After closing its viral cafe in Hahndorf, Homeboy is hitting the CBD, bringing coffees, sandwiches and cinnamon scrolls to postcode 5000.
When Tom Oswald opened his café – originally called Thiele’s Shop before changing to Homeboy – in Hahndorf last year, he never expected to go viral on TikTok.
But after he received no customers on his first day of trade, he decided to post a 19-second clip to the video platform that would jump-start his hospitality career.
At the time of publishing, that video has 1.4 million views.
“It was crazy – instantly,” Tom says.
Since that initial video took off, Tom continued to post “day-to-day stuff” to give “background on what it’s actually like” owning and running a café at just 18, which includes sharing the “challenges and struggles”.
“[That includes] of course, not having customers on day one – that was a big one,” Tom says.
“Heaps of people got around it though; heaps of people supported it so I’m very grateful for that.”
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The original Homeboy Hahndorf café was only ever supposed to be a pop-up – according to his sponsored short-term arrangement with The PaintBox inside Thiele’s Shop – so after opening in July 2023, he shut up shop on June 30.
“Barely could make a good coffee at the start, genuinely, like I couldn’t even do latte art,” Tom says.
“I thought ‘ok, I’ll learn as I go and document it’ and I guess people aligned with that.”
But via his social media channels, he teased this would not be the end of the viral sensation and beloved café.
Today, CityMag reveals that Homeboy is moving to North Terrace inside the Yugo building, which is a Renew Adelaide space, bringing everything people loved about the café to the city.
“I love the city, I just love the vibe of Adelaide,” Tom says.
“Kind of want to see and just sort of test it, because it’s like the extreme.
“It’s a bit of a contrast from Harndorf, which was a bit more slow.”
Tom Oswald
Set to open in October, people can expect the same deal as the Hahndorf offering.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” Tom says.
“So good coffee, sandwiches, cinnamon scrolls. Just do a few things, but do it right.
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“That’s the goal, and try and build up a little community hopefully.”
In particular, Tom believes he and his mum have “perfected” the cinnamon scrolls.
“We’ll [hopefully] be known for that,” Tom says.
Though Tom doesn’t reveal too much in terms of menu specifics, he does say the sandwiches will be “Italian-style” like focaccias and “toasted ham and cheese but done right”.
“Fresh bread, fresh as possible for everything,” he tells CityMag.
“But I think the menu will definitely develop over time, it’s not like a set thing.
“That’s what’s so good about social media, you can ask your feedback and see what people like.”
The coffee is an individual Homeboy blend, made by his friends in Queensland, and Tom says he wants to “hopefully grow that as well”.
Tom says that when he first saw the space, he “knew exactly in [his] head how [he] wanted it to look”, and has been working with local architects at Echelon Studio to bring his concept to life.
“It will be wood panels, super minimal but functional,” he says.
“[Inside there will] be a darker timber [which] will be a good contrast with the white.”
But just because Homeboy no longer resides in Hahndorf doesn’t mean he won’t continue to document every step of the way. He will be using his platform to connect with local businesses and “see who it attracts”.
“Since I’ve been blessed with such an audience, I feel like it’s a duty to also lift up others as well,” Tom says.
He still wants to share his challenges through his social media, which includes 234.5k followers on TikTok and 303k followers on Instagram.
“That’s the goal with this spot, because I know it’s going to be a lot more difficult [because] I’m starting it from scratch,” he says.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of challenges, a lot of things to overcome. So I want to share that.”
Homeboy is located inside Yugo Adelaide City, 266—269 North Terrace, Adelaide and is set to open in October.
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