GEORGE TOWN, July 10 ― It started with a food truck selling specialty burgers in front and now, Mugshot Café's co-founder Jesse Tan Soon Jin is expanding the café to include an al-fresco dining area at the back.
The narrow alleyway behind the shophouse will be turned into a relaxing dining spot with food and beverage stalls in a new dining concept.
“It will become a platform for new entrepreneurs to introduce their food and beverage just like what we are doing with The Duchess,” Tan said.
Tan co-founded Mugshot with his childhood friend N.Tristan and more than a year after the café first opened its doors, the café is now a popular spot for locals and travellers who come for the coffee and one-of-a-kind grilled bagel sandwiches.
The food truck, called The Duchess, idea came about nine months ago and it started operations just last month.
“We wanted to help other young talents who wanted to start their own F&B business but do not have capital to do it,” Tan said.
Tan will offer spaces rent-free to the young entrepreneurs to set up their small businesses in a partnership with Mugshot.
Since early this year, Sam Liew runs a fruit juice and yogurt shake counter, Frute Dose, within the cafe while Ong Shen Yung runs The Duchess to sell his specialty chicken and beef burgers.
“We hope to open up the alleyway space by September for alfresco dining and Frute Dose will open up the windows at the back and serve direct to patrons,” Tan said.
The Duchess will no longer be stationed in front but also be relocated to the alleyway most of the time.
“The Duchess is also a travelling food truck and we've been getting bookings for it to set up at festivals or events,” Tan said.
The alleyway behind Mugshot Cafe was one of the sites for George Town Festival 2013's secret gardens project.
“We are cleaning up the space now and putting up lighting so that at night it will be a cozy outdoor dining area,” Tan said.
For now, Tan has yet to finalise how many stalls will open up in the space and even the name for the place.
The project will involve collaboration with other cafés whose back doors also face the alleyway.
“So it will not just be an extension of Mugshot but will be sort of a collaborative project between cafés here and new F&B entrepreneurs,” he said.
