SUBANG JAYA, Aug 16 – There is the sound of laughter and also of gentle barks. The hiss of a steam wand and the frothing of milk for latte art. Furry, four-legged friends amble towards us, waiting to be petted and admired.
Yes, we are at a dog café.
The more appropriate term these days is pet-friendly café, however. At Espoir Café, located in the residential enclave of SS15, Subang Jaya, all manner of pets are welcomed, even the feathered variety: our server Joseph told us one customer even brought a pet duck to the café!
All in all, it’s a merry little place. Which makes it more incredulous that when it first started, the shop had to close a week after launching.
Espoir Café founder Anton Nee explains, “Due to us opening one week before the movement control order (MCO) started, the public didn’t have much awareness of us. We chose to remain closed for the following two months to observe the situation as things were getting riskier for the well-being of our workers.”
Fortunately, Nee and his partners, Yubin and Eve renegotiated the shop rental with their landlord – something not every food-and-beverage (F&B) business managed to do. He says, “Luckily she gave us a few months of rental discount which greatly helped. Right now we’re focusing more on delivery due to the current changes in lifestyle: many people are opting for online delivery.”
With online delivery, however, something is lost when you’re offering a pet-friendly environment as part of your draw. This is something we witness first hand as we play with some of the café’s adorable dogs.
By far the most rambunctious and voluble is little Ollie, a Pomsky which is a cross of the Siberian Husky and the Pomeranian. Equally active are the mother and daughter poodle pair of Jilee and Bibi, their fluffy hazelnut fur begging to be stroked.
More stately is Ludwig, a very docile Shetland Sheepdog with dreamy eyes. There’s also a Schnauzer named Lola but she was enjoying a day off when we visited Espoir Café. These are hardworking doggies but even the most diligent canines need their rest!
Nee shares that the idea for the café was actually inspired by his girlfriend. He says, “She was telling me it is hard to find an indoor place where she and her dog can spend time together hanging out and drinking coffee.”
The 26-year-old Business Management graduate saw that this could also be one of the problems that many other dog owners were experiencing. He admits that it is a niche industry but also that he found purpose in providing pet owners with a space where “they can relax with their friends and have a chat while sipping their coffee without having to worry about their dogs straying away from them.”
The response has thus far been encouraging. Part of the attraction for customers is being able to see their pets happily playing around with the other pets. Nee says, “Some customers have brought an iguana and even a tortoise! We value cleanliness and quality of food given to our customers... and we never leave out the dogs as well: we serve freshly cooked dog meals as well.”
For the pet owners, the café’s menu is an easily recognisable mish mash of Western and Asian favourites such as Breaded Prawns and Calamari, Japanese Curry Rice and Butter Cheese Chicken Spaghetti.
Elsewhere, spread out on a couple of shelves, are various pet-related items from doggy snacks to animal shaped plush toys. Ludwig and Ollie perk up decidedly at the aroma of a freshly made cup of mocha. (Everyone loves caffeine, I guess.)
It all looks simple enough – crafting a pet-friendly space inside a neighbourhood shop lot – but try doing that with a pandemic raging across the globe. Yet it’s precisely when things are so tough that an ordinary yet rare space like this, for animals and animal lovers alike, is so precious.
Dealing with setbacks isn’t a new experience for Nee. He was a teenager when the 2008 economic crisis struck, which both affected his father’s business and taught the future entrepreneur indelible lessons in life.
He says, “Ever since then, I realised how important it is to have a steady financial backing to be able to standby when such a crisis occurs again. My first job was in the property industry where I provided accommodation to various students and working adults. When the pandemic came, I decided to start my own café through the support of various friends and family members.”
Nee’s never-say-die attitude in business arises from his own adventurous spirit. An avid hiker and photographer, he braved the elements alone to hike Annapurna, one of Nepal’s famous mountains in 2018.
He recalls, “It was an enthralling and spectacular journey where it took me nearly five days up to the base and camp and another three days back to town. Ever since, I would dedicate my time and opportunities to seeking out new places to explore in the world.”
These days, however, exploring new places around the world has been put on hold. Not just for Nee but just about everybody. More pressing matters consume our hours and our days, to the extent there is little left over for grace and relaxation.
Which is what makes Espoir Café such a triumph, both in its timely reopening (once the MCO restrictions began easing) and how it has provided a therapeutic space for folks to gather safely and marvel at the innocence and ingenuity of animals. A space to laugh and to recover.
Navigating the pandemic has proven to be a perilous journey for everyone. For Nee, the road to running a business has been bitter at first and now, hopefully, sweeter. By persevering, he is rewarded with seeing happy faces playing with new friends, furry and feathered alike.
Espoir Café
21, Jalan SS15/4c, SS 15, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor
Open daily (except Wed closed) 12pm-10pm
Phone: 03-5613 3208
For more Flavours of Business stories, visit lifeforbeginners.com/flavours/
