This is how Banana Jam Cafe successfully balances creativity and profitability

Owner Greg Casey shares his journey…

Owning and running a restaurant comes with a constant tension: the desire for creative freedom and the pressure to stay profitable. Greg Casey, owner of Banana Jam Cafe in Harfield Village, Cape Town, has found the balance and his Caribbean-inspired spot has been going for more than 27 years. He shares his journey and the tools that have helped him along the way.

The story behind the name
The restaurant’s name came about by chance. “We had quite a few names tossed around – some good, some not. One afternoon, while looking through recipes in a Caribbean cookbook, we stumbled upon a recipe for banana jam, the kind you spread on toast. We thought it was a very interesting name for a restaurant. As a Caribbean spot in the late 1990s, it really stood out in a place like Harfield Village, so we went for it,” Greg recalls.

The freedom to create
When Greg opened Banana Jam Cafe, he didn’t try to curb his creativity. “When we started, we were young and just created freely without thinking about it too much,” he says. “We tried some pretty unusual dishes that people didn’t always understand, and quite a few eventually had to come off the menu. We kept staples like burgers and pizzas alongside the more adventurous Caribbean options to maintain variety.”

Fortunately, things have changed, and customers are now willing to step out of their comfort zones. “These days, social media, YouTube, and travel have made people much more open to different flavours. We’re fortunate that we can create unique, out-there dishes while still running a profitable business,” explains Greg.

Stock that supports creativity
The tools to support a successful business have advanced over the years, and Greg uses TabletPOS, with an integrated stock management system, to support his vision for his restaurant. “I definitely use the stock management system when creating new dishes. Seeing what we already have in the kitchen, our par levels, and our current stock holding makes a big difference. It allows me to look at existing ingredients and find creative ways to turn them into something completely new without having to order and carry extra stock.”

Real-time costs, real-time decisions
For any restaurant owner, knowing your food costs down to the dish is essential. Greg has always kept an eye on his, but the pace at which he can now respond has changed. “Food-cost visibility isn’t new, but the big difference now is speed and having current, real-time information. With a live stock-management system, when supplier prices change, those updates feed through instantly so you can see the impact on a dish’s cost. You can quickly adjust recipes or pricing to ensure your margins stay where they need to be.”

Waste, too, has become easier to quantify. “We’ve always been conscious of waste and have used wastage charts for years. What changed with the system is how easily we can attach a real monetary cost to that waste. Tracking wastage directly in the system shows me exactly what we’re throwing away and what it costs the business.”

WATCH: Eat Out Head of Content Tessa Purdon chats to Greg to find out more:

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Creating first, costing second
Creating first and costing later is a principle Greg has always followed – and one he applies at his brewery, Afro Caribbean Brewing Company, too, where he isn’t afraid to produce unique, higher-cost beers. “Cost matters, but it isn’t the only factor. Sometimes a dish or beer sells precisely because it’s different or limited. Knowing the numbers doesn’t restrict creative freedom; we create what excites us first, then use the numbers to make it commercially viable.”

Control from anywhere
For independent restaurant owners, Greg sees real value in a system that can travel with you. “Having a solid back-of-house system that you can access anywhere in the cloud is invaluable for an independent restaurant. I travel a lot, but I can constantly check sales, track food costs, and review daily morning reports that flag any items exceeding our target food-cost percentages. It gives you full control without needing to physically be in the restaurant.”

The value of a comprehensive system, like TabletPOS, is that it clears the way for what matters most. After more than 27 years in Harfield Village, the most rewarding part for Greg is the people. “Having been in Harfield Village for a long time, the most rewarding part is seeing generations of the same families come through. We’ve watched long-time customers grow up, bring their own children, and now we’re seeing the next generation come in as well.”