Dispute between Side Piece Deli and Swanbourne locals escalates to Supreme Court battle with Claremont council
An extraordinary eight-month standoff between a Perth cafe and angry western suburbs has spiraled out of control, with one local taking the fight to the Supreme Court.
Side Piece Deli is a popular cafe in Swanbourne that has sparked controversy among locals since it first opened its doors in August 2025.
Concerned residents have repeatedly raised issues with the Town of Claremont about strong odors and loud noise coming from the Shenton Road restaurant, as well as increased road traffic and customers blocking sidewalks.
The issue came to a head last month when Side Piece owner and Business 40 Under 40 winner Sam Kaye was forced to contact WA Police after a resident protested against the deli using a megaphone.
WA Police declined to comment on the incident when approached by PerthNow.
Local resident Kerry Wells previously raised an issue about “bad smells” coming from the deli at a council meeting in February.
“How can residents trust that the Town can fix this,” according to council minutes from the Feb. 3 meeting. he asked.
Another resident at the same meeting described council approvals for the site as “a mess handed to the residents of Swanbourne”.
A neighboring resident voiced concerns about boundary violations by the business at the most recent council meeting on April 28, citing Side Piece’s proposal to build a screen along the fence.
“Part of the fence that Side Piece wants to add is on my property and I cannot approve it,” the neighbor told the Town of Claremont, according to meeting minutes.
Following the meeting, a land surveyor attended the Shenton Road site and the council later decided that the proposed development was located solely on the deli land.
But the saga will soon move from the streets of Swanbourne to the High Court after neighbor Ian Satchwell launched legal action against Claremont Town for approving the deli as “illegal”.
In a post, Mr Satchwell claimed the popular cafe was operating as a fast food restaurant and called on the council to revoke planning approval and close the business.
The Town of Claremont confirmed the Supreme Court case to PerthNow but declined to comment further on the matter because the case is ongoing.
“The town continues to monitor the appropriateness of development approval conditions and this includes identifying opportunities to mitigate any impacts to surrounding residents and businesses,” a council spokesman said.
The first hearing in the civil case between Satchwell and the west suburbs council will be held on June 19.
Despite the local tension surrounding the business, Side Piece Deli continues to receive rave reviews on social media.
“The food was impeccable and the service was top notch,” shared one food reviewer.
“A must visit if you’re in Swanbourne,” wrote another.
Sam Kaye is the founder of The Pantry Group, a Western Australia-based hospitality group that also owns Daisies and Ol’ Buoy in Cottesloe, as well as The Other Side in Claremont.
Mr Kaye told the Daily Mail that despite owning a number of restaurants in Perth, resident and council issues surrounding Side Piece Deli made it his “most difficult” business to run.
Mr Kaye and Ms Wells did not respond to PerthNow’s request for comment at the time of publication.
