Customers were in for a surprise at His & Hers cafe in Corrimal early on Wednesday when they arrived to discover Bryton Hadfield was giving away free coffee.
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The give-away coincided with the third anniversary for the business which was nominated to be part of a random-act-of-caffeine kindness initiative by staff at the nearby Greater Bank branch in Corrimal.
His & Hers was one of four coffee outlets in the Illawarra chosen to spread some positivity with caffeine during lockdown.
Greater Bank staff came up with the idea after deciding there were few better ways of putting a smile on someone's face than a good cup of coffee.
So the bank put enough money on the till at His & Hers, Ariel's Cafe in Figtree, The Tree Club in Nowra and the Fast n Frothy coffee van in Shellharbour to give away at least 70 free coffees to surprise their regular and loyal customers.
Many took advantage of the option to pay it forward and pass on a free coffee to the next customer.
Ms Hadfield described the day as very busy but an amazing one full of smiles.
"Because today is our third anniversary of being open we decided to make it a bit of a celebration. We gave 85 free coffees out by 8am. And we had a table set up with cupcakes and lollies so when people came in for their coffee they could walk out with an extra treat. And we had three people who wanted to pay for their coffee and forward the free one onto someone else."
"We had three people who wanted to pay for their coffee and forward the free one onto someone else. I actually had one free coffee ready at 6am for one gentleman who comes in every day and he walked out saying "I hope your day is as good as mine, because this is the best day ever"."
Ms Hadfield decided she would return the favour to Greater Bank staff on Wednesday afternoon by taking them some free cake and coffee.
She said the Greater Vibes gesture from the bank was a really big boost for her spirits as well because it has been pretty crazy running a small hospitality business during the last 18 months.
"But the local support in our community has been amazing. We have so many regulars who come in every day. They are helping us survive and we are so grateful.".
Ms Hadfield said P&C associations ordering cake boxes to say thank you to teachers has also helped.
His & Hers cafe is operated by Ms Hadfield and her mother Martine Hadfield.
"Dads dream was to own a coffee shop so the His & Hers name comes from mum and dad," she said.
"Mum and I run the shop and he (Craig Hadfield) does all the behind the scenes work."
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
