Axe & Grind offers Townsville a cafe combined with an axe throwing venue

Just in time for the summer holidays, a new Townsville business is offering customers the opportunity to pop in for a cuppa, and throw some axes. See when it’s opening.

How do you take your coffee, with one axe or two?

That unlikely pairing is being offered at an axe-citing new Townsville business called Axe & Grind, which officially opens to the public on December 15.

The unique business combines a typical cafe offering with seven dedicated axe-throwing lanes equipped with projectors for interactive games like Tic Tac Toe, Connect Four, Candy Crush, and Zombie Hunt.

Located at 169A Ingham Road, West End, Axe & Grind was co-founded by Industry Barbershop’s Kev Dolan and Church’s Tactical and Outdoors’ Rob Peel, who also lease the building.

The business was a good fit for Mr Dolan, given his background in the defence force, and Mr Peel’s product range, which includes axes and throwing knives.

Axe & Grind opens in West End. Co-owners Rob Peel and Kevin Dolan. Picture: Evan Morgan

Mr Peel said he was inspired after visiting an axe throwing facility in Brisbane with friends earlier this year.

“We spent about an hour there and that hour flew by … and (I thought) this is a lot of fun and Townsville will love it,” Mr Peel said.

“We are a cafe from 6am, through till 12pm o’clock, seven days a week, selling anything from Dominion coffee right through to toasties, brekkie burgers, and breakfast wraps,” he said.

Axe & Grind will open at the far right of the building at 169 Ingham Rd, West End. Picture: Google Maps.

“By night, we will be a fully operational bar and axe throwing venue, whereby we’ll allow people to order Uber Eats and or we’ll be able to provide a small offering of food.”

After taking five months to relocate their stock and build the axe lanes, Mr Peel was taking private function bookings, with a trial Christmas party having an “absolute blast”.

Axe & Grind will give Townsville's dart players an alternative projectile to throw at a board. Picture: Leighton Smith.

“From 15-year-old kids right through to 40-year-olds, men and women, they just had an absolute ball and got really good at it within a short period of time,” he said.

“The fact that they’re not just throwing at a target but having those different games that they could play … they just loved it.”

Private functions are being held at Axe & Grind in the lead up to Christmas. Picture: Supplied.

While only offering BYO alcohol, work was underway to be licenced to sell alcohol, requiring drinkers to wear wrist bands, with a three drink limit for throwing axes.

Mr Peel planned on adding more arcade style games and linking the facility to the World Axe Throwing League.

“Hopefully a club can get started. We’ll encourage any club or people that want to start getting some clubs operating and will basically hire the venue,” he said.

Axe & Grind is looking to recruit baristas, cafe assistants, axeperts and aspiring axeperts.

Provided they are supervised by an adult, axe throwing is available for children between 12 and 16 years.

For more information, visit Axe & Grind on Facebook.

Originally published as Axe & Grind offers Townsville a cafe combined with an axe throwing venue