Miss Maud

Miss Maud is a hospitality group based in Perth, Western Australia, founded in 1971 by Swedish immigrant Maud Edmiston. The business began as a small Swedish-style pastry house in Perth's City Arcade, designed to evoke the bakery culture of Stockholm near Edmiston's former home. It subsequently expanded beyond retail baking into restaurants, hotels, catering, and branded café concepts. The company's early development was closely associated with its Miss Maud Smörgåsbord Restaurant, opened in 1973 at the corner of Pier and Murray Streets. A private hotel at the same address followed in 1977, creating a combined restaurant and accommodation operation in central Perth. In 1979, Edmiston applied for Perth's first al fresco dining area outside the restaurant on Pier Street. The venue became sufficiently prominent to host or serve notable visitors, including Queen Elizabeth II, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, and former Australian prime ministers Paul Keating and John Howard. Miss Maud planned interstate expansion in the early 1980s, but the business encountered serious financial pressure later in that decade. In May 1988 it entered receivership after an investment in a failed south-west Western Australian resort development, combined with high interest rates and the effects of the October 1987 stock-market crash. Edmiston subsequently traded the company out of receivership in 1989. The episode became a major turning point, after which the group continued to develop primarily as a hospitality and café business. The brand later tested expansion beyond Western Australia. In 2003 it opened a pastry house at Westfield Miranda in New South Wales, its first east-coast Australian location. The Sydney venture was short-lived, partly because Edmiston did not want the demands of frequent interstate travel. In 2009, Miss Maud added a catering service, broadening its offer beyond walk-in café and restaurant trade. In 2013 it introduced Cafe Stockholm at Karrinyup Shopping Centre. This concept was positioned as a more contemporary format aimed at a younger customer base. A second Cafe Stockholm outlet opened at Westfield Carousel, but it was replaced by a Miss Maud pastry house in 2021. In 2018 the group sold the Miss Maud Swedish Hotel and Restaurant to help fund future expansion of its café operations. As of 2025, the business comprises fifteen pastry houses and a catering service, all located in Western Australia. It also employs more than 500 staff and operates an internal training school, the Miss Maud Academy, through which baristas and hospitality employees receive training. The former hotel and restaurant remains part of the brand's historical development rather than its current operating footprint. Miss Maud's present identity is therefore centered on Western Australian pastry houses, cafés, Swedish-inspired food and hospitality, catering, and staff training.

Miss Maud was established in Perth in 1971 by Maud Edmiston, a Swedish immigrant who sought to recreate the atmosphere and style of the bakery located near her former home in Stockholm. The first business was a small Swedish-style pastry house in City Arcade. Its identity was built around Scandinavian-inspired baking and hospitality rather than a purely takeaway bakery model. The company expanded quickly within Perth. In 1973, Edmiston opened the Miss Maud Smörgåsbord Restaurant at the corner of Pier and Murray Streets. The business added the Miss Maud Private Hotel at the same address in 1977, creating a broader hospitality operation that linked pastry, restaurant, and accommodation services. In 1979, Edmiston applied for what was described as Perth's first al fresco dining area outside the Pier Street restaurant. The restaurant later served a number of prominent visitors, including Queen Elizabeth II, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and former Australian prime ministers Paul Keating and John Howard. An interstate expansion plan was contemplated in 1982, but the company encountered substantial financial difficulty later in the decade. In May 1988 it went into receivership. The reported causes included an investment in an unsuccessful resort development in the south-west of Western Australia, increased interest rates, and the consequences of the stock-market crash of October 1987. Rather than ending the business, the receivership became a restructuring period. Edmiston traded Miss Maud out of receivership in 1989, allowing the brand to continue operating and expanding. Edmiston's business leadership received later recognition. In 1992 she was named The Bulletin Qantas Business Woman of the Year. In 1999 she received Sweden's Order of the Polar Star, and in 2001 she was named Western Australian Citizen of the Year for Industry and Commerce. The latter recognition was described as the first and only time a woman had received that award. Miss Maud made a brief attempt to establish a presence on Australia's east coast in 2003, opening a pastry house at Westfield Miranda in New South Wales. The venture did not continue for long. Edmiston reportedly disliked the constant interstate travel required to manage the expansion, and the company subsequently concentrated its operations in Western Australia. In 2009 the business added a catering service, extending the brand into functions and off-site food service. The group introduced a second format in 2013 with Cafe Stockholm at Karrinyup Shopping Centre. Compared with the established Miss Maud pastry houses, Cafe Stockholm was described as more modern and directed toward a younger market. A second Cafe Stockholm outlet was later operated at Westfield Carousel. That location was converted into a Miss Maud pastry house in 2021, indicating a move back toward the core brand format. In 2018, Miss Maud sold the Miss Maud Swedish Hotel and Restaurant. The stated purpose was to provide funds for future expansion of the café business. This sale marked a further concentration on cafés and pastry houses rather than hotel ownership. As of 2025, Miss Maud comprises fifteen pastry houses and a catering service, all in Western Australia. The group employs more than 500 people and provides internal training for baristas and hospitality staff through the Miss Maud Academy. The company's current footprint is therefore regional rather than national, while its historical development spans pastry retail, restaurants, hotels, catering, alternative café branding, financial restructuring, and service training.

• 2021

  Cafe Stockholm site converted

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  The Cafe Stockholm outlet at Westfield Carousel was replaced by a Miss Maud pastry house.

• 2018

  Hotel and restaurant sold

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  The Miss Maud Swedish Hotel and Restaurant was sold to fund future café expansion.

• 2013

  First Cafe Stockholm outlet opens

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  Miss Maud introduced the Cafe Stockholm concept at Karrinyup Shopping Centre.

• 2009

  Catering service launched

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  The company entered catering as an additional hospitality business.

• 2003

  Brief New South Wales expansion

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  Miss Maud opened its first east-coast Australian pastry house at Westfield Miranda, but the expansion was short-lived.

• 1989

  Recovery from receivership

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  Maud Edmiston traded the business out of receivership.

• 1988

  Receivership

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  The company entered receivership following financial pressure linked to a failed resort investment, interest rates, and the 1987 stock-market crash.

• 1979

  Al fresco dining application

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  Maud Edmiston applied for the first al fresco dining area in Perth outside the Pier Street restaurant.

• 1977

  Private hotel added

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  Miss Maud opened a private hotel at the same Perth address as its restaurant.

• 1973

  Smörgåsbord restaurant opens

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  The Miss Maud Smörgåsbord Restaurant opened at the corner of Pier and Murray Streets in Perth.

• 1971

  First Miss Maud pastry house opens in Perth

  [1]Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org

  Maud Edmiston founded Miss Maud by opening a Swedish-style pastry house in City Arcade, Perth.

A Swedish-inspired Western Australian hospitality brand combining pastry retail, cafés, restaurant traditions, catering, and service-led hospitality. Its Cafe Stockholm format was designed as a more modern concept for younger customers.

• Bakery and café retail · 1971

  Miss Maud pastry houses

  The core Miss Maud format consists of Swedish-style pastry houses combining baked goods, café service, and hospitality. The format developed from the original 1971 Perth pastry house and remains the principal expression of the brand. As of 2025, the group has fifteen pastry houses located in Western Australia.

• Restaurant · 1973

  Miss Maud Smörgåsbord Restaurant

  Opened in 1973, the Smörgåsbord Restaurant extended Miss Maud beyond pastry retail into Swedish-influenced restaurant hospitality. It became a prominent part of the group's early Perth history and served a number of notable visitors. The restaurant and associated hotel were later sold, so this is a historical offering rather than a confirmed current product.

• Hotel and restaurant · 1977

  Miss Maud Swedish Hotel and Restaurant

  The hotel and restaurant operation opened in 1977 at the Pier and Murray Streets location. It represented Miss Maud's expansion into accommodation alongside food service. The group sold the property in 2018 to support future café expansion.

• Catering · 2009

  Miss Maud catering

  Launched in 2009, the catering service broadened Miss Maud's hospitality offer beyond in-store pastry houses and cafés. It remains part of the group's stated business scope as of 2025.

• Café format · 2013

  Cafe Stockholm

  Cafe Stockholm was introduced as a more modern café concept than the traditional Miss Maud pastry houses, with a stated focus on younger customers. The first outlet opened at Karrinyup Shopping Centre in 2013. The company also operated an outlet at Westfield Carousel, which was replaced by a Miss Maud pastry house in 2021.

• 2021

  Return from Cafe Stockholm to the core brandStrategy

  Background

  The company operated both the established Miss Maud format and the newer Cafe Stockholm concept.

  Action taken

  The Cafe Stockholm outlet at Westfield Carousel was replaced by a second Miss Maud pastry house.

  Aftermath

  The change strengthened the visibility of the core Miss Maud format at that shopping-centre location.

  Source

• 2018

  Sale of hotel and restaurant to fund café expansionStrategy

  Background

  Miss Maud reassessed its portfolio as the business concentrated more heavily on cafés and pastry houses.

  Action taken

  The company sold the Miss Maud Swedish Hotel and Restaurant.

  Aftermath

  The sale was intended to provide funding for future expansion of the café business and reduced the group's exposure to hotel ownership.

  Source

• 2013

  Introduction of Cafe StockholmProduct launch

  Background

  Miss Maud developed a more contemporary format intended to appeal to a younger market than its established pastry houses.

  Action taken

  The first Cafe Stockholm outlet opened at Karrinyup Shopping Centre, followed by another outlet at Westfield Carousel.

  Aftermath

  The Westfield Carousel Cafe Stockholm site was later converted into a Miss Maud pastry house in 2021.

  Source

• 2009

  Entry into cateringProduct launch

  Background

  The established pastry-house and café business was extended into off-site hospitality services.

  Action taken

  Miss Maud launched a catering service.

  Aftermath

  Catering became part of the group's operating scope.

  Source

• 2003

  Trial east-coast expansionStrategy

  Background

  Miss Maud sought to extend its pastry-house model beyond Western Australia by opening a location at Westfield Miranda in New South Wales.

  Action taken

  The company opened its first east-coast pastry house in 2003.

  Aftermath

  The expansion was short-lived, and the business returned its focus to Western Australia after Maud Edmiston found the required interstate travel undesirable.

  Source

1. 1Miss Mauden.wikipedia.org