The Coffee Club CEO takes a bow

He led Minor DKL Food Group for nearly two and a half years.

Scott Meneilly, CEO of The Coffee Club and Minor DKL Food Group, is departing the food industry after more than 16 years in the sector.

Meneilly led Minor DKL Food Group for nearly two years, spearheading The Coffee Club’s rebrand. This included new multi-format concepts, refreshed uniforms and table numbers, a revamped menu, and updated cabinet displays. The brand is also redesigning stores to move away from a “cookie-cutter” look, aiming for a more unique, independent vibe at each location.

Meneilly told QSR Media in a phone interview that, looking back, he is proud of his more than two years with The Coffee Club. He said they had made significant headway for the brand by studying the data about the business and the category.

“This led us to a change in the look and feel of our stores. We’ve worked with our franchisees by embarking on a programme where we have matched the franchisees dollar-for-dollar, up to $50k for their refurbishments. I don’t know of any other franchise business that’s done that,” Meneilly said.

Meneilly said the team has continued to build on its existing three-tier strategy, the Classic, Community, and Collection, by focusing efforts on the classic format, which makes up the bulk of its shopping centre footprint. He noted a 12.5% lift in sales in these stores, alongside operational changes such as updated kitchen equipment that allows for smaller back-of-house teams whilst still supporting a full-service menu.

The upgrades are helping reduce labour and cost of goods sold, with plans to roll them out more widely. Fewer community and collection stores have been opened to date, as the company remains focused on lifting unit-level profitability and transactions across its core network.

Meneilly will join automotive parts company Pedders Suspension & Brakes on 23 June, which he said is still aligned with his experience. “I think it’s about bringing a completely different perspective to that industry. My background is really complex multi-site businesses. And that’s what I’m continuing to run,” he said.