Not your average kopitiam of the old days, these new outlets are very chic and appealing to youths, with interesting interiors and concepts.
Many are also operating in pre-war buildings that were left used for years, breathing new life into the old structures.
The force behind these new food and beverage businesses are young entrepreneurs in their 20s, who bring energy and creativity into the game.
Edwin Tan, 25, who owns Favourite on Lebuh Pantai, said the community is small and many young cafe owners are friends, who share a common passion for coffee and food.
"But having so many new cafes in town can also be a good thing. It is a sign that more people enjoy going to cafes and the kind of environment they offer.
"Hopefully, we will see more people enjoying coffee and cafes will become a kind of lifestyle in the city," he said.
Not seeing the business as a neck and neck competition among cafe owners, Tan said homegrown cafes like his are not threats to one another, as each has its own selling point.
It has old radios, records, a television from the 80s, and portraits of Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy in its ground floor interior. In the coffee lounge upstairs, which is being renovated, the walls are so far decorated with murals inspired by popular culture characters like Bart Simpson and the blockbuster movie Star Wars.
"We need to be different. So we give equal attention on our side dishes as well. Our drinks are also at reasonable prices.
"We don't believe that because there is demand or others are charging a lot for their coffee, we must do the same too," he said.
Favourite, Tan said, has yet to come out in a big way since it opened because it is still a project in progress.
He and his partner are also considering how to fully utilise the double-storey heritage shophouse to give customers a good time at their cafe, he added.
Tan's friend and fellow cafe owner, Beh Yit Chun, 25, who runs Paper Pepper on Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling also welcomes the cafe boom, saying that the 'new cafe culture' could be good for tourism in the city too.
Beh first opened his cafe in January last year under a different name but it was renamed Paper Pepper following a revamp in July this year.
"I do this because I love coffee, food, and art. I wanted to have an arty place of my own where people can hangout and feel comfortable.
"Business can be slow during non-holiday seasons so we have to always think of ways to improve what we have to offer," he said, adding that he is renovating the upper level space of the shophouse next door to expand his cafe.
"I think we are the only cafe in town that has them for now. We will also continue to serve our customer favourites like the pancakes, canapes and cabonara pasta," he said.
Not far from PaperPepper is The Alley, which is almost hidden on Lorong Stewart among little shops that sell joss sticks next to the Goddess of Mercy Temple.
Owner Tommy Yap, 26, said the two-storey building, which belonged to a family friend, was a joss stick shop named 'Kedai Gaharu Keat Seang'.
"We have been doing quite well since my partner and I opened the cafe in November last year. We also have a branch in Sungai Petani.
"There is competition but we have a strong customer base. Our customers like what we have to offer...they think our service is energetic, young and hip," he said.
The Alley's cappuccino, which is served with a piece of 'kacang tumbuk' (peanut candy); lemon cheesecake and churros also help bring customers back for more.
Yap, who opened the cafe due to his love for coffee, said the cafe scene when he started his business was not like what it is today.
"I think opening cafes has become a trend because it looks like it is easy to make profit, with some people going cafe-hopping these days.
"But the business is not without risk. Some of the new ones might find it hard to sustain the business," he said, adding that The Alley was designed with a tight budget.
Choo Beng Chuan, the owner of Guan Seang Trading Cafe at the junction of Lebuh Armenian and Lebuh Pantai, opened his shop selling local food and drinks like laksa and nutmeg juice in May last year.
He said he saw a business opportunity in opening the cafe at his father's old bicycle shop, and he wanted to capture the tourist market since the shop was right next to the world famous Ernest Zacharevich street art of two children on a bicycle.
The 58-year-old retired internal auditor said his wife also loves to cook and he enjoys meeting and talking to new people, but business is not what he expected.
"We can break even. It is far below what I was expecting. We thought the business can at least qualify for the Goods and Sales Tax when it is implemented but we are still far from that.
"We want to improve. We are not giving up yet," Choo said, adding that he is offering artists space to put up their pieces, and selling packed instant mixes for local food, classic music records.
He said he does not know why so many new cafes are opening in the city today when the food business is tough to manage.
"I think some will last one or two years because they won't be able to afford the cost," he said, adding that he is not worried about the competition from new cafes.
"Each cafe has its own niche and these days, whether you are successful or not also depends on whether your customers post a photo and brag about being at your cafe to friends on Facebook.
"My biggest problem is with the illegal hawkers, who sell canned drinks out of cooler boxes by the road next to my cafe. They really hurt my sales," he said.
According to Penang Municipal Council licensing standing committee chairman Ong Ah Teong, 115 new cafes, restaurants and eateries opened in George Town in 2012, and 111 more last year.
Up to August this year, 70 new outlets have opened, he said, a sign that business must be good. – September 25, 2014.
Source : http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/food/article/george-town-sees-cafe-boost-among-young-entrepreneurs
