Behind the Counter - Cameron and George Downey, the Oat Bros

Images throughout supplied.

Rather than being a generalist - brothers Cameron and George Downey, owner-operators of Oat Bros are “the guys doing oats”. Oats might be ‘the’ menu but what they have built is actually much more than that. For the duo, oats sit at the intersection of wellness, exercise and community, and it is this restraint and positioning that makes Oat Bros so interesting. Here, George shares how doing one thing very well — and getting the fundamentals right has been vital in building a community around health, connection and of course, a shared love of oats.   

You came from very different backgrounds before starting Oat Bros. Tell us how the business began and why oats became the focus.

Cameron was in banking and I got about half way through an Earth Science degree. We were both passionate about exercise, wellness and community - in a funny way oats became the thing that could bring all of those interests together.  

Most hospitality businesses offer a relatively diverse menu to cater to different preferences but oats are your menu. Why was it important to build a brand around doing one thing really well?

For us it is all about being instantly recognisable and standing out. We want to be known as "the guys who are doing oats". I also think that making a whole food service space around a single product is super unique and interesting. Not to mention it makes operations super efficient and simple.

The run club has become a big part of the Oat Bros community. How important has that community been to the business?

The run club has been huge for us. Like I said, health and exercise is such a huge part of the brand for us. I don't think that there is a place that either of us would rather be than hanging out with the crew for a coffee and a yarn after a Saturday run. I think that having a community like the run club lets people interact with the brand in a way that has a bit more depth and really helps people see our mission and values in a way they might not if they were just consuming the product.  

Your feijoa exchange was a very cool initiative. More broadly, what is your approach to menu development and ingredient sourcing?

We do try our best to add seasonal flavours to the menu. Trading local fruit for oats feels like an amazing way to give back to and connect with our local communities! (**an idea we stole from our local Duck Island in Hamilton East who used to trade ice cream for lemons). We have a key team member in charge of flavour development. Later on this year we are moving into a dedicated test and prep kitchen which should really allow us to improve flavour output and creativity.

From fueling the run club to your app and online ordering, you've created multiple ways for customers to engage with Oat Bros. What do you think people are looking for from a hospitality experience today?

We are always asking ourselves what our customer might want and how we can add more to their experience. Getting the fundamentals right is always going to be what makes or breaks an establishment, but being a little bit different from the crowd or making little changes to target your specific customer can help to get an edge. 

Your brand is closely connected to health, movement and wellbeing. How do those values influence the way you operate?

Haha yep couldn't have said it better myself. They are what we originally built the brand's vision around. We are going to be making even more of an effort to focus on them more intentionally as the brand evolves. 

What are you focusing on this year?

This year we are going to be renovating our Hamilton site and working on centralising our prep test/kitchen which should make operations run much more smoothly across the whole business. 

What advice would you give someone wanting to start something of their own?

Just get started and stick with it. It'll take some time.