When cafes closed temporarily many coffee drive-throughs experienced a surge in customers. Drive-through owner Mark Arnold speaks to Luke Voogt about keeping locals caffeinated through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tell us about yourself:
I’m 30-years-old and live in Highton but I grew up in Badger Creek in the Yarra Valley. I run two coffee businesses, and I have a beautiful fiancée and a 10-month-old son. I used to be a state sprinter – I was 17-years-old running 10.6 second 100 metre times and 10.3 was the Olympic qualifying time. But then I tore my right hip muscle right off. It felt like breaking an elastic band except inside my body – it was the weirdest sensation. I hopped myself over the line in third and was in a wheelchair for the next three months. I used to train so hard and that just ripped everything out from under me. I finally got back on the track but I did the same thing to my left hip in training! I had to stop playing sports that involved running, unfortunately. But I still like to surf and snowboard.
What’s your connection to Geelong?
I moved to Torquay when I was 20-years-old and stuck around for five years. I then moved to central Geelong for the train commute to uni in Melbourne. I met the fiancée here and one thing led to another.
How did you get into coffee?
When I moved to Torquay I worked for Telstra. I just got over the long hours as I moved down for the lifestyle. I started off as a dish pig at a local cafe and worked my way through the different positions; breakfast chef, front of house, and finally started making coffee. I worked as a barista through my uni years too. Making coffee is just something that’s always resonated with me. In October 2018 we opened our first drive-through. Teagan had been saying for quite a while, ‘why don’t you open your own place?’ Two months after we opened, she fell pregnant. We use naked filters to make our coffee – hence the name of our Waurn Ponds drive-through Go Naked Coffee.
How are you coping with COVID-19?
It was really stressful because we had just opened our second drive-through. We didn’t know if we would have to close. My family, and my staff and their families were my highest priority. Everywhere closed down but we were able to stay open, so that funnelled a lot of people towards us. The first few months were really stressful coping with the amount of people coming through while maintaining a strict hygiene regime. I was so scared about my family getting it – I’m still concerned now. Things can change overnight with COVID-19.
What do you like to do in Geelong?
I love having breakfast with my family – 63 Degrees is fantastic. I love walking with them along the waterfront and at local beaches.
What’s something about you that people might not know?
I used to be involved in e-sports at a professional level, which is a bit weird given I’m so sporty. I played League of Legends competitively a few years ago.
