The love story behind the name of Cafe 959 in Kogarah

·

By Peter Oglos.

While it may appear to be a regular café on the outside, when people step into Café 959 in the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, they step into a piece of history from newly-wed couple Chris and Marissa Andrew.

Both being children at the time, Chris and Marissa met in 2009 on their local school bus, the 959. As time went on, their relationship grew stronger and they began dating at the end of 2014.

“We came up with a lot of different names and none of them were personal to us,” Marissa said to The Greek Herald.

“When we came up with Café 959, we knew that it meant something to us. It’s close to our hearts.”

Marissa’s family run a café in Penrith, Nadia’s Café, which Chris began working for around the time they started dating. Since then, the two developed a unique working dynamic, strengthened by their love for each other.

Photo: Peter Oglos/The Greek Herald

“We’ve both been with the Nadia’s team for over ten years now… And since then we’ve been a great pair, working together,” Marissa said.

“We thought it was the right time to open up our own cafe to call our own.”

Announcing their engagement in 2018, the pair worked together full-time at Marissa’s family café in Blacktown.

Speaking about how the opportunity in Kogarah came to be, Marissa said many would consider it ‘fate’. Yet Marissa recognised that the best opportunities usually come at the most unexpected and best times.

Prior to opening Café 959, the spot was home to the popular café ‘Conrete Jungle’.

Photo: Peter Oglos/The Greek Herald

“I went down to a florist at the bottom of my street and I recognised the lady working,” Marissa explained.

“And we started talking about life and business and family. She told me her son owns Concrete Jungle and how he’s going through his life as well.

“And I said to her as a joke, if he ever wants to sell, here’s our number.

“And then a few days later, he called us and that’s how it started.”

Opening last week, Marissa says it’s been difficult to predict what each day will bring, yet the business enjoyed a hugely successful first weekend.

“I think we were lucky to have a lot of family help us out,” Marissa added.

“We had a lot of good reviews, a lot of good feedback and happy customers. Our main focus is good customer service, good food and good coffee.

“And our main goal is obviously to maintain and build our relationships with our customers and our staff.”

Asked if there would be any Greek influences brought to the café, Marissa says they are looking to introduce Greek coffee on the menu sometime in the future, along with some Greek food items on the menu. 

“We’re focused on a bit of a multicultural target and a lot of our customers are already Greek and know that we’re Greek and it’s just that different kind of level of relation,” Marissa concluded.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Victorian football community mourns after the passing of Heidelberg United’s Keely Lockhart

The Victorian football community is in mourning following the heartbreaking news of Keely Lockhart’s tragic passing.

Alexia Apostolakis debuts for Matildas in narrow defeat to Panama

Greek Australian teenager Alexia Apostolakis made her senior debut for the CommBank Matildas on Saturday. Read more here.

Greek government to host online seminar for Greeks abroad on tax, business and relocation

An online information seminar designed specifically for Greeks living abroad will be held on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.

Erin Patterson found guilty of mushroom lunch murders

Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murdering three of her relatives by intentionally serving them a meal laced with deadly mushrooms.

Global Summit of Hellenic Lawyers set to launch in Athens

The world’s most distinguished Hellenic legal minds are set to gather in Athens for the inaugural Global Summit of Hellenic Lawyers 2025.

You May Also Like

TGH EXCLUSIVE: When George met Ranmeet…how difficult is a cross-cultural marriage in multicultural Australia?

When George Kantzios and Ranmeet Jassal decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, they agreed that no external factors should...

Letter from the Editor: #KeepItGreek while we stay at home

Using the hashtag #KeepItGreek on social media, we aim to encourage everyone to maintain our Greek heritage and culture while we stay at home.

Historic progression in Greece as patients now require prescription for antibiotics

Greece has joined Australia and a host of European countries by putting in place a law that requires Greeks to have a prescription before...