The South African coffee shop where everything on the menu costs R14

·17 Mar 2025

Nicolene and Tomer Elhadad’s Xpresso Café shook up the South African market by offering anything on the menu—including coffee, baked goods, and other food—for R14.

Nicolene Elhadad explained that the idea to launch an affordable coffee shop started a decade ago when they were enjoying a coffee and realised it was expensive.

“We noticed that the coffee shops did not attract everyone. It was because not everyone could afford the products they had available,” she said.

“I found that sad because I see coffee as something you should be able to enjoy every day. It should not be something you spoil yourself with once a week.”

They wanted to make the experience more affordable. It took them around two years to find a suitable business model for their venture.

“We wanted to make it simple and easy. Our vision was to offer a family of five people an experience where everyone can buy two things,” she said.

“We argued about the price. My husband insisted that every item on the menu cost R10, but I did not know if that would be sustainable,” she said.

The idea of a menu where everything costs R10 stuck, and the couple launched their first Xpresso Café in Durbanville in Cape Town in 2016.

The concept was so foreign that Nicolene and Tomer Elhadad were not sure it would work. They did not even tell their family and friends about it.

“We had no experience in restaurants, coffee, or baking, and we have never worked with the public directly,” she said.

“We did not have a rigid business plan. We focussed on ensuring that the business can work from the till.”

Simply put, whatever they sold at the new Xpresso Café had to be able to cover their daily expenses.

“The night before we opened, I thought this would not work. Nobody will come to our new coffee shop,” she said.

After the launch, they worked hard to spread the word that there was a new coffee shop that offered everything on the menu for R10.

“We decided to give the business three to six months before looking at the numbers and assess its viability,” she said.

The first Xpresso Café store was a hit, and the word spread

When Nicolene and Tomer Elhadad wanted to launch their first Xpresso Café, they asked rental agents to find them a good location.

They selected Durbanville in Cape Town because they lived close to it, which made it easier to run the business.

When they launched the first Xpresso Café, they did not do any advertising or promotions. This gave the team time to learn how to do everything.

People who walked into the Xpresso Café were surprised that everything only cost R10. “I had to repeat it a hundred times because people were so surprised,” she said.

From there, the word spread rapidly. The new coffee shop was featured in the press, on radio, and on television.

“People were contacting us through the community who spread the word about the unique new coffee shop that sells all products at R10,” she said.

There was also great social media coverage where people posted information about Xpresso Café selling all products at R10.

From the one store in Durbanville in 2015, Xpresso Café has grown to 65 outlets selling 50,000 cups of coffee a day.

It maintained its special R10 price for five years, then increased it to R12 in October 2021 and to R14 in October 2024.

“Everything in life does not have to be expensive. We do not make a lot of profit, but in life, giving has always been better than receiving,” she said.

“We want to offer our customers flavourful coffee, delicious pastries, appetising sandwiches and decadent treats to enjoy any time of the day.

She said seeing their customers being able to come back every day for their favourite snack and coffee is a dream come true.