Local lovers of chocolate, desserts and coffee can now lay claim to having the best San Churro in Australia in the heart of Wollongong.
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There are 53 San Churro stores in the nation but the five year old Globe Lane business has just been named the best of all. And its manager is the Australian employee of the year.
Franchisee Mani Rosete said business development managers nominate the operations they think are the best each state. Three national finalists are then chosen by an expert panel.
Karen Zrnich was the first to be honoured at the San Churro national awards on the Sunshine Coast when she was named employee of the year. “I was very shocked. I was really ecstatic and I was really humbled”.
Mr Rosete was not surprised his store manager was recognised because of the way she has led the team over the last four years and reated a culture where everyone works so well together.
“I know what she means to this place. She really does embody the San Churro way of doing things,” he said.
When Mr Rosete nominated Ms Zrnich at the state level she went on to be named NSW and Australian Employee of the Month. The 12 monthly winners were then interviewed and three finalists shortlisted for the Australian Employee of the Year Award.
“I think I was chosen because we are so passionate about the San Churro brand and the way we treat out customers and employees,” Ms Zrnich said.
“We are all very committed. It is fun to get up every morning and know you are coming to work here. Mani messaged me the other day and said “Happy Four Year Anniversary” and it didn’t feel like I had been here four years. I still enjoy the job as much as I did the very first day.”
Ms Zrnich particularly loves seeing people’s faces light up when she brings them their order. “How could you not love doing that every day. To be honest this is the best place I have ever worked.”
Ms Zrnich believes she has been able to achieve everything she has because she feels like she has the best boss in Australia. Mani as franchisee comes in everyday and talks to all the staff.
Mr Rosete said his store manager loves coming to work so much each day that she does not like going on holidays. She misses the customers too much.
But he didn’t think San Churro Wollongong was going to be named store of the year and had not prepared a speech.
“It is the first time I have won this award. This is the award that everyone wants to get,” he said.
“To be honest I didn’t think I had a chance of winning. I have been nominated once before and didn’t get it. We have won other awards in the past but this one is the most prestigious. Not many stores have won it. I know the other two finalists and know how they perform and I didn’t think I was in the ball-park.”
Mr Rosete was told San Churro Wollongong was named best in Australia because it embodied everything the franchise wants.
“This whole franchise is based on the premis that the Spanish know how to socialise really well together with friends and family and enjoying good times. And you do that over food. That is what we represent. That is what we try and do really well here. Our customers feel like this is their second home.”
Mr Rosete said many regularly came in for the great dessert options and got to know his team of 21 by name.
“Primarily we are that place you want to hang out at,” he said.
The business may be five years old but it is still growing at 20 per cent per annum. And that means the number of jobs keep growing. Mr Rosete stills gets dozens of applications each week because San Churro Wollongong is known as such a good place to work.
“Our staff are really happy working here. They enjoy coming to work here. And it shows through the customer service.”
When Mr Rosete and Ms Zrnich returned from Queensland customers and staff joined in the celebrations.
“We wanted to share this with our team and our customers who were just as excited when they found out as what we were,” he said.
San Churro Wollongong has boasted the highest customer satisfaction rating in Australia for some time. It is based on unsolicited customer feedback online.
“It is very scientific. It is called the NPS system. This is something used by a lot of businesses around the world. We exceed Apple in terms of our score. And Apple is considered to be the gold standard of what you want in terms of customers satisfaction. We are pretty proud of that,“ Mr Rosete said.
Opening Hours
- MON-TUES 9am-10pm
- WED-THURS 9am-11pm
- FRI 9am-12am
- SAT 9am-12am
- SUN 10am-10pm
One of the popular initiatives at San Churro Wollongong has been $2 coffees from 9am to 10am Monday to Friday.