Meet Patel and Sanket Patel say Wagga was the obvious choice for the first EQ cafe outside Canberra. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Wagga has a new option for coffee, breakfast and lunch, with Canberra-based artisan cafe and bakehouse EQ opening in the former Red Rooster site on Edward Street by October.
EQ has grown from a single cafe in Canberra’s Deakin into a multisite business with 11 stores across the national capital, selling everything from coffee and all-day meals to freshly baked bread, pastries, cakes and sandwiches.
Now the family business, originally started by Wally Rao in 2017, is making its first move outside the capital and into regional NSW.
Spearheading the Wagga venture are Meet Patel and Sanket Patel – who share a surname and say they’re “like brothers”.
Meet said Wagga was an obvious choice for EQ’s first regional store.
“Wagga is the nearest regional place to Canberra that we thought had great potential. It has the type of population that would like our products,” he said.
EQ – which stands for Excellence and Quality – has moved into its new premises and has already replaced the signage. Meet said he hoped the store would be open as early as next week.
The artisan-style cafe and bakery offers considerably more than the traditional bakery staples of sausage rolls and meat pies.
You get more than meat pies and sausage rolls at this bakery. Photo: EQ Cafe and Bakehouse.
The menu includes freshly made sandwiches, breakfast and lunch options, pastries, cakes and coffee.
“Everything we make is from scratch using fresh ingredients,” Meet said.
“We work hard day and night to get everything delivered on time and we try to keep it within an affordable price range.”
The Red Rooster that previously occupied the site closed earlier this month, but the chain says it is looking for a new location in Wagga.
Meet has offered some good news for its former employees.
“We are planning to hire those who were previously working with Red Rooster – it would be good to give those who lost jobs the opportunity to work again,” Meet said.
He also said the store would be open seven days a week from 6 am to 8 pm, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“We know that there aren’t too many bakeries and only a few cafes in Wagga have extended hours – there are times when McDonalds is the only option,” Sanket said.
EQ was quick to put up the new signage. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
One of EQ’s signature products is its cannoli – the Italian pastry made from a crisp, tube-shaped shell filled with sweet ricotta-based cream.
Cannoli was immortalised in the famous line from The Godfather: “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”
“Our cannoli is popular. We sell about 1000 a day,” Meet said.
Meet’s personal favourite savoury dish is the chicken schnitzel sandwich with coleslaw and mayonnaise.
The cafe is also bringing its own coffee blend to Wagga, using a dark roast from Melbourne.
“The small double shot is the most popular coffee order,” he said.
The Wagga opening is part of a wider expansion plan, with EQ looking at Albury as its next regional destination and potentially Griffith after that.
“We are excited about this store in Wagga and meeting the locals,” Meet said.
“Anyone looking for a good coffee and fresh sandwich, give us a try.”
EQ Cafe and Bakehouse is located at 345 Edward Street, Wagga Wagga, on the old Red Rooster site. They’ll be open 7 days a week from 6 am until 8 pm serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Keep up with them via their website, Instagram and Facebook page.
