Café Y

#nourishingpotential

Café Y

Nourishing Potential

Café Y is our vibrant social enterprise café which supports the training of young people in hospitality and cooking. More than 60 young people each year conduct all their training and placements through Café Y learning the skills of cooking, front of house and being a barista. All of the placements are overseen by our wonderful Café manager who ensures that we are always serving the best quality with the friendliest welcomes.


Café Y also helps young people to secure employment both at the café, in other cafes/restaurants or in other industries.


For young people facing disadvantage, the café offers a fresh start, and the tools to secure a job and live independently. The cafe is open to the public serving coffee, cake, breakfast and lunch. 100% of the Café’s profits goes back into supporting local young people providing local solutions for local needs.


Visit us today and help a young person to take the first step in their careers, and towards independence. Our food tastes amazing, and feels amazing.


Have you tried our poached eggs, halloumi and mushrooms on toast? How about our popular wraps? Support young people with every mouthful. Swap your daily coffee for a taste of Café Y’s blend – you’ll never look back.

Café Y Open Hours & Location

Café Y Opening Hours

7:30am-2.00pm Tuesday-Friday

Location

34 Allison Crescent, Dharawal Country, Menai, NSW


We’re just beside the library at Menai Marketplace – come and say hi!

Jack's Story

By Trina Johnson • 03 Jun, 2020
“I had no confidence, especially at work, because I had been treated badly by other employers. I have trouble talking to people and being able to stay in a job because of a disability. I also really wanted to go to university but I thought this was impossible and I didn’t know how to apply. At Café Y I got the opportunity to work in a café with customers which really helped me. I learned lots of skills and even ran the whole café sometimes which was a great experience. I worked at Café Y for 12 months and got a certificate in hospitality. I now have great work experience and a qualification. This was life changing for me as I was then able to apply for and attend a university degree to further my education.” – Jack, 22 Years Old

Did you know Café Y also do catering?

Whether it’s a business function, or birthday party, use Café Y as your caterer. Our food is delicious, and 100% of our catering profit supports local young people in need. Your business can make a real difference by procuring your catering through a social enterprise – ring us today to see how we can work together to support local young people.

Enquire about Café Y’s catering menu:

Enquire about Cafe Y's catering menu

Declan's Story

Donate today to support another young person like Declan

DONATE NOW

Volunteer at Café Y

“I pop into the Café regularly to help out in the kitchen and serve the customers. It is a vibrant and busy little café and being able to support them is really worthwhile. The fact I am contributing to young people getting a start in the hospitality industry is something I didn’t think possible. Making a difference feels good too.”


For more information about volunteering at the café, please use the volunteering form provided.

A shout out to our supporters

We would like to say a huge thank you to all of our amazing regulars for their ongoing support. The Café does so much more than just serving great food and coffee to the community. The café also serves as a hospitality training route for young people that face disadvantage, therefore the support of donors and sponsors enables us to work with over 65 young people every year ensuring they have the opportunity to achieve.


In particular we would like to say thank you to the following:

  • The Salvation Army

    The Salvation Army craft group generously donate $1000 per year towards the running of Café Y. The Salvation Army also visit the Café for morning tea on a regular basis and we love seeing their smiling faces as welcomed regulars at the Café. We are so grateful for the Salvation Army’s commitment to making the Café a success. 

  • Commonwealth Bank, Menai

    The Menai branch, under the management of Danny Tannous, have donated an incredible $20,000 to Café Y since 2017. This incredibly generous sum contributes to the Café’s success in educating and training young people year after year. We are so grateful for the huge impact Commonwealth make with their incredible donations.

  • IMB

    IMB Bank Community Foundation (ICF) focuses on community engagement and improvement in the Shire. On two occasions, Cafe Y has received funding from ICF, which included the funding for refurbishments needed to open for business. Without this funding, Cafe Y would not have been able to purchase the equipment needed to keep up with demand. We are forever grateful that the IMB team believe in the potential of the Café. We would not be where we are today without their financial support.

  • Club Central, Menai

    Club Central, the Café’s next door neighbours, are very generous in their support of Café Y, Labour Y and Project Youth as a whole. The team at Club central are great friends of the Café, regular visiting and promoting Café Y at any given opportunity. We are so grateful for their ongoing support, which has helped to change young people’s lives for the better.

Are you a food blogger? Help us raise the profile of Café Y. Contact fundraising@projectyouth.org.au to make a difference today.

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