Can Your Café Run Without You?
Why Taking Time Off Might Be the Most Important Shift You Make
When I opened Dad & The Frog, I did what most café owners do—everything.
For 9 months, I was clocking 60–70 hours a week in the café and pulling another 20 hours on nights and weekends doing events—just to ease the pressure on wages. At the time, I thought this was the grind I had to embrace. But looking back, I can see what it really was:
Small thinking.
Short-term survival.
A fast track to burnout.
We were depleting ourselves and calling it “hard work.”
But what we really needed was space to think, dream, and lead.
It took me 6 more months of working full-time in the business—and another 9 months of sacrificing weekends, missing family time, and running on fumes—before I finally made the decision to change.
Now? I work three days a week in the business and I take weekends off.
The café runs without me.
And I show up with more clarity, energy, and purpose than I ever thought possible.
1. Time Off Isn’t Lazy—It’s Leadership
Back when I was stuck in the 6- or 7-day grind, I didn’t have the space to think creatively or strategically. I was just reacting—stuck in that loop of orders, rostering, inventory, rinse, repeat.
But when I started taking real time off, I began to zoom out. I stopped just working in the business, and started working on it. That space gave me the mental clarity to revisit our mission, our brand, and the kind of business I actually wanted to build.
2. You Can’t See the Problem If You Are the Problem
The business couldn’t run without me. Not because the team wasn’t good—but because I hadn’t given them the systems, support or authority to lead. I was the bottleneck.
So I made the call:
Hired a Head Chef with leadership experience.
Brought in a strong FOH Manager.
Wrote SOPs with my managers, not just for them.
Trained the team to operate at a consistently high level.
The result? My team started owning their roles. I became a leader from above, instead of a lifeline on the floor.
3. Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honour
For almost two years, I wore my exhaustion like a badge.
Weekends gone. Family time cut short. Creative spark—dimmed.
But burnout isn’t noble. It doesn’t build businesses.
It breeds resentment and drains the passion you once had for hospitality.
These days, I take weekends off. I spend quality time with my family. I’ve started investing in myself—through coaching, training, and personal growth. And my business is better for it.
4. Find the Right People & Build the Right Culture
This was a game changer.
You can have great systems and beautiful branding, but if you don’t have the right humans behind it—none of it works.
When I finally committed to building a strong team, I stopped hiring just for availability and started hiring for alignment. People who cared. People who were curious, coachable, and hungry to grow.
Then we focused on culture.
Not the fluffy, "we're all a family" kind of culture. The kind that’s clear, consistent, and values-driven.
The kind that:
Empowers people to make decisions
Encourages accountability, not blame
Celebrates wins (even the small ones)
Supports learning from failures without fear
Once the culture became something we nurtured, everything changed. Staff turnover dropped. Communication improved. And suddenly, the team didn't just follow the vision—they helped shape it.
Your business will only ever be as strong as the people behind it. And your culture is the glue that holds it all together.
5. Time Off Trains Your Team
When I began rostering myself out, the most surprising thing happened: the team rose to the occasion.
Stepping away created a vacuum—and in that space, leaders emerged. People stepped up. Systems were stress-tested. And we could finally see what was working... and what wasn’t.
It forced all of us to grow—and that’s where the magic happened.
6. Distance Reveals Bottlenecks
As I began to detach from the daily grind, I saw things I never noticed before—training gaps, workflow issues, guest experience inconsistencies. These things had always been there... I was just too close to see them.
My time off became my best diagnostic tool. It showed me what was broken, so we could fix it.
7. The Business Becomes More Valuable (and Enjoyable)
Let’s be real: a café that runs without you is scalable, sellable, and sustainable.
It also gives you freedom—without guilt.
Since restructuring, I’ve been able to:
Lead from a systems-first mindset
Support my culture from the top down
Let my team shine without micromanaging
Focus on growth, branding, and long-term strategy
And most importantly? I’ve fallen in love with my business again.
Final Sip: Step Back, So Everyone Can Step Up
If you're stuck in the cycle of 6-day rosters, double shifts, and missed weekends, know this:
You don’t have to earn your freedom by burning out.
You can choose to lead differently.
Start small. Step back. Let your people stretch.
Then watch how far your café—and your life—can go.
Whether you need a break or just want to taste what better systems and strong leadership feel like, swing by Dad & The Frog in Surry Hills. We’re always here with great coffee, better toasties, and conversations that hit home.