisters’ signature Vietnamese coffees).
“All the food is prepared just around the corner, then we bring it over every morning so it’s ready for the day,” Shayla explained.
While the menu is familiar, The Next Turn is trying to carve out its own personality. Coffee is front and centre, with beans from local roaster Pogo Coffee Roasters and specialty products sourced from fellow South Australian family business 1645 Coffee Roasters.
The standout is the Vietnamese iced coffee, topped with sea salt cold foam, while the café’s signature ‘cloud’ coffee finishes a hot latte or long black with a velvety cold foam. Customers can also mix-and-match different cold foam flavours across the drinks menu.
Inside, the space has been designed to brighten customers’ mornings from the moment doors open at 6:30am. Positioned directly opposite the Pirie Street tram stop, it’s perfectly placed for a quick coffee, breakfast or lunch on the daily commute.
“We just want people to feel welcome,” Shayla said.
“We’ve tried to create a really comfortable, bright space. We just want to liven people’s day up when they come in.”
Whilst the sisters knew The Next Turn needed its own point of difference, they also understood there was no point straying too far from what had made Rolls ‘n’ Rice such a cult favourite. There’s a certain kind of magic in a trusty, affordable Vietnamese lunch, and Adelaide has proved time and time again that it’ll show up for one. So perhaps the smartest business idea isn’t reinventing the wheel – it was simply taking The Next Turn.
The Next Turn
Where: 3/108 King William St, Adelaide SA 5000
When: Monday – Friday, 6:30 am – 2:30 pm
For more information, click here.
