• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Teen fresh out of high school opens a cafe and is heartbroken when it receives no customers

Home> Community

Published 04:03 12 Sep 2023 GMT+1

Teen fresh out of high school opens a cafe and is heartbroken when it receives no customers

The 18-year-old expected business to be slow to start but it was rough to not have anyone come in.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

An 18-year-old from South Australia has discovered the brutal reality of opening up a small business.

Tom Oswald decided to create a cafe in Handorf, a town south-east of Adelaide.

He put some hard graft and savings into creating the adorable shop.

However, he looked like he was crushed when he opened and not a single customer showed up.

Advert

He posted a video expressing his dismay and the clip has gone viral on TikTok.

It has amassed more than two million views and Tom has earned himself loads of online fans.

One person wrote: "We've got a group coming up to Hahndorf in a couple of weeks - we'll come in for coffee!"

Another said: "IM IN ADL!! will be visiting this weekend."

Advert

A third added: "Next time I drive through Hahndorf I'll get a coffee or pastry."

Tom worked hard over two years at a different cafe to get some experience in what it was like to run one.

He admitted he wasn't great at making coffee, but he jumped at every opportunity to get on the machine and perfect his craft.

The 18-year-old explained that an ex-neighbour told him there was a paint shop with room for a cafe but they had no one to run it.

The teen decided to challenge himself and take on the responsibility.

Advert

While it might not have been the best start to his new business venture, he knew that creating a business wouldn't mean he'd be an overnight success.

“The cafe can get a little bit quiet at times but it is something I fully expect and do not get down about it,” he said to news.com.au.

“Quiet days give me time to reflect and research and busy days teach me the importance of efficiency.”

After becoming a bit of an online celebrity, it looks like all those views and engagement on TikTok have translated to some foot traffic.

Advert

In one video, he thanked the 'TikTok customers' for coming in and buying a coffee or a pasty. In another he thanked them for 'keeping the dream alive'.

He left his followers shouting for joy when he posted a clip showing his first customer who came in organically.

Tom said there was another bloke who drove more than an hour just to take photos of the cafe.

He says he's going to stick with it and see what he can learn.

“I am 18 years old, straight out of high school, currently in my gap year and this project is literally the only thing I’m ever working on,” he told News Corp.

Advert

“I’m either at the shop working or working from the outside, finding ways I can improve the business in any way I can.”

Featured Image Credit: TikTok/homeboy.co

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie
Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

X

@stewartperrie

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

5 mins ago
5 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
  • 5 mins ago

    Tragic backstory behind 'most terrifying photo ever' of woman lying on her bed

    Blanche Monnier's family shared a sickening lie that the 27-year-old had travelled abroad for her studies

    Community
  • 5 hours ago

    Daughter of former secret service agent shares all common daily acts he told her never to do to keep safe

    We're all guilty of at least one of these everyday acts

    Community
  • a day ago

    Nurse who's witnessed 'so many deaths' explains spine-chilling moment she realised 'what happens after we die'

    Julie McFadden said the experience makes her 'want to cry' every time she talks about it, 'because it was so beautiful'

    Community
  • 2 days ago

    Therapist says one question will ‘test your relationship’ but it is ‘making people cry’

    Professional counsellor Jeff Guenther has revealed what questions you should ask if you want to 'test your relationship'

    Community
  • Tony Abbott wants high school leavers to undergo compulsory national service
  • Australian cafe owner wants female staff to wear a red sticker when they’re on their period
  • Uber Faces $26 Million Fine In Australia After Admitting It Misled Aussie Customers
  • Seth Rogen claims no one has made a good High School movie since Superbad and people are divided