JOHNSON PROVES A SNAP FOR AN AWARD
RESTAURANT entrepreneur Tim Johnson has taken out a top prize at the prestigious Brisbane Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards.
He’s still a young gun but the Comuna Cantina owner is already a hospitality veteran, boasting a successful business model that capitalises on the Coast’s obsession with Instagram.
“Part of our guidelines for staff is that every plate they take out has to look good enough for Instagram,” he said. “Social media has been a big driver for us, we get a lot of people coming in because of a picture they saw online.”
Mr Johnson’s Latininspired restaurant, Comuna Cantina, opened at Pacific Fair last year and is one of six restaurants operated by the social media-savvy 35-yearold.
Starting his career at McDonald’s at age 13, he now owns three Corbett & Claude restaurants in Brisbane, one in Sydney and two Comuna Cantina restaurants in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Mr Johnson said he was extremely grateful after receiving the award for hospitality and tourism at the weekend.
“My passion and love for the industry gets stronger every day; it’s such an inspiring industry, touching so many elements of life,” he said.
He said his next project was a venue north of Brisbane combining the Corbett & Claude and Comuna Cantina brands.