Crankys Cafe in located in Fishpen, Merimbula on the NSW Sapphire Coast, home to Australia's coastal wilderness halfway between Melbourne and Sydney and just 3hrs from Canberra.
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No visit to Merimbula's iconic Fishpen is complete without a visit to Cranky's. We love them for their amazing food & coffee, their unbeatable position right across from the beach and of course their instantly recognisable (and sassy) logo. A Merimbula institution and a favourite hangout for locals and visitors all year round, we caught up with owner Lee and the rest of Cranky's legendary team to see what they've been up to during 2020...
Q) Fill us in on what’s been happening at Cranky’s over the last few months?
A) "It's been business as usual at Cranky’s. We haven’t had a day closed since Christmas day. Between the fires and COVID we felt it was essential to stay open for people’s peace of mind and (of course) coffee fix. We have been keeping the coffee, cakes and food up to the locals and those who have escaped from their states. My staff have hung in there with me the whole time. Hat’s off to them!! We've also been fine tuning our waste management processes with special emphasis on in-house waste program. One of the most significant results of this combined effort has been in our reduction of waste to tip volumes as much a 90%. All our in-house takeaway packaging can be put into the local FOGO bins including all coffee grind waste and we are very conscious of making sure our customers are aware of what bins to put their waste in".
Q) What's the most popular item on the menu?
A) "Hard to say! Right now (in the current climate), we are only doing takeaway and by far the most popular is our egg and bacon roll. Turkish roll made fresh every day with local Bega Valley free range eggs, David Goodall’s Butcher smoked bacon and (if they want) our own in-house tomato chutney".
Q) Where did you get the inspiration for the famous Cranky girl logo?
A) "Cranky girl is a fun logo my daughter, Tamara designed for me to use for my labels on my preserves. She does have attitude (I guess like her owners) and was produced so she was generic and I could use her logo from anything from undies to soup spoons".
Q) Tell us something people might not know about the cafe?
A) "Cranky Cafés’ name was derived from Cranky Pants which was the logo used for the sale of my preserves business which I started over 12 years ago. Originally from Canberra I sold these items at local markets and then when I moved down the coast I started to wholesale up and down the coast. When the current shop came up for lease the name was a no-brainer – Cranky Café. Our background is food catering especially remote, where we have to cook everything in places with no facilities. Our famous paella is one of the signature dishes we have perfected over the years. We still make preserves and sauces in-house for sale which are used on a daily basis incorporated in our food. We pride ourselves on everything been made in-house".
Q) As a Merimbula institution, what do you guys love about your home town?
A) "Patrick and I have only been here from Canberra for the last 14 years and have grown to love the people and especially the unique, amazing and diverse natural environment. With the café being away from town it is different as most people are coming down here to walk their dogs, exercise, swim and surf. When Fishpen is full of tourists it is pretty crazy but a hell of lot of fun…"
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