An entrepreneurial streak

Spend enough time with Brandon, Sam and Jordan, and Blitz Bar starts to feel almost inevitable.

The three friends met through school, footy and cricket. Alongside their friendship was another common thread – all three grew up around family businesses, developing an entrepreneurial mindset from an early age.

‘The three of us are fortunate to have great mentors in our fathers,’ Sam reflects.

‘My dad is someone I look up to every day,’ he continues. ‘He came from Russia and basically made it from nothing. I’m endlessly impressed by his business intuition and expertise.’

For Jordan, that influence came from working in the family business, Glick’s Bakery, from age 12. Brandon was similarly inspired by the family businesses around him and always knew he wanted to work for himself.

So, by the time the trio reunited after their gap years, building something together felt like a natural next step.

Betting on wellness

The idea for Blitz Bar started, as many great ideas do, with a walk through Caulfield Park.

‘At the peak of COVID, we noticed people were investing in their health and wellbeing more than ever,’ Sam says. ‘We saw the trends of people exercising at home, learning how to cook and sustaining healthier lifestyles.’

The founders saw this as an opportunity.

‘We got into the food space because it’s a very low barrier to entry,’ Jordan explains. ‘We were very into the self-serve model,’ Sam adds. ‘We wanted to bet on the idea that 5, 10, 20 years down the track people would continue looking after themselves.’

Bringing the idea to life quickly became an obsession.

‘We went in full throttle,’ Brandon recalls. ‘We started working on it nearly every day.’

Interestingly, açaí wasn’t initially the star of the show.

‘When we built our first store in Malvern, açaí only took up about 50% of the real estate. It was predominantly coffee and smoothies. But once we opened, we realised everyone just wanted the açaí,’ Sam laughs.

 

 

Lines out the door

If the founders expected a gradual build-up, the community had other ideas. Just weeks after opening, the business found itself at the centre of a viral TikTok moment.

‘We went mega viral on TikTok and from there had lines out the door. It went crazy,’ Jordan recalls.

The attention wasn’t the result of an expensive or carefully planned marketing campaign. Instead, the trio took a DIY approach, posting regular videos and enlisting Jordan’s younger sister to edit content.

‘We just kept making videos. In those early days we had a video that got over six million views, which was incomprehensible,’ Brandon explains.

‘That led to 200 kids walking in within a 12-minute span,’ Sam laughs.

Suddenly, the challenge wasn't attracting customers. It was keeping up with demand. Hiring, rostering and operations all had to evolve at speed as the founders learnt on the fly what it meant to run a fast-growing hospitality business.

It was overwhelming, but it confirmed what they had hoped all along: the people wanted what Blitz Bar was offering.

 

 

Backed from day one

Every business needs its first customers. For Blitz Bar, many of them were already familiar faces.

‘The first couple of days it was basically our own community, until we gained traction on TikTok,’ Jordan recalls.

That early backing remains something the founders are deeply grateful for.

‘Where we are now is of great attribute to the locals. The support was phenomenal,’ Sam adds.

And as Blitz Bar has grown, so too has its definition of community.

‘Success has always been about building community. While we started in Malvern and thought our customer base would all stem from around there, it's been incredible to see how each store has its own local regulars coming back,’ Brandon says.

Whether it's sponsoring local sporting clubs or welcoming regulars through the door each morning, community remains central to the Blitz Bar philosophy.

One became five

The first store proved Blitz Bar could work. The second would need to prove it could grow.

‘What gave us the confidence to open the second store in Brighton was that we really believed in the idea,’ Brandon says. ‘We saw that it was making people happy.’

Brighton felt like the next natural fit.

‘Açaí bowls go really well with the beach and by-the-bay lifestyle,’ Brandon says.

Windsor, Mentone and most recently Toorak followed, each chosen for its own character and strong local community.

‘We wanted to keep that 5 km radius. Toorak is close to all the schools and co-working spaces, so it has a strong sense of community,’ Sam explains.

Which, as we now know, is what Blitz Bar is all about.

 

 

The friendship factor

The Blitz Bar story may be built on açaí, but its foundation is friendship.

‘We all have different personalities that supplement our business dynamic really well,’ says Sam.

Years of friendship, combined with the challenges of building a business together, have only strengthened the relationship.

‘When you go through hardship together, it really deepens the friendship,’ shares Brandon. ‘If someone is struggling, you can be there to pick them back up. If someone's doing well, they can bring the others along.’

As Blitz Bar has grown, the trio have also become intentional about protecting their friendship outside of work.

‘A lot of people don't know this, but we try to go out for dinner once a week and talk about everything but the business. We have a strictly no-business policy,’ laughs Sam.

‘We keep friendship and business separate,’ adds Jordan. ‘There are good times and bad times, but at the end of the day, we're mates.’

 

 

Eyes on the future

While the business has grown significantly, the ambition hasn’t changed.

‘We want to continue growing and multiplying our stores. We love the idea of going interstate and even expanding internationally one day,’ Sam shares.

Along the way, the founders have learnt that growth isn't just about opening more stores. It's also about growing as people.

‘The biggest lesson I've learnt is to stay optimistic,’ Brandon says. ‘When you go into each day thinking, I get to do this rather than I have to do this, you have a lot more gratitude for the position you're in.’

Looking back, the founders are quick to acknowledge that while hard work got them far, they also benefitted from a few lucky breaks along the way.

‘You've got to back yourself when starting any business, but a lot of it does come down to luck,’ Jordan reflects.

Sam sees it differently.

‘Hard work increases your chances of luck.’

Judging by the first five stores, Blitz Bar has had plenty of both.

 

 

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