Jonathan Israfil, founder and owner of Kerbside Eatery, joins George John on CREW TABLE for an honest, funny and incredibly practical conversation about getting fired, starting from nothing, building a hospitality business and learning to back yourself when the traditional path doesn’t work out. Before Kerbside, Jonathan studied civil engineering and spent several years trying to build the career he thought he was supposed to have. The problem? In his own words, he was a terrible engineer, an even worse employee and completely unfulfilled by the life he was working towards. Then he got fired. It happened just as Australia entered its first COVID lockdown. Engineering jobs disappeared, rejection emails piled up and Jonathan found himself lying in bed at midday feeling like he had wasted years of his life. Then his girlfriend Danielle, now his wife, called him on her lunch break and reminded him about a random idea he had once mentioned at the family dinner table: cheesecake on a stick. He practically hung up the phone and got to work. What started as Jonathan and his sister selling cheesecake from a marquee outside their parents’ home became Kerbside Creamery, then food trucks, collaborations and eventually Kerbside Eatery. Today, Kerbside has grown into one of Western Sydney’s most recognisable hospitality brands, with multiple locations, a team approaching 100 people and a fiercely loyal online community. In this episode, Jonathan takes us right back to the beginning and breaks down what starting a business actually looked like when he had no roadmap, no hospitality background and very little idea what he was doing. We talk about the Facebook community post that unexpectedly changed everything, working alongside his entire family in a freezing cold tent, how collaborating with other small businesses opened the door to Kerbside Eatery, and how he went from cheesecake on a stick to building an entire savoury menu and opening a restaurant in just weeks. Jonathan also gives an unusually open look at the realities of scaling a restaurant business: working 80–90 hour weeks, hiring and managing staff, choosing locations, signing long-term leases, restaurant fit-outs, equipment costs and why every new store still carries enormous risk. The conversation also dives deep into social media and personal branding. Jonathan originally wanted absolutely nothing to do with being the face of Kerbside. He hated being photographed and was terrified of looking cringe online. But as TikTok changed how businesses reached customers, he realised he had a choice: stay afraid or evolve. We unpack the viral chocolate videos that changed his relationship with social media, why people care far less about you than you think they do, and why getting comfortable with judgement became one of the biggest turning points in Kerbside’s growth. We also talk about Jonathan’s controversial approach to openly sharing Kerbside recipes online, why he believes knowledge should be shared rather than protected, what makes a good employee, why attitude matters more than experience and what being a bad employee taught him about becoming a better boss. And despite four stores and customers lining up before doors even open, Jonathan admits he still doesn’t really feel successful. He rarely stops long enough to appreciate what has been built because he is constantly thinking about what needs improving next. Eventually, the conversation turns from business to something much bigger: family. Jonathan shares why his ultimate dream isn’t simply opening more restaurants. He wants to buy an entire street, put his family in the homes along it and one day name the street after them. It’s a conversation about business, but underneath it all, it’s about family, resilience, risk, confidence and learning that sometimes getting fired from the life you thought you wanted can be the beginning of the life you were actually meant to build. HOSTED BY George JohnPRODUCED BY Daniel John
