idea to institution
HOW DIGGIES BECAME WOLLONGONG’S MOST ICONIC CAFE
Words Stefan Posthuma Images Nikki To Illustrations Alyce Moon; Kraken Kreative
Growing up in a family of grocers, Stan Crinis knew good food from an early age. A Wollongong local, he and his brother Aaron spent sundrenched summers at North Beach feasting on hot chip rolls from the old kiosk. As a young adult, Stan worked as a graphic designer in Sydney – learning how to build brands and developing an understanding of cosmopolitan cafe culture. When the iconic art deco building at North Wollongong Beach came up for tender in 2004, Stan jumped at the opportunity and teamed up with Aaron to open Diggies – a relaxed cafe and kiosk offering tasty and nutritious food to Wollongong beachgoers. Sixteen years later, and with two new venues in his portfolio – Stan’s focus on quality food hasn’t wavered, and Diggies has become an ever-present fixture of Wollongong’s beach lifestyle. We caught up with Stan to find out what’s contributed to Diggies success and longevity…
You’ve got a strong connection to Wollongong, and to North Beach. Is that what attracted you to this spot?
This is where my brother Aaron and I grew up, so the place holds a lot of great memories. It’s such an iconic location – the beautiful art deco kiosk. We loved the idea of having a venue in the heart of Wollongong that we could turn into something special.
Did you have an idea of what would make Diggies special before you opened?
Back in 2004, cafe culture in Wollongong was very different. Beach kiosks just had your standard fish and chips, chicko rolls, burgers and stuff. We’d lived in Sydney and saw the development of a healthy beach culture – people enjoying an active lifestyle, eating well-prepared nutritious food. We just wanted to bring that quality food and coffee to Wollongong and offer something new.
What was the reaction from the public like when you first opened?
The kiosk opened first and the response was pretty overwhelming. People loved the fresh juices, smoothies… healthier options. We spent the money on a nice fit-out and really promoted the active beach lifestyle. We were flat-out from the first day. Three months later we opened the cafe, which was a big challenge for us. But seeing people sitting right by the ocean having a nice meal, good coffee and enjoying the location was really satisfying.
How have things changed at Diggies in the last 16 years?
There is definitely more competition in Wollongong now. People know what good food and coffee are, and there’s lots of great cafes so we’ve had to stay relevant. When we first opened, our customers were mostly locals. Over the last decade we’ve started to see a lot more visitors to the area. There’s plenty of other things that have changed. Sixteen years doesn’t sound like long, but it’s an eternity for a hospitality venue.
Being around for this long, how do you see your position in Wollongong’s hospitality community?
From early on, we attracted a lot of good staff. We set a high standard and we were busy so we try to invest in our employees; we want to look after them, pay them properly and build them into professionals. You look around at some of the best restaurants in Wollongong and many of the chefs and floor staff have worked at Diggies at one point or another.
This is such a unique location. Does it come with a responsibility that goes beyond just running a business?
For sure. I love this area, and I want to be proud of my home, so having this venue is a huge responsibility for me. We have a role to play for both the locals and the broader public. Having a quality venue in a location like this is really important for a city, and we really do our best to keep that going.
After 16 years at North Beach, you opened Diggies in Kiama. What made you try Diggies in a new location?
It was the site that really attracted us. As soon as we saw it was up for tender we knew it would be perfect for a Diggies venue. If there was ever going to be another Diggies location, it was at the Blowhole. I think if we had have expanded earlier it wouldn’t have been so busy so quickly. Having the established Diggies name really helped us hit the ground running.
Not long after opening Kiama we were hit by bushfires, then COVID. A pretty rocky start…
Yeah, we started with a bang in the middle of summer and it was really busy from the start. The bushfires then hit and it really affected the business. We were in close proximity to the fires and it was all pretty chaotic. Then in March, COVID hit and we had to make the decision to close. Luckily, we had the support of the Kiama Council and our suppliers really trust us too, so they’ve been really helpful.
What’s been brought to Kiama that’s different to North Beach?
They’re both quite similar and patrons have the same expectations. We have a liquor licence in Kiama so it’s great to be able to offer people a cocktail or a mimosa with their brunch, or a beer or a wine with lunch. It gives it a different feel. Since we’ve reopened things are just continuing to get stronger, which is a great feeling.
Two years ago you also took over the Robertson pub. A different type of venture for you – what drew you in?
I’d been speaking with a few other business owners in Wollongong about getting into pubs. Robertson came on the market and it was too good an opportunity to miss. I love the history up there. It’s such an old pub, it’s been there since 1887. It’s on a big block; there were all these small and underutilised rooms… there’s five fireplaces in the building, only one of which was being used when we bought it! There’s also accommodation, so there was just so much scope to improve the place. I also saw an amazing local food culture developing in Robertson. There’s some of the best producers in Australia in that area – and the opportunity to make use of that produce in the kitchen was a huge drawcard.
What are you offering at Robertson these days?
We’re definitely focusing on the food, making it really high quality and using as much local produce as we can. Local booze also – there’s some great wineries in the Highlands so most of our list is local. Beer also, we’ve got three Highlander Brewing beers on tap, which sell better now than any other beers. People can come for the weekend and stay in the rooms and really make the most of it.
All these businesses sounds like so much work. What makes it worth it?
The creative side has always been huge for me. Envisaging something, working at it, putting the pieces together then seeing it come to fruition and be successful is really rewarding. That’s what has kept me going all these years. I also get to work with amazing people, like my wife Morgan – she does our marketing and events. Being able to work on these projects together is pretty special.
You’ve mentioned your staff a lot – it seems like it's something you pay a lot of attention to.
We have over 100 staff across all our venues. Being able to give them a positive environment to work in where there are opportunities to improve and develop is really satisfying. Especially the few who go on to own their own businesses and be successful after working with us. My mentors are two creatives I worked for in Sydney, who had great success in the advertising industry. They really looked after their staff and taught me how to manage people properly. Hospo can be tough, and there’s lots of work out there, so if you don’t look after your staff you won’t keep them for long.
What’s next?
There’s a lot going on in Wollongong nowadays, but I don’t think we’re oversaturated, so there’s still a lot of opportunity out there. I’m always keeping my eye out for new, interesting spaces. Diggies has worked in a second location now, and I’d love to go again – we’ll keep you posted.
Diggies locations- 1 Cliff Rd, Wollongong / Blowhole Point Road, Kiama / 89 Hoddle St, Robertson