3 yrs into their cupcake biz, this M’sian family started a weekend cafe in their own garden

What do you get when two siblings studying finance & accounting and their housewife mother decide to make something out of their shared passion for food?

In Grams & Griddle’s case, it turns out, the answer would be a weekend neighbourhood cafe. 

A side hustle established by siblings Rashid (22) and Syakirah (23) as well as their mother Norhabshah (61), this unassuming house at D’kayangan, Shah Alam offers a homely weekend getaway with good food to match. 

The business opens at 8 in the morning before closing at 2 in the afternoon, and only on Saturdays and Sundays.

Notably, this is not their first foray into the F&B business.

Previously, the family launched Grams & Ozs, a cupcake delivery business which they continue to manage alongside Grams & Griddle.

While not having formal culinary training, both Rashid and Syakirah boast considerable experience in the field, thanks to their venerable mother. 

From when they were the tender age of 10, Puan Habshah had instilled upon her children the foundational skills that would prove instrumental to their current business ventures.

Dining in the comfort of a home garden

Since Rashid and Syakirah are still studying, they take turns with food preparation for Grams & Ozs on the weekdays, and instead go all-in with Grams & Griddle on the weekends.

Though already busy hustling on the side for Grams & Ozs, the calling of their passion was too strong to resist.

“During our semester break in July last year (2023), we decided to experiment with Grams & Griddle by opening a garden cafe,” they explained.

Their garden cafe business was borne of the family’s desire to venture into preparing breakfast and brunch for their beloved clientele, invoking the imagery of an American diner whilst also catering for local tastes.

Looking to incorporate the concept of a garden cafe, the family then decided to use their house as the base of operations for this new venture.

The cafe menu provides a concise selection which includes western specialities such as their bestselling fluffy pancakes and brioche maple French toast, while also incorporating local delicacies such as nasi lemak or their occasional weekly special of pulut cawan.

Whilst initially cafe hoppers were the primary clientele, the founders observed that groups of families often came for repeat visits.

Dealing with sudden fame

It wasn’t long before this little hideaway experienced a greater influx of visitors to the cafe thanks to social media. 

One only needs to look to their Tiktok account, where one post in particular now boasts a total of 220.9K views, an amount that certainly stands out when compared to their other posts.

While the family welcomes their newfound fame, they did note that it came with its fair share of new challenges, noting that, “While it (going viral on social media) expands our customer reach, accurately estimating food portions becomes challenging, leading to occasional menu item shortages.”

To meet the increased level of demand, the founders doubled their existing workforce and increased available seating while also investing in various machinery to help streamline operations.

A future of two Grams

Despite not expecting Grams & Griddle to overshadow Grams & Ozs in popularity, the family was pleased with the feedback on their new garden cafe. 

For the time being, the family has decided to maintain their cupcake delivery business, stating, “Grams & Ozs and Grams & Griddle cater for different occasions and our customers’ need, therefore the success of Grams & Griddle does not put Grams & Ozs at the backseat.”

Upon their graduation, the siblings plan to manage the ventures on a full-time basis.

Eventually, the family hopes to merge both Grams & Ozs and Grams & Griddle into a singular F&B entity, whereby the business will run daily at a new location.

While maintaining the cafe’s focus on breakfast and brunch, the family also plans to add cakes and other desserts to also appeal to the afternoon tea crowd.

A final note for those planning to visit: As the cafe is located within the gated community of D’Kayangan, you may inform the guardhouse that they are headed to 2, Jalan Akuatik 13/76B. 

However, the family will be taking a break after January 20, 2024, to turn their focus on Grams & Ozs to make kuih raya for the Hari Raya season. They will be resuming Grams & Griddle’s operations in May.

Featured Image Credit: Grams & Griddle