A refurbished Bates Smart landmark on St Kilda Road, with a ground-floor business lounge designed to be the daily hub for every tenant above. We activate it with Melbourne's best specialty coffee at zero net cost to the building.
5 Bowen Crescent sits in the heart of Melbourne's St Kilda Road office precinct — a 14-storey, Bates Smart-reimagined landmark with more than 11,000 sqm of premium tenancies above. The refurbished ground-floor business lounge was designed to be the gateway, and to give the 500-plus people in the building a reason to linger.
What it needs now is a daily drawcard. A reason for tenants to meet there first thing, to bring clients down at 11, to run into each other on the way out. That drawcard is hospitality — led by specialty coffee, extended by food, pastries and catering on demand.
This proposal is a cost-neutral coffee activation that runs on a minimum revenue model, giving Bowen Investments and Colliers a lever to transform the lounge into the building's highest-utility amenity — without taking on operational risk or fixed monthly cost.
We set the minimum revenue target together. You help us understand the hours, and we show you exactly how to reach that target from day one. If revenue ever falls short, you simply top up the difference at month end. Our job is to make sure that rarely, if ever, happens.
You tell us the hours and days that work for your building. We model the revenue target based on those inputs. The minimum threshold is agreed upfront, with full flexibility to adjust as demand patterns emerge.
From day one, we actively optimise pricing, menu, staffing, and tenant engagement to drive the service toward the target. Our goal is the same as yours: a self-sustaining cafe that costs the building nothing.
Revenue is tracked weekly against the agreed minimum. If actual revenue falls short in any given month, the difference is simply invoiced to the building at month end. Full transparency, no surprises.
We design the model to hit the minimum revenue target from day one. The calculator below shows exactly what it takes, and our track record proves it works.
Revenue is tracked transparently via the live dashboard. Any shortfall against the agreed minimum is invoiced at the end of each month. No surprises, no complexity.
Our dashboard provides full transparency, giving you the data to confidently scale the service.
Month-to-month agreement with a 3-month minimum. Hours, menu, and scope adjust based on real tenant demand as it emerges — not a forecast made before the lounge has found its rhythm.
Our cost-neutral operating model comes down to two key components.
To maintain a fully staffed, high-quality cart service without institutional subsidy, the model requires a minimum revenue target of $150 per hour. This is calculated on a weekly basis and translates to an average of 30 coffees (6oz) sold per trading hour.
Our proposed price for a standard 6oz coffee. 10oz (large) is priced at +$2.00 above the base rate. Extras such as alternative milks and double shots attract a +$0.50 surcharge. Positioned right at the local St Kilda Road precinct average, so tenants have no reason to walk elsewhere.
A straightforward breakdown of the purchases needed to sustain a $0 net cost for 5 Bowen, calculated on a weekly basis across all menu items.
Based on 500 people in the building, $5.00 price per cup (6oz), 5 hours trading per day and 5 days of trading per week:
| Period | Revenue Target | Avg Purchases Needed | Cups Per Head Per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per hour | $150 | 29 | — |
| Per day | $750 | 145 | 0.7 cups/head |
| Per week | $3,750 | 723 | 3.6 cups/head/week |
| Per month | $15,938 | 3,072 | 15.4 cups/head/month |
At just 0.3 cups per head per day, 5 Bowen hits the minimum revenue target. That is less than one coffee per person per day, across coffee, food, and beverages combined.
Beyond coffee, the menu extends the revenue opportunity, giving tenants more reasons to visit the cart and helping 5 Bowen hit the minimum revenue target with ease. Every purchase counts — coffee, sparkling, slice, catering order. All of it contributes to the weekly target.
Mixed range of premium locally sourced beverages.
Assorted slices, brownies, blondies and cakes, refreshed daily. Every item contributes to the weekly revenue target.
Tenants can order catering for their floor through our integrated catering portal and prepay online. From team breakfasts to client meetings.
Tenants can scan a QR code from their desk, place their order, and pick it up at the cafe. No queues, no waiting.
Six integrated pillars that power the 5 Bowen cart service.
We recruit, train, and manage all barista staff. A dedicated lead barista runs the site, backed by a VIC-wide bench for seamless cover.
The coffee program is curated to reflect Melbourne's specialty culture while maintaining consistency.
Integrated technology provides real-time visibility into revenue performance through a dedicated dashboard.
All coffee equipment supplied, maintained, and serviced by Coffee on Cue to ensure reliability.
Dedicated leadership oversees service delivery, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement.
The coffee bar acts as a platform for tenant engagement through activations and seasonal experiences.
Bowen Investments and Colliers will have permanent access to our live platform providing full transparency on revenue performance against the minimum threshold.
Our Classic Blend is roasted weekly for freshness and balanced with sweetness. Perfect with milk and served black. Over 2.5 million cups served and counting.
Best for: high-traffic retail environments. The Classic is universally loved, familiar enough for the flat white drinker and refined enough for the black coffee purist.
Combining modern aesthetics with superior reliability.
2-Group Coffee Machine
Espresso Grinder
Dual-Screen POS System
Founder and CEO of Coffee on Cue. Leads vision, partnerships, and the company's growth strategy across Melbourne and Sydney.
Your dedicated account manager. Nico oversees all workplace partnerships and ensures your program delivers from day one.
Head of Operations (VIC). Paul manages all barista teams, site logistics, and daily service delivery across Victoria.
This proposal is structured as a month-to-month management agreement, with a 3-month initial minimum.
After the initial 3-month minimum, the agreement continues month-to-month with 30 days' notice either way. This lets Bowen Investments and Colliers respond to real tenant demand rather than committing long before the lounge has found its rhythm.
The activation is the first chapter. What we're really interested in is the long-term play — building genuine value into 5 Bowen through a high-touch business lounge that helps the asset get to full occupancy and then hold it there.
We run that model already. Across our portfolio with JLL and others, we operate ten sites in the CBD where the coffee bar is the front door of a broader high-touch lounge experience — concierge-grade service, considered food, genuine hospitality, and the kind of amenity that tenants actually tell their friends about.
Our team is ready to have that conversation whenever Colliers and Bowen Investments are. Whether the endgame is us operating the full lounge, or handing a proven concept to a specialist operator once occupancy is there — we're happy to build the path with you.
"We've already built this model inside ten of the city's most considered buildings. We know how to add value to a tower, and we know how to do it without getting in the landlord's way. When you're ready to talk about what 5 Bowen looks like at full occupancy — we're ready."
Ryan Spaccavento — Founder, Coffee on Cue
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