Caffe Primo

What Caffe Primo does

Caffe Primo is a South Australian casual dining and take-away restaurant chain founded in 1998 by Dino and Lisa Vettese as a sole-trading family business at Westfield Tea Tree Plaza. The company has subsequently transitioned to a franchise model and now operates more than 20 dine-in locations across South Australia, including sites in Modbury, Golden Grove, Salisbury, West Lakes, Henley Beach, Victor Harbor, Port Pirie, Semaphore, Rundle Street, and other regional towns, employing over 550 staff. Its menu centers on pizza (Original or Mediterranean thin base), pasta (spaghetti, penne, risotto), a branded Primo Burger, salads, breakfast items, and coffee, positioned around a 'Primo Quality, Primo Price' value proposition with meal deals starting at $9.90.

The underlying technology footprint is minimal: a WordPress-based marketing website, a basic email-driven Primo Gold loyalty program offering 20% off a second meal, and an Uber Eats integration for home delivery at selected stores. There is no proprietary ordering platform, mobile app, or disclosed AI/data capabilities. Distribution combines dine-in, phone-ahead take-away, Uber Eats delivery, and franchised storefronts. The business monetizes through in-store food and beverage sales (transaction fees across dine-in, take-away, and delivery) and recurring franchise fees, royalties, and ongoing support charges from franchisees, several of whom have re-signed for multi-year terms (Port Pirie and Victor Harbor re-committed for another 10 years in 2016).

Customers are individual consumers and families seeking affordable, fresh-ingredient casual meals, alongside franchisee entrepreneurs purchasing into an established South Australian brand with centralized training and marketing support. The most recent disclosed revenue figure is $40 million AUD annual turnover in 2006, when the company was named the country's biggest growing franchise by BRW with nearly 140% growth; no more recent financial disclosure is available.

Name

Caffe Primo

Legal name

Caffe Primo

Website

https://caffeprimo.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Caffe Primo is a South Australian franchise casual dining chain operating 20+ restaurants serving pizza, pasta, burgers, salads, breakfast, and coffee to local consumers and families, plus franchise opportunities to entrepreneurs, with centralized training and Uber Eats delivery at selected stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurants
• Pizza pasta chains
• Franchise food service
• Take-away restaurants
• Restaurant loyalty programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Aldinga Beach

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Revenue from dine-in, take-away, and delivery sales across company-owned and franchise stores. Menu includes pizzas, pasta, burgers, and breakfast items.
2. Franchise Fees: Ongoing franchise fees from franchisees including operational support, training, and marketing assistance. Port Pirie and Victor Harbor franchisees re-signed for another 10 years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Caffe Primo operates a casual dining and take-away restaurant chain offering pizza, pasta, burgers, salads, breakfast, and coffee through dine-in service, phone-ahead take-away, and Uber Eats home delivery. The company distributes its brand through a franchise model spanning more than 20 stores across South Australia, supported by the Primo Gold customer loyalty program.

Product overview

Caffe Primo is a South Australian restaurant chain offering dine-in, take-away, and delivery services. The core product portfolio includes signature food items: Primo Burger (meat patty with special sauce), Primo Pizza (Original or Mediterranean thin crust), and Primo Pasta (Spaghetti, Penne, or Risotto). The company operates a Primo Gold loyalty program providing 20% off second meals for members. Additionally, Caffe Primo offers franchise opportunities with full operational support. Uber Eats integration enables home delivery at selected stores. The brand has grown from a single store in 1998 to over 20 stores employing 550+ staff, with a focus on quality meals at reasonable prices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Primo Gold: Loyalty membership program offering 20% off second meal, monthly specials, and member-only offers.

Products and services

• Dine-in Menu In-store dining experience offering main meals and breakfast options at table service, available across 20+ South Australian stores.
• Take Away Menu Menu specifically designed for take-away orders, allowing customers to phone their closest store to place pick-up orders.
• Primo Pizza Signature pizza offering available in Original or Mediterranean thin style base, with various toppings and promotional pricing.
• Primo Pasta Signature pasta offering available in Spaghetti, Penne, or Risotto varieties.
• Primo Burger Signature burger featuring meat patty, cheese, lettuce, and Spanish onion with Primo special sauce, served with chips.
• Primo Gold Loyalty Program Membership program offering 20% off the second meal for members, with email notifications for monthly and member-only special offers. Card valid once per visit, dine-in only, second meal must be equal or lesser value.
• Caffe Primo Franchises Franchise opportunities with ongoing operational support, training programs, and marketing assistance under the Caffe Primo brand with 20+ stores in South Australia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 140% growth spurt and annual turnover of $40 million in 2006
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUber Eats partnership for home delivery of Caffe Primo meals. Available at selected stores only. Customers can place orders via the Uber Eats app for delivery to their location.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Coffee Club: Australian franchise cafe chain serving coffee, breakfast, lunch, and casual meals in a dine-in format with multiple locations. Closely comparable to Caffe Primo on franchise structure, cafe-casual-dining positioning, breakfast/lunch daypart, and South Australia / national footprint.
• Hungry Jack's: Major Australian burger QSR franchise chain with dine-in, drive-thru, take-away, and delivery. Comparable to Caffe Primo on burger menu, value pricing, dine-in/take-away format, and family-dining segment, but with national scale.
• Gloria Jean's Coffees: Global/Australian franchise cafe chain serving coffee, light meals, and casual fare. Comparable on franchise model, coffee-led cafe positioning, and value-oriented daypart (breakfast, lunch) offering, though more coffee-centric than Caffe Primo.
• Schnitz: Australian fast-casual franchise chain specializing in schnitzel and casual meals with dine-in and take-away formats. Comparable on franchise structure, casual-dining positioning, and value-tier meal-deal approach, though with a more specialized menu.
• Crust Pizza: Australian pizza franchise chain offering dine-in, take-away, and delivery across multiple states. Comparable to Caffe Primo as a domestic franchise system anchored on pizza with value-meal positioning and dine-in/take-away dual format.
• Red Rooster: Long-established Australian casual-dining QSR franchise chain serving burgers, chicken, and family meals with dine-in, take-away, and delivery. Comparable to Caffe Primo as a domestically franchised casual-dining concept targeting families and value-conscious diners.
• Nando's Australia: Australian casual-dining franchise chain serving flame-grilled chicken and burgers in dine-in and take-away formats. Comparable on casual-dining positioning, dine-in experience, multi-channel service, and franchise-based expansion model.

Emerging players

• Zambrero: Australian fast-casual Mexican franchise chain with dine-in, take-away, and delivery. Comparable on franchise structure, casual-dining value positioning, and multi-channel distribution, though focused on a single cuisine vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Pizza Hut Australia: Major international pizza chain operating dine-in, take-away, and delivery across Australia. Comparable on pizza menu, value deals, dine-in family format, and franchise delivery, though with national scale and corporate ownership.
• Domino's Pizza Enterprises (Australia): Largest pizza franchise operator in Australia, with extensive dine-in, take-away, and digital ordering. Overlaps with Caffe Primo on pizza category, value pricing, and franchise delivery model, but operates at vastly greater scale and digital maturity.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caffe-primo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Caffe Primo