King's news
The biggest successes and achievements in 2024
The year 2024 was one of the most challenging in our company’s history. We took full ownership of the entire King’s Caffe franchise, including King’s Caffe Food Pub near the theater in May and King’s Caffe near the train station in September. These were major and strategically important decisions that secured the future of the brand.
We are proud that throughout this process, we retained almost all employees and significantly increased salaries and benefits for both staff and students. However, we also learned an important lesson – sometimes, it’s better to make tough decisions earlier and part ways with those whose working style doesn’t align with our system. There was a mutual "cultural shock," but with effort, we built a new team that now functions exceptionally well. A big thank you to our entire Rijeka team for their dedication and hard work!
The summer of 2024 brought us a record – as many as 140 employees! We did many things well, but we also made mistakes from which we learned valuable lessons. Additionally, we made the decision to close our brewery, as it was neither profitable nor suitable for our needs. We now operate as a "gypsy brewery," with our beers produced by Zmajska Pivovara in Zagreb, shifting our focus to quality and innovation under the leadership of our brewmaster, Ugo.
We wrapped up the business year with a small but significant profit and look toward 2025 with great optimism. We believe it will be a year filled with success, an excellent season, and most importantly, lots of laughter, team spirit, and the true King’s spirit! We’re excited about everything ahead and look forward to building the future together!
Special recognitions for employees and teams
Although the King's Caffe team never likes to single anyone out, we want to express our deep gratitude to everyone who has continued to help build the King's story in Rijeka. A special thanks to Antonija, Maksim, and Andrej, who have stayed with us and continued to contribute to the growth and success of the brand.
Also, a big thank you to all the managers and their deputies, chefs, waiters, and the entire office team – without your hard work and dedication, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve everything we did in 2024.
However, we would like to especially highlight Matej Odorčić, the person who, in our opinion, contributed the most to our success in 2024. His dedication, work ethic, and contribution were key to many important steps we took.
King’s would not be what it is without each individual on our team. You are all equally important and valued by the management. Thank you for being part of our story – we are excited for everything that lies ahead for us in the future! 🚀
ON THE HORIZON OF 2025:
PLANS AND GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR
As we step into 2025, we are setting ambitious goals and continuing with key projects that will enhance our business, service quality, and working conditions for our employees.
Development of new services and products
Expanding the Offer – We are working on a new summer menu featuring innovative dishes and beverages that will enrich our offerings and provide guests with an even better gastronomic experience.
Improving Service Quality – Our focus is on employee training, implementing a mentoring program, and clearly defining standardized processes to ensure consistency across all our locations.
Setting goals for employee engagement and business organization
HR Department Organization – We are currently working on job classification, salary structure, career progression processes, onboarding, and offboarding. Our goal is to complete this project by June 2025, ensuring transparency and clear development opportunities for our employees.
Introducing Mentorship and Evaluations – In 2025, we will implement regular feedback sessions to support employee development within the company and maintain high work standards.
New projects and expansions
Opening of King's Caffe near the train station – We plan to open the new King’s Caffe Kolodvor in May. This will be a new concept in our portfolio, featuring a unique identity and menu. Our goal is to create a cool spot in Rijeka for socializing, events, and a distinctive gastronomic experience.
Opening of a central food preparation facility – At the same location, we are launching a central food preparation facility to optimize kitchen processes and further enhance product quality.
Implementation of HACCP system and ISO food quality certification – We are working on implementing the highest standards of food safety and quality across all our establishments.
Renovation of the bar and kitchen in Malinska – The project was originally scheduled to start earlier, but due to contractor delays, we now expect construction to begin at the end of February / beginning of March 2025.
Renovation of the Food Pub terrace near the Theater – We are planning an expansion of the kitchen and bar, with a full space renovation scheduled for November 2025.
Developing a franchise business model – By the end of 2025 and throughout 2026, we plan to develop the King’s Caffe franchise concept, enabling brand expansion through a partnership model.
Opening our own brewery – Our biggest project to date is launching our own brewery! We already have the location and are currently in the process of obtaining a building permit. We expect the brewery to begin operations in early 2026, allowing Ugo to reach its full potential and elevating our brewing segment to a higher level.
Phase Two: expanding beverage production – The second phase of the project includes producing our own non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, further expanding our offerings and strengthening our brand.
We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead and believe that 2025 will be a turning point in the development of King's Caffe. Thank you to everyone who is part of this journey – we are excited for everything that lies ahead!
Planned terrace design for King's Caffe near the Theatre
NEW AT KING’S CAFFE: OUR STORY IS GROWING! 🎉🍔
We are proud to announce the opening of a new King's Caffe, near the train station in Rijeka! 🚆
This is a big step for our brand, and the new space brings a completely refreshed concept and a unique offering that will surely delight our guests.
What can you expect?
Top Design – A modern, vibrant, and visually striking interior that creates the perfect atmosphere.
New Gastronomic Offer – Focus on smash burgers, authentic American cuisine, various types of fries, and – draft, homemade ice cream! 🍦
Events & Promotions – We are planning a series of events and special promotions to make the grand opening unforgettable!
An invitation for all employees!
We want everyone to be a part of this story – join us in the preparations and support us during the opening! Any help is welcome, whether it's with promotion, organization, or testing new dishes.
We’ll soon be sharing the first images of the space and details about the official opening! Until then, get ready for something completely new in the King's family! 💛
Planned design for King's Caffe
near the train station
WHAT AWAITS US: KEY DATES IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2025
Dear team,
We would like to inform you about several important dates coming up in the next few months, during which we will likely have special events or offers for our guests:
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International Women's Day – March 8
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Easter – April 20
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Father's Day – March 19
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Mother's Day – May 12
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Labor Day – May 1
These dates will be an opportunity to provide special experiences for our guests, so be prepared for bigger crowds and special promotions we will implement.
Feel free to share your suggestions for celebrating key dates at King's Caffe in the first half of 2025. You can suggest special events or unique offers. While we can't guarantee that all ideas will be used, we greatly appreciate your time and creativity in proposing something new! You can submit your suggestions here:
Thank you for your effort!
PREPARATIONS FOR THE SUMMER SEASON OF 2025☀️
The summer season is just around the corner, and with it comes the opportunity to make this the best season yet, together! 🚀💪
Team expansion and organization
We expect new additions by May 1st, which means we will soon have a new team to help us achieve our goals – the brewery, new locations, and further growth of the King's brand. Thank you all for your involvement in the onboarding process of our new colleagues!
The importance of teamwork and communication
✅ Let's be a team with the same goal! Every person on the team is crucial to the success of the season.
✅ Problems should be solved immediately! If you face challenges, let the managers know, and if they can't resolve them, reach out to the management.
✅ Professional atmosphere comes first! Leave personal disagreements for private matters – be professional and focused at work.
New additions to the menu
🍹We are working on the summer cocktail menu and card! Experience from past seasons has shown us what works, and we hope to welcome the new items fully prepared and in sync.
The first "stress test" – Easter and Spring Holidays
💡Let's prepare for Easter, the spring holidays, and Labor Day – the first major influx of guests and an opportunity to test our organization before the full summer rush!
Thank you all for your effort, let's give our best and make this season unforgettable! 💛
HR
CORNER
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?
Organisational structure
As you already know, we have defined a new organizational structure for our collective. Everyone has been given a clearer understanding of their position and work tasks, as well as opportunities for advancement. All employees have access to their job descriptions via the Jotform platform and are entitled to review the descriptions of other positions upon request to the HR department.
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Use of annual leave
We remind all employees who have remaining annual leave days from 2024 to use them by June 30, 2025, at the latest. Please plan your annual leave in advance so that we can all have the opportunity to enjoy a well-deserved break, without disrupting work processes.
HR fun facts
Did you know? Our team currently consists of 61% men and 39% women – a diverse team that creates an excellent atmosphere in our pubs! 🍻 We believe that different perspectives are what make us stronger, and unity and team spirit are the keys to our success. We continue to build an inclusive and supportive work environment where everyone has the opportunity to grow and develop!
Did you know? Almost every third colleague of ours comes from the Philippines and Nepal! 🌏
Working in a new country is not easy – that's why we ask you to help your colleagues integrate and show them why Croatians are known as one of the friendliest nations! ❤️
✅ Offer your support – small gestures mean a lot!
✅ Help them learn the language and customs – just as you would want someone to take care of you if you were in their situation.
✅ Let's be a team in the truest sense! When everyone feels welcome, we work better and more successfully together.
Finally, a huge thank you to all our former colleagues for their effort, dedication, and contributions to our team! 🍻 We wish them great success in the future.
To all new members – welcome! We look forward to the challenges, successes, and amazing moments ahead. 🚀