Margaret River Bakery has occupied the same corner of the main street since the 1960s, though it has worn a few different identities in that time. Marcel and Lyndon, now of Egbert’s, spent years refurbishing the building and building the eclectic, creative atmosphere the bakery is known for. Emily Marjason and Dave Astbury took over in November 2021, holding onto the character while sharpening the systems behind it. The result is a bakery with a strong surf and hippie sensibility, a pie with a cult following, and a queue most mornings for the pistachio croissants. Here, Dave talks us through the building’s history, the branding, the bestseller, and how the South West producer community keeps the whole operation running.
The Margaret River Bakery is an institution in the region, and the first place I visit when I come down. Tell us about the journey to date?
The story really begins with the building itself. It’s one of the oldest on the street, established as a bakery back in the 1960s. We still have some of the original packaging and photographs from those early days, which we’re hoping to share soon.
The previous owners, Marcel and Lyndon, who now run Egbert’s on the main street, were instrumental in shaping the bakery into what it is today. They refurbished the building, introduced the cafe, and created the eclectic, creative atmosphere people know and love.
Emily and I took over in November 2021. Our goal was simple, to take the baton and keep the story moving. We wanted to refine the systems, continue improving the building, and make the business commercially sustainable without losing what makes it special, particularly in today’s economic climate.
Above all, our focus has been on preserving the bakery’s character. The vibe matters enormously to us, and we’ve always believed that’s what keeps people coming back.
How did you land on the design and logo? The merch is great also.
The design has become widely recognised. Our main clientele are typically between nineteen and thirty, and given Margaret River’s strong surf and hippie culture, we wanted the branding to reflect that identity.
There isn’t anything else on the main street quite like it, so the bright pink stands out immediately. We wanted people driving down the main street to associate that colour with a fun, surf inspired vibe.
The previous owners actually designed the logo. What Emily and I have done is build on that and polish the overall brand. We’ve identified our signature shade of pink and carried it through everything, from the cabinetry and crockery to the mugs, signage and the plate wall. We’ve taken the original concept and run with it, making sure the branding is consistent throughout the whole space.
Want to hear my order? A Miss Piggy for right away, an egg salad sandwich for later in the drive, a raspberry brulee tart, and two loaves of rye bread for home back up in Perth. What am I missing that I need to pick up next time?
The Biscoff cruffin and the raspberry cheesecake cruffin absolutely fly out the door, and the pistachio croissants are going off at the moment. The three cheese and truffle toastie, made on our house made jalapeno sourdough, is another top seller, especially through winter.
In warmer weather the sesame tofu wrap is popular on hot summer days, and one of our newest additions, the poached rhubarb and custard tart, has been getting a great response too.
People talk about staffing challenges in the South West. I imagine finding staff for the MRB is a little easier given the quick service element, and the fun associations people have with the brand and concept?
Staffing challenges are always going to be an issue, especially in the South West, largely because of the accommodation shortage. Perth faces similar challenges.
That said, the bakery is a genuinely appealing place to work. It’s got a fun atmosphere, it’s always busy, and the hours are consistent. Out the front there’s a great energy, sometimes it almost feels like a fashion show with the front of house team. Out the back is like a TARDIS, people are always surprised by how much space there is and how big the production area is.
We’re investing heavily in our people, with a strong sponsorship program, a commitment to apprenticeships, and ongoing discussions with Montessori about creating more opportunities. Like every business we still face recruitment challenges, but we’re always looking for ways to attract and develop great staff.
I think what really makes a venue thrive is the right balance between management and ownership. You need a strong management team to run day to day operations, but you also need owners actively involved in supporting the business and driving it forward.
What’s your best seller of all time?
I’m a numbers guy, so if you go by the reports, it’s the pie. We’ve put so much work into perfecting that recipe, it’s now got a rich red wine reduction running through it.
But if you’re asking what people photograph and post, it’s probably the savoury range. The beef baguette is a huge favourite, along with the Caesar baguette, made on our top secret crusty baguette recipe, and the bacon, avocado and hollandaise croissant.
So commercially, the pie is our biggest seller. But for buzz and excitement, it’s the bacon, avocado and hollandaise croissant, the Caesar baguette and the beef baguette, which some people say is about the size of your leg.
How do you approach your decisions around pie fillings?
Most bakery owners would agree you don’t want anything left sitting in the pie warmer at the end of the day, because you can’t resell it. So we focus on flavours we know will sell quickly.
Our beef and pepper pie is the biggest by far, we make far more of those than any other filling because people love them.
We’re not precious about our pie range. We take the flavours people know and love, make them well, continually refine the recipes, and give people a reason to keep coming back. I’m obsessed with the scallop pie from Tasmania, they’re so good. Whether they’d go off here, who knows. Maybe we should give it a go.
What are you most excited about now on the main street of Margaret River?
It’s a genuinely exciting time for the main street. A few years ago the redevelopment brought the town to life, and there’s been so much positive momentum since.
There are initiatives like the street party run by Ahoy Management with support from the Shire, and a run of great new venues opening, descendant, Morries, Pearl’s Bar and Norman Van, Teddis, Rhum Burgundy, the list goes on. Nothing beats a cold rainy Sunday with the Tav wine list though, I’m old school.
When you look around the world, a lot of high streets and main streets are struggling, but Margaret River seems to be heading the other way. There are so many passionate owner operators pushing the boundaries and making the town an exciting place to visit.
What’s the community like in terms of the producers you work with? Meat and chicken for the pies, fruit and veg, and of course, coffee?
The community of local producers down here is fantastic. If you look after them, they’ll look after you in return.
For meat, being a European style bakery, we use a lot of cured meats, so we source our sandwich meats from D’Orsogna, who have always been really helpful. We go through about 120 kilos of chicken every week, so we love supporting our local butcher, Margaret River Gourmet Meats. For pie meat and sausage mince, we use Dardanup Butchering Company. Our vegetables come from Joel at The Garden Basket, who is always incredibly accommodating.
For coffee, we work with Margaret River Roasting Co. James, Tess and the whole team have been amazing, supporting us with everything from our coffee machine and staff training to creating our own branded coffee. It’s a two way relationship, if you support your local producers, they’ll support you right back.
What do you do on your day off?
The first thing I’ll do is have a sleep in. Most of my days start around three or four in the morning, which is actually pretty generous for a bakery owner. I’ve got a great team in place, which makes that possible.
I’ve also got two boys, aged three and one, so they keep me busy, but I love every minute of it. Whenever I get time away from the business, it’s all about spending time with them.
I also love taking the dogs out, and I’ve really gotten into running lately. We’ve got some great running tracks along the weir and the Wadandi Track, so it’s a good way to work off all the pies I’m eating every day.