Fifteen years of coffee, connection, and community on Hunter Street

Words By: Mia Pennington

On any given morning, you will find Ground Floor Cafe moving at its familiar rhythm. Regulars filter in for their usual order and morning chat with the lovely and welcoming staff, newcomers meet over coffee and a selection from the cafe's broad menu. 

Where, just like any day, Ground Floor Cafe settles into its groove that has defined this corner of Hunter Street for years.

“We’ve been here probably the longest, I would say, out of any business around us now”, says Ground Floor co-owner Ali. “We really want to thank everyone, because there’s been so much support.”

Now in its 15th year of operation, Ground Floor reflects on its place within the Hunter Street community, not just as a cafe, but as a constant in a changing precinct.

A constant on Hunter Street

Open seven days a week from 7 am, the cafe is known for its specialty coffee, including the full-bodied Aspen blend with notes of chocolate, hazelnut, and cream.

The menu features breakfast staples done well, from bacon and salmon Benedicts to big breakfasts, veggie options, smashed avocado, beef burgers, and açai bowls, alongside a large grab-and-go fridge stocked with pastries, quiches, and baguettes. 

Known by much of the community, part of Ground Floor’s charm comes from its team, many of whom have been with the cafe for years. Their close-knit, welcoming approach creates a warm, familiar vibe for customers, where regulars are greeted by name and newcomers quickly feel at home. 

“It’s a space built on relationships as much as coffee” notes co-owner Jordan, who began Ground Floor Cafe almost 15 years ago.

Facing the growing pains of changing precinct 

But like any long-standing small business, Ground Floor hasn’t come without its challenges. 

Over the years, the cafe has weathered wave after wave of disruption – from the long-running Hunter Street Mall and tram works to the uncertainty and forced closures of COVID-19. Constant construction delays, shifting road access and changing footpaths made it harder for people to reach the precinct, significantly affecting foot traffic and placing sustained pressure on local businesses.

The café, alongside its long-standing team, dealt with the consequences first-hand – including break-ins, fires nearby, broken windows and ongoing vandalism – making day-to-day operations far from easy.

“We’ve seen basically every business around us turn over three or four different places” says Ali, “We’ve made friends with them all, and then we’ve seen them go.”

The Ground Floor community 

Despite the challenges, the Ground Floor team is quick to acknowledge the role their community has played in keeping the cafe going. “We really want to thank everyone, firstly, because there’s been so much support,” says Ali. Even during the most challenging periods, that support never wavered. “People still came to us… even with the dust everywhere and the noise,” she adds. 

For the owners, it’s clear what has made the difference: “That community is what keeps us alive”. 

Familiar faces, every morning 

The tight-knit staff culture at Ground Floor is testament to this small business's resilience. Within the Ground Floor, customers are greeted by the same team members, each week, with many coffee regulars calling the staff a friend as much as a cafe worker.

 “People have started here from juniors… and we’ve fostered their whole growth,” Jordan says. For the team, the cafe has become more than just a workplace. “You spend more time with these people than your family,” he adds. 

A new chapter for Ground Floor 

As Ground Floor looks ahead, the focus remains on what has always mattered most to this corner of Hunter Street Mall, community, consistency, and connection. 

With a renewed sense of optimism for the future of Hunter Street Mall, owners Ali and Jordan, alongside the team, are committed to continuing the daily rituals that have defined the cafe for more than a decade and a half. 

For locals and visitors alike, Ground Floor remains an open invitation: a place to drop in for a morning coffee, laugh with a friend over breakfast, and be part of a community that continues to show up, day after day, even amid uncertainty.

So for your next cafe outing, stop on by and say hello to the wonderful team at Ground Floor. 

Not to mention the cafe’s loyalty card means every tenth coffee is on the house - a perk all regulars know well!