A restaurant with no chef.

Nestled next to an all-night pharmacy and an artisanal candle shop in the bustling inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy is one of the city’s best kept dinning secrets that everyone is raving about. Set up by Owen and Jasmine Cone, their restaurant Cone & Co is said to be a dining experience unlike any other.

Cone & Co passes the chefs hat to you.

“We both have a lot of cafe and restaurant experience.” Owen tells us preparing for a busy morning shift. “In fact, I don’ think we’ve had a single home cooked meal since we got married six years ago, that’s how much we eat out.” Owen and Jasmine saw what they liked about the culture clad dining choices in their native Melbourne and saw how they could improve on it.

“Most of the places were pretty rubbish to be honest,” Jasmine Cone tells us while cleaning a window through which a line of eager customers are awaiting some of Cone & Co’s famous breakfast. “There was this one place we went to 17 times and never once got a decent bite! It was then I realised, ‘I could make this better.’”

Realising they always knew what they wanted Owen and Jasmine set out to start a dining venture that would assure 100% customer satisfaction. The plan was fool proof; food for the customer, by the customer. That’s right, where some restaurants (most notably Stone Grill) give patrons the utensils to cook their own steak, Cone & Co gives you dominion over your whole meal, sides and all. Your meal the way you want it, every time.

When Cone & Co opens we speak to the hungry customers awaiting their famous breakfasts. The first ones in move immediately into the teeny kitchen where they lay their bacon on the hot grill. We spoke to the man who was first through the door about what Cone & Co meant to him. “It’s a win-win,” he said as he mixed his scrambled eggs “I never get it how I want it when I’m out (bacon and eggs) but can’t be bothered cooking at home. This is the only place that gets it right every time.”

Once his perfect bacon and eggs are done, he takes a seat in the dining area leaving his food next to the grill. The moment he is comfortable Owen swiftly grabs the plate and delivers it to the hungry dinner’s table. We watched with anticipation as the dinner took his carefully cut first bite. His chewing gives way to a relieved smile, enjoying the taste sensation of a breakfast just how he intended.

“Unlike any other joint in Melbourne,” said an obvious graphic designer mixing her granola on one of the small kitchen counters. “So it’s probably unlike anywhere in Australia really. NZ too.” This seems to be an opinion every customer shares (along with their dress sense). “We travel so far to have this lunch!” said one St Kilda local. “Best in town! Just like my mum taught me to make!”

Honestly we can’t disagree with them. We all had steaks for lunch and each was cooked just the way we wanted it. The tradition dynamic of dining has totally shifted at Cone & Co something Owen is very proud of. “Normally you sit there waiting, which is just stupid! I reckon while you wait for your meal you may as well peel a few potatoes.”

This food revolution stands as a shining beacon of hope for the out of touch hospitality industry. Despite their unconventional approach Jasmine and Owen can boast that Cone & Co has never received one complaint about their food “Occasionally we’ll get the odd person who lodges a complaint to themselves.”

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