The Cairns Post

New life brews in CBD

Fresh cafe to open on Lake St

- PETER CARRUTHERS peter.carruthers@news.com.au

A LOCAL ice-cream entreprene­ur has swapped the scoop for an espresso machine for the reopening of the well-establishe­d Semra Cafe on Lake St in the Cairns CBD.

The prime location was the home of the cafe Rehab before changing to become Semra last year.

Semra cafe folded in August this year, but has been bought back to life by the former owner of Licks Gelato in Innisfail, Volker Franz.

“I am no stranger to the food industry,” he said.

Mr Franz said for the moment he would keep the Semra name, but in the coming months hopes to run a naming competitio­n to find a new name for the Lake St business.

“I will ask people to send out some ideas and the one who wins it will get a lifetime of free coffee,” he said.

Once the cafe is establishe­d, the former butcher said the coffee house would offer the usual fare with a German twist.

“Because I am German, we will have some Germaninfl­uenced food like currywurst and we will do eggs Benedict and all the normal stuff,” Mr Franz said.

Priding himself of the best customer service, Mr Franz also has plans for the interior of the shop which will begin in March next year.

“My goal is to have a great customer experience and great customer service … with good coffee and good food,” he said.

A grand opening of the cafe is planned in the next couple of weeks.

Mr Franz hopes the cafe occupying and taking advantage of Lake St pedestrian traffic will appeal to lovers of good coffee and great service. “It’s all about the product and the customer service,” he said.

Customer loyalty cards will be available from the cafe in the coming days, Mr Franz added.

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 ?? Picture: JUSTIN BRIERTY ?? AT YOUR SERVICE: Semra Cafe owner Volker Franz with staff Emelie Mattsson (left) and Melanie Zaytat.
Picture: JUSTIN BRIERTY AT YOUR SERVICE: Semra Cafe owner Volker Franz with staff Emelie Mattsson (left) and Melanie Zaytat.

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