{"id":30443,"date":"2026-07-30T10:12:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T02:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=30443"},"modified":"2026-08-05T09:44:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T01:44:27","slug":"leaving-fifo-to-become-the-co-owner-of-daisies-cafe-cottesloe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/leaving-fifo-to-become-the-co-owner-of-daisies-cafe-cottesloe\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaving FIFO to become the co-owner of Daisies Caf\u00e9 Cottesloe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Growing up in Perth\u2019s iconic coastal suburb of Cottesloe, Sam Kaye spent many mornings and afternoons enjoying the delicious food from his local hangout – Daisies Cottesloe.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nestled amongst Cottesloe\u2019s iconic pine trees, Daisies has long been a place where Perth locals and tourists alike gather and make memories over delicious sausage rolls, sandwiches and hot coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for Sam, Daisies has meant so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At just 10 years old, he landed his first job stocking fridges at Daisies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little did he know that years later, he would become co-owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"curtin
From stocking fridges to becoming the co-owner of Daisies Cottesloe, Sam’s career has come full-circle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although hospitality was always the dream growing up, the start of Sam\u2019s career took a different turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI always knew that I would somehow end up in hospitality, but like many young kids, I didn\u2019t really know what I was doing,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a people person, so I decided to study human resources at Curtin, which I really enjoyed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management and Management (2009), Sam started his professional career in recruitment at a mining company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam said that while he was hitting career milestones with a top-tier salary, the reality of FIFO life quickly took its toll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a time when the industry was buckling under greater uncertainty, Sam found himself entrusted with greater responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy boss was laid off, so I became responsible for making redundancies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou could sense the environment was changing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, one night, during dinner in the dining hall, everything changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam had a massive panic attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the time, I didn\u2019t know what it was, and I convinced myself that I was having a heart attack,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was the eye-opener, and it made me really start to question whether I wanted to be doing this long-term.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the uncertainty of what he\u2019d do next, Sam decided to hang up his boots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI made the decision to get out. I had no plan of what to do afterwards; I just quit and booked a holiday to Bali for a month,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning home from Bali, Sam found the clarity to pursue a lifelong dream \u2013 and he took the leap into hospitality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Article
Sam decided to take a leap of faith and invest in his beloved childhood cafe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He started a casual job in hospitality, and when the opportunity came up to invest in his beloved childhood caf\u00e9 he took the plunge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI could\u2019ve gone back to working in the city, but when we found Daisies for sale, that was the push to get into business,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now operating for more than a decade, Sam and co-owner Pia Prior have hustled to elevate Daisies into so much more than a caf\u00e9 \u2013 it\u2019s now an Australian experience, complete with merchandise, coffee on wheels and catering services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"children
Daisies Cottesloe is more than a cafe; it has become a part of the Australian experience.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But this success hasn\u2019t come without sleepless nights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cComparing Daisies in 2015 to where we are now – it\u2019s very different,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInitially, we were working 70-hour weeks and doing everything possible to stay afloat.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only now that we have been able to hire more people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the renowned restaurateurs are the owners of The Pantry Group, which consists of seasonal beachside kiosk Ol\u2019 Buoy<\/a>, The Other Side<\/a>, Side Piece Deli<\/a> and, of course, Daisies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"staff
Sam is the co-owner of The Pantry Group, which consists of a variety of Perth beachside cafes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Sam, succeeding in an industry where most businesses fail isn\u2019t something you can learn in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a hustler, and it\u2019s not a skill you can teach,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou must be willing to get your hands dirty, because if you don\u2019t, then how do you expect your staff to do the same?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Sam, receiving Western Australia\u2019s 40under40 Awards\u2019 prestigious People\u2019s Choice Award<\/a> this year was more than just recognition but a testament to his dedicated team who work tirelessly to keep the venues operating for the wider community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"curtin
Sam was the recipient of the 2026 Business News 40Under40 People’s Choice Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Amongst the craziness of running four cafes, having a life outside of work is something Sam takes very seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving a life outside of the business has been so important in its success,\u201d Sam said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I go on break, I always come back with a clearer mind and more motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond coffee and delicious food, it’s the lasting impression these spaces have on people and the community that keeps Sam moving forward when times get tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"people
For Sam, creating a welcoming space in the community has been the most rewarding aspect of running a cafe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Providing a welcoming space for the community while helping young people take the first strides in their careers has been one of the most rewarding aspects of running a caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I finished my degree, I envisioned a career in the corporate world, but I\u2019m glad my path took a different direction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThroughout my life, I\u2019ve always been adaptable \u2013 I\u2019ve learnt that if it doesn\u2019t work out, change it, and if you don\u2019t like it, get out, because life is too short.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam Kaye<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, Managing Director and Co-Owner at The Pantry Group Ltd (Daisies Cottesloe, The Other Side, Side Piece Deli & The Ol\u2019 Buoy)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduating from Curtin with a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management and Management (2009), Sam started his hospitality career working at Daisies Cottesloe before later becoming the owner of the very store that helped kick-start his professional career. Following a successful stint working in human resources and recruitment for various WA mining companies, Sam decided to take the plunge into hospitality. Now, he is the Co-owner & Managing Director at The Pantry Group Ltd and a recipient of the 2026 WA Business News 40Under40 People\u2019s Choice Award.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Growing up in Perth\u2019s iconic coastal suburb of Cottesloe, Sam Kaye spent many mornings and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":161,"featured_media":30444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","wds_primary_category":710,"footnotes":""},"categories":[710],"tags":[363],"class_list":["post-30443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-after-curtin","tag-career-advice"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30443"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30445,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30443\/revisions\/30445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}