The Schnitz Story
A Connoisseur is bornBorn in Zabrze, Poland in 1951, Roman Dyduk emigrated to Australia in 1970. Although he knew very little English he managed to get a job working in a Sydney Meat Pie factory as a cook. After a year of cooking meat pies Roman decided to go and try his hand at labouring as a Carpenter at various building sites throughout Sydney.
He enjoyed carpentry but decided it was time to travel around Australia so he bought himself a Holden Station Wagon and traveled up north to Queensland. He traveled and worked on various building sites armed with nothing more than his tool box, the clothes on his back and his trusty Stationwagon (you guessed it, he slept in the stationwagon).
A New Beginning
After a flood washed his car (ie. His house) away in a flood, Roman decided it was time to find a place to settle and so he made his way south to Melbourne where he would ultimately find his wife and start a family. When he arrived in Melbourne he continued working on building sites (including the large Collins Place development) and after a year he realized it was time to pursue his true passion for cooking.
Roman’s first job in a restaurant was at Red Rock Restaurant in St Kilda. Red Rock Restaurant was an Acland St icon at the time and it was here that Roman was taught how to prepare and cook the finest schnitzels from a Jewish chef. He stayed at Red Rock Restaurant for 6 months but wanted bigger boots to fill and so he started his own restaurant called SOS Pancake and Schnitzel Hut in 1975.
SOS Pancake & Schnitzel Hut was situated on the corner of Flinders Lane and Spencer St in Melbourne. At that time, European dishes were dominating the Australian restaurant scene. It was in this restaurant that Roman first started experimenting with different ways to cook schnitzels but always staying true to the traditional pan-cooked method. He also created a range of different sauces to complement the schnitzels.
Starting a Family
While at SOS Pancake & Schnitzel Hut, Roman met his wife Irene whom he had employed as a waitress. Irene was a young Polish girl that had also come to Australia with her parents. I guess you could say it was ‘love at first sight’ because after only 2 weeks of knowing each other, Roman proposed to Irene and they were married 2 months after that in 1976!
In 1979 Roman and Irene had their first son, Andrew and 14 months later had their second boy, Thomas (or Tom as he likes to be called these days). They have been happily married now for over 33 years (as of August 2009) and are as ‘in-love’ now as they were 33 years ago.
A String of Successful Businesses
SOS Pancake & Schnitzel Hut was only a small place but was very popular with the locals and tourists and it wasn’t long before Roman decided to setup another business. He sold SOS and setup a large cafeteria called Szarotka in Flinders Fair Shopping Centre (Melbourne CBD).
Since SOS, Roman has established and operated a number of successful cafes & smorgasbord restaurants in Melbourne. Here is a list of Roman’s business ventures before starting Schnitz:
- SOS Pancake & Schnitzel Hut
Corner Flinders Lane & Spencer Street, Melbourne CBD - Szarotka Cafeteria
Flinders Fair Shopping Centre, Melbourne CBD
- Romano’s
Glenferrie Road, Malvern - Café Romano
Camberwell Junction, Burke Road, Camberwell - Café Romano
Coleman Parade, Glen Waverley - Roman’s Cafe
Kingway, Glen Waverley - Romanis
437 St Kilda Road, Melbourne - Buffets Brasserie
Victoria University, 300 Flinders Street, Melbourne CBD - Good Taste Café
King Street, Melbourne CBD - JJ Connoisseur’s Café
36-40 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD - JC’s Café
Spencer St, Melbourne CBD - Full Plate Café
517 Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD - Café Kinetic
103 Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD
A Blessing in Disguise
Roman’s youngest son Tom started working with Roman in 1997 when he helped build JJ Connoisseur’s (a large restaurant seating over 300 people). He had helped Roman setup and run the operations of the larger cafes and restaurants however after selling Café Kinetic Tom decided it was time to try something new and so he started working in Warehousing, Logistics and Distribution. This was to be a ‘blessing in disguise’ because although Roman wanted to continue building restaurants he realized that without the help of his son, it would be difficult for him to successfully fit-out and run these larger operations.
It was at this time that Roman started to reflect on his past achievements and analyze what his winning formula was. He noticed that although he had many different cafes and restaurants with various dishes on the menu that it was always his schnitzels that were praised by his customers and peers. It was then that he realized that he needed to create a business that would re-invigorate ‘The Schnitzel’.
Bad Reputations
During the 70’s and 80’s, schnitzels were really popular but in the 90’s and early 2000 deli-style cafes were the ‘in’ thing; stocking a range of pre-made focaccia’s, rolls and wraps. Over the years, a lot of harm had been done to the reputation that the word ‘schnitzel’ carried with it. “Fatty”, “processed” and “unhealthy” were some of the words being used to describe schnitzels.
Wholesale processed food manufacturers looked for ‘faster and cheaper’ ways to mass-produce schnitzels. They bulked them up with lots of cheap batter and breadcrumbs, cut them into ‘heart shapes’ and froze them for easy transport and storage. These ‘heart-shaped’ schnitzel abominations were made from heavily processed chicken and other poor-quality ingredients and to make matters worse, cafes and restaurants were deep-frying these ‘schnitzels’! The result was a highly saturated, heart-shaped layer of batter and crumbs with a thin layer of processed chicken meat – hardly something worth eating - yet to this day businesses are selling these cheap, processed alternatives to the classic Austrian delicacy.
With so many imitation schnitzels making their way into cafes, restaurants and fast-food shops Schnitzel Lover’s had to search far and wide to satisfy their cravings for quality schnitzels using real meats, quality ingredients and age-old cooking techniques. It was evident that not many people knew the secrets of cooking a perfect schnitzel and so Roman made it his personal mission to change this perception of schnitzels which had been damaged by so many low-quality, budget café, restaurant and fast-food operations using these ‘heart-shaped schnitzels’.
Crumbs Chief! – Schnitz is Born
Roman knew that he made amazing schnitzels – all his customers would compliment him on the quality, freshness and taste of his schnitzels. It was also his number one selling item on all the menus of his previous businesses so he knew there was a big market in Melbourne (and probably Australia) for his schnitzels. This demand is what inspired Roman to create the Schnitz concept and build his first Schnitz store at 338 Queen St, Melbourne. Feb 2007
The first Schnitz was created to be a sandwich bar serving 5 different schnitzels (chicken, beef, pork, fish and vegetarian) which were then put into sandwiches, Turkish rolls or just served on a plate with a choice of salads. Only the freshest ingredients were used in the sandwiches and rolls and very soon customers were lining up outside the café to get their daily Schnitz fix.
The café also served a range of cakes, coffees and cold drinks but it was the Schnitzels the public wanted and so Roman realized he had to keep spreading the Schnitz ministry by opening up more stores. He found a fantastic couple (Richard and Eva) who were originally from a corporate background but loved the concept and wanted to run a café business. Schnitz Queen Street was subsequently sold to Richard and Eva under license and Roman decided to look for a new location for the next Schnitz.
You’re onto a Winner
The second store was to open at 231 Exhibition Street, Melbourne and was originally to be run by Roman but with the success of Schnitz in Queen Street, Tom (Roman’s son) decided that he would drop the Logistics ‘career’ and come back to work with his father to setup and run the new shop.
Schnitz Exhibition Street was opened in 2008 with Tom and Roman running the operations. The menu was the same as the Queen St store and it too attracted a loyal customer base. Almost as quickly as it was setup, Roman and Tom decided it was time for another store and so they sold the business to a couple, Bella and John, to run the operations; again under license.
Have you thought about Franchising?
While setting up the 3rd store at 283 Bridge Road, Richmond (corner of Bridge Road and Church Street), the Dyduk family realized that this concept had legs and that Australian’s loved the taste sensation that was Schnitz. It was suggested by a family friend that Roman and his sons franchise the business to make it possible for more people around Melbourne and ultimately Australia to enjoy the Schnitz phenomenon.
Roman then enlisted the services of his eldest son Andrew - who had been running a successful IT company for 9 years (at the time) – to setup a franchise and start marketing the business to prospective Franchisees. Over the course of a few months, the systems and processes were refined and the legal documents drafted. Shortly after, Schnitz Franchising Pty Ltd was incorporated along with the start of an amazing journey to spread the word to the hungry masses.
Schnitz now has opened their 4th store at Shop 4, 672 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn and will soon be opening more stores around Melbourne and throughout Australia.
If you are as passionate about Schnitzels as we are and are looking for an exciting Franchise business opportunity then please contact Andrew on 0410 649 808 or email us at franchising@schnitz.com.au. We look forward to working with you to help you build a successful Schnitz franchise of your own.
