Behind the 13hr shifts of Canberra’s all night cafe with Zac Young
Some said that Kita would never work without alcohol, on a rainy Friday night 8 years later there is no sign of it slowing down. We caught up with Zac Young, the face of Canberra’s best cafe to talk late nights, managing mental health and taking Kita global on TikTok.
Story by Michael von Demleux
On a cold wet winter’s night in the capital, one where you would usually find yourself tucked in bed with a book, congregated in a suburban shopping strip are some dedicated night owls looking for some warm salvation. These people aren’t heading out to the clubs but are rather lining up in the rain to get a table at Kita /ˈkita/, an overnight cafe tucked in the suburb of Narrabundah.
15 minutes after opening, it’s already packed. Ollie the barista mentions that the line out the door of people waiting is normally even on a stormy night like this. But this is just the start of a long service.
The patrons vary throughout the night, from families with kids after their sports training, to workers looking for a good coffee on the late shift, or people looking for a nice calm place after clubbing.
Kita family by Michael von Demleux
Kita is one of ACT’s only all night cafes and the front of house manager, Zac Young has been on-board since doors first opened in 2018.
Kita’s opening times are 6pm overnight til 6am the next morning, Tuesdays thru Sundays. The family run restaurant serves coffee, snacks, as well as a selection of Indonesian meals that any foodie would love at any time of the day.
The night cafe concept started out as wanting a place where shift workers, like Zac’s dad, could stop and have a meal and coffee that wasn’t a bar or a drive through.
Kita stands out as one of the very few hospitality places that are open overnight and do not serve alcohol.
They saw it was important to have a ‘third place’ for the community that was available at all hours, without the culture alcohol brings, a quirk that some patrons early on said would be their demise. After nearly a decade of operating without alcohol, Zac and the Kita crew wear this as a badge of honour.
Zac Young has seen the Kita audience change and evolve over the years, not to mention the growth he himself has had. Starting as an 19-year-old, Zac was put in charge of running the front side of the restaurant with his mother being the head chef in the kitchen.
Zac’s personable attitude is almost infectious. Being able to talk to Zac you feel that his passion for his work, the people he meets and delicious creations is not disingenuous in the slightest.
The community that has grown is unique. Kita has its regulars, these can include the bakery workers next door, police on patrol at night, or people looking for a trendy spot to hang, either way Zac chats to everyone who comes in.
Voted Canberra’s favourite cafe Zac and family have built something special together. But his desire to create something that was entirely his own, drove Zac to think global.
After getting given a tripod and microphone by his now fiancé at the start of last year, Zac started to create a project on Instagram called the Stay up with me, this being a short vlog each week on his work life at Kita during the night.
Originally planning for a big goal of a 52 week run of episodes, Zac’s attitude was “I’m just gonna give it a really good crack”. Zac ended up having a 65 week run that ended in the middle of this year.
Being able to tell a story and do food differently has led to Zac amassing a dedicated following online, even with people recognising him on a trip to Cambodia.
To sustain this flow and stay on top of the algorithm it takes a large amount of work. Zac credits his mother and father for their teaching to instil a very strong work ethic in him to make sure that he puts his all into everything.
Zac admits that Kita isn’t forever for himself and hopes that one day he can use his skills to become a high end food journalist.
This is evident by working 13 hours a day, 5 nights a week, a feat that Zac doesn’t recommend to everyone but says fits with his own work life balance.
“I live the opposite to what most people do. I get up 3pm and don’t sleep til about 8am when people are starting their morning”
Initially the late night and long hours did affect his mental wellbeing; he would let the business performance dictate his own attitude. If they were doing well, he felt that “he was the big dog”, but if they were going through a slump, he would beat himself up over it.
Zac has learnt to balance and distance his emotions from work, a skill he learnt while at work interacting with customers.
Kita like any hospo work has positive and negative customers, but the community focused theme and late hours open the doors for people with unique stories and helps them get through the night together.
Kita has become a valuable part of the community, a place for the nocturnal. A place that is welcoming to those who like their brew black instead of amber in the midnight hours. But most importantly a place to think outside the box, get creative and export what makes Canberra special to the world one Reel at a time.
