I'm Joanne, the proud owner of 363 Coffee Lounge. Let me share my story with you.
363’s journey began as a lucky opportunity in April 2019, as I was preparing for a holiday, with discussions and negotiations with the landlord. From these talks, we embarked on a refurbishment project in September 2019.
Special thanks go to my husband and youngest son, a talented carpenter and my cousin who played a crucial role in bringing our vision to life.
We officially opened our doors six weeks later, on the 12th October.
People often ask us about our unique name. It's pretty simple - it's our address, 363 Walderslade Road. My sister and I brainstormed countless names, reaching the point of almost giving up. Then, like magic, we both messaged each other simultaneously, suggesting "363," and that's how our name was born. I had many different ideas, let's say, not precisely printable!
Shortly after our grand opening, it was time for my 50th birthday, and I embarked on another holiday. Upon my return, we faced an unexpected challenge - the COVID-19 lockdown. Perfect timing. We closed our doors for ten weeks but then decided to adapt, offering a takeaway service and serving hundreds of afternoon teas. As the situation slowly returned to normal, we continued to grow.
Today, I'm incredibly fortunate to have a fantastic team around me.
Our journey has seen us expand into catering, and it brings me immense joy to witness the happiness of our customers when they receive our offerings. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.
So, that's the 363 story. All I can promise is that we go to great lengths to ensure you receive exceptional service and enjoy delicious food.
And we all thank you for being a part of our journey.
363 is proud to be a Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce member.
This is me!! Jo, the owner of 363, the smile behind the counter & the driving force of a fabulous team & the woman who can create the most yummy buffets for any event.
I have no interesting hobbies or stories (that I can put on here) but I have an amazing husband who has supported me through so much and we have 2 handsome grown up sons & 2 beautiful daughter-in-laws & 4 perfect grandchildren who I talk about endlessly... that's when I'm not on holiday! :-)
I love spending time with my friends & we have some fabulous adventures, but also some quiet time.... that's just not often enough!
363 is proud to be a member of the Federation of Small Businesses.
This is little Jo. My number 2, she’s been with me for many years, has a big heart & always has my back! She is as mad as a box of frogs!
Jo has a lovely husband and 2 beautiful daughters who keep her busy. Jo's husband was a customer long before Jo started with us.
Ask her to show you her Tina Turner dance; She’s like a little whippet. Don’t cross her as she has great knowledge of the self-defence martial art, which is a cross between Krav Maga & jujitsu!
Don’t let her size fool you!
This is our beautiful, kind-hearted Emily. I have seen her grow from a girl to a young woman and am personally very proud of her.
She has been with me since she was 16, working on Saturdays and covers in the holidays. She received her A-level results & smashed them! She is working full time in a marketing role but loves us so much she’s even staying on Saturdays so she can see you all!
Interesting fact:
Em has been a qualified Padi scuba diver since she was 10 & has cage dived with sharks . So she isn’t afraid of anyone
Emily also runs a food blog which she had started before she even started working with us.
This is Von (Siobhan when she’s being naughty)
She has one grown-up son (as much as sons ever do) and has fostered many children over the years.
Von has previously worked in a school but has now decided children really are for the younger!
She loves nothing more than holidaying with family and friends, snorkelling, horse riding & quad biking....& the odd glass of wine!
Trish worked with special needs children when she left school & learned sign language.
She then worked in a pub in the summer holidays and went on to run pubs for six years dealing with lots of colourful characters! It is Trish who encouraged me to get the alcohol Licence.
She has 3 grown-up children whom she adores and is a popular cake maker. She loves talking to people and talking and talking....
She has joined a sign & sing group to start using the sign language again. If you are interested in joining, have a chat with her.
Meet Paige, our Saturday girl. I’m very excited to say she is going to be our very first apprentice barista and level 2 hospitality which started in September 2024.
Paige tells me she likes dancing and chose it as an option for GCSE. She also loved doing gymnastics for a couple of years.
Paige now likes to bake and cook so she’s in a fabulous place to start that journey.
Please welcome her when you pop in.
Meet Hollie, our newest Saturday girl.
Hollie is driven by her goal of being an actor and one day get to perform on the stages that she watch's her favourite shows on.
When you come in make sure you get her autograph so when she is famous you got there first!
As well as being a triple threat and training in performing at college; she loves to play music on guitar, piano and ukulele and is also an avid quizzer and loves sharing random facts all the time as a way to get it out of her crazy brain.
She is also very creative too, including baking and cooking, so much so that she wanted to have her own café when she was younger so working in 363 coffee lounge seems fated!
I'm sure we can come to some arrangement Hollie!
If you would like us to cater for an event or if you have any other questions for us, please give us a call or send us a message.