Popular Dee Why shed beachfront cafe to reopen under new name this summer

A popular beach cafe, damaged by wild seas in April, will reopen this summer and be operated by a familiar name on the northern beaches.

Northern Beaches Council has voted to lease its shed, formerly the premises of the Dee Why Beach Shed cafe that was badly damaged by a storm surge in April, to a new cafe operator. Picture: Facebook

Northern beaches’ coffee connoisseurs, who love to have their favourite morning beverage by the seaside, are rejoicing.

The former popular Dee Why Beach Shed cafe will re-open this summer after it was badly damaged by wild seas during a massive offshore storm in April.

But when the cafe reopens it will be in new hands and have a new name — Gusto on the Beach.

Northern Beaches Council voted this week to accept a tender submission for the 10-year lease to the building that was once a council storage shed along the pedestrian path between the beach and its southern headland.

The cafe will be operated by husband and wife team, Brendan and Lisa Cremin, and their daughter Emma.

Gusto on the Green cafe owners Lisa and Brendan Cremin at the Balgowlah Golf Club on Friday. They will be expanding their business to Gusto on the Beach over the coming summer. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

They used to have the lease to the cafe — which was also called Gusto on the Beach — in the South Curl Curl Surf Life Saving Club, for five years until early 2024.

After leaving Curly, and building the cafe into a local community institution, the Cremins opened a new eatery, Gusto on the Green, in the Balgowlah Golf Club on Sydney Rd, in November last year.

Northern Beaches Council has voted to lease its shed that was formerly the premises of the Dee Why Beach Shed cafe to a new cafe operator. Picture: Facebook

But Mrs Cremin said on Friday that the family always had ambitions to expand to a second outlet and to get back beside the beach.

Over winter, while the shed was empty, the council strengthened the building’s protection against bad weather and the smashing waves that had washed away some of the fixtures and fittings back in April.

Lisa said it had added double-strength shutters and a more solid front counter.

“We’re looking at a design for Dee Why that’s nice and beachy and pretty minimalistic,” she said. “It will be quite waterproof, just in case, and be easy to just wash out and keep going.”

Gusto on the Beach will have a 10-year lease on the shed.

The Dee Why Beach Shed cafe was a popular community meeting place. Picture: Facebook

An early morning view from the cafe at Dee Why. Picture: Facebook

The cafe is in a prime oceanfront location. Picture: Supplied

The Cremins said they were hoping to create a cafe community at their newest venture.

“As we did at South Curl Curl, and as we are doing at Balgowlah, our thing is building a community around the site and working with the residents to make sure everyone is as happy as possible,” they said. “We’re looking at trying to add a valuable community asset to the area.”

Gusto on the Green cafe owner Lisa Cremin with customers at the Balgowlah Golf Club on Friday. She wants to create a new community around the new business at Dee Why. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

Mr Cremin said any hot food for the beach outlet menu would be prepared in their cafe kitchen at Balgowlah and driven down to Dee Why.

They are aiming to open Gusto on the Beach over summer.