STEPS Cafe on George

STEPS Cafe on George is a not-for-profit training cafe at 9 George Street, Caloundra, run as a social enterprise where young adults with disability and autism build real hospitality skills through the STEPS Pathways College program. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables, so you can put your coffee money to work and keep the dog along for the ride.

The dog setup

Dogs join you on the front patio, outdoors only, with the lead on around the seating. Water bowls are often put out, and the adjacent STEPS garden centre gives a leafy on-lead wander before or after your order, which suits a dog that needs a minute to settle.

Worth knowing

The menu covers breakfast and lunch on weekdays: locally roasted coffee, fresh sandwiches and light lunches, and homemade muffins that get regular praise, plus vegetarian and vegan options. Remember who is serving you, trainees running their first shifts, so a little patience goes a long way. Hours are 8am to 2pm, weekdays only, closed weekends, which makes it a working-day stop rather than a weekend brunch plan.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits within the STEPS garden centre campus on George Street, a couple of blocks back from Bulcock Street. There is ample on-site parking, plus street parking on George Street and nearby.

Close by with the dogs

Note the beach rules before you plan the walk: dogs are prohibited on Bulcock Beach sand, and the boardwalk is on-lead only. For off-lead time, Little Mountain Common Fenced Dog Park is a short drive south with a fenced exercise area, and Coochin Park at Dicky Beach covers the northern side. Check Sunshine Coast Council signage for the current boundaries.

More Caloundra tables are on the Bunker Espresso guide, with the Queensland dog friendly cafes guide and the Caloundra destination page listing the rest.

Max: go on a weekday morning and order the muffin. The trainees take real pride in it, and the patio water bowls are already out.