Have a Seat at Josie's Table

When a place is put together with care and love, you can feel it. You know when someone's soul has been poured into their business and that their world revolves around it.

One such place is Josie North, found in an arcade off Sherwood Road in Toowong.

Matthew Roggenkamp opened Josie North around three and a half years ago, with a beautiful vision of the kind of space he wanted to create.

His vision, above everything else, was to make customers feel so much more valued than they were used to.

This is actually the reason behind the name, Josie North.

"It is literally a made-up name. It is to make you feel like you are coming to Josie North's house. We don't want to treat people like customers, we want to treat them like guests."

Josie North's unique dining experience is a huge component of its home-like vibe. Why? It's communal.

'What is the communal dining experience?' you ask. Well, think medieval pubs with long tables or, better yet, the Great Hall from Harry Potter. Essentially, big or long tables that encourage more than one party to eat and drink together.

There is something so comforting about sitting down at a bigger table to eat - it's like sitting at your dining table at home, except you have the opportunity to eat, drink and connect with the wider community. This adds to Josie North's homey and welcoming essence and makes it a little more special than your average café.

When I asked Matt why he wanted to incorporate communal tables in Josie North he said, "I think it adds to the atmosphere of the space. Ever since I visited Melbourne, communal dining is a big thing in their culture down there, I've always loved it and it was always a part of the plan.

"It is almost like a subconscious thing that happens in the atmosphere. It creates a sense of community and kinship. That's the thing I most love about it... the communal experience," he said.

The communal experience gives diners a chance to connect rather than isolate on a single table. Whether it is connecting to other diners around you, or to the larger space.

A café's vibe can make or break its' success, and Josie North is clearly in the former category.

"The world would keep moving if there wasn't communal dining. People would still go to cafes. But, at the end of the day, I feel that business would have lost a little bit of soul and heart. "