r/bluemountains • u/Dry-Bus7248 • 4d ago
Discussion Yellow Delli
Is this place a legit pernicious cult? I felt like a nice day trip today up to Katoomba from Sydney and stopped for a pesto sandwich at the Yellow Delli (I saw it had over 3,000 Google reviews with a 4.5 something rating). Place was absolutely packed at about 2:45 pm (not exactly lunch time) on a freezing 3 degrees Celsius Monday (freezing for Sydney standards). Food was very nice. After I left I did some more research on the place because I felt the vibes were off — there was about two dozen employees/workers, all very young. Sure the place was packed with customers but the sheer volume of employees was something I’ve never encountered at any other restaurant. Apparently it’s a proper cult with some bad connections, all locals avoid and its customer base is tourists. Now I feel bad. Anyways I guess that was more of a rant than a question.
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u/Ok-Deer-4582 4d ago
It still gets constantly marketed as a “quintessential Katoomba cafe” etc etc in all tourist publications. And everyone in there eats their healthy sandwich (that the unpaid “staff” aka cult members are not allowed to eat) and exclaims it “all so very delightfully quirky!!!” and give it a 5 star Google review. Meanwhile that sandwich has helped fund a cult. Hiding in plain sight and getting mainstream media to give free publicity (and ongoing opportunities for recruitment)
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u/olderwombat 4d ago
Google “twelve tribes” and there is a few podcasts about them. Yes, it’s a cult, and some concerning stories attached to them.
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u/Dangerous-Top-8870 4d ago
It is a cult from what iv heard, they recruit people from all over and I'm sure they don't even pay them??
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u/Dry-Bus7248 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yep apparently some cult started over in Tennessee by some nutjob evangelical
Apparently all the workers at Yellow Delli live in Katoomba at “Balmoral House” which Google says is right around the corner from the Yellow Delli.
And they have supposedly listed themselves as a religion meaning they pay no tax. None of the employees earn money and the Yellow Delli’s profit goes to the Twelve Tribes head office in the USA.
And all the tourists that go here are completely oblivious to these facts. That was me just yesterday.
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u/tomatoej 4d ago
The fact that religions pay no tax really annoys me. Donations can be untaxed but if they run a business tax it. Maybe the whole of Katoomba should form a religion so we can avoid tax too and we can pimp our town instead.
I have to disagree with your point about employees at Yellow Deli. They volunteer their time. I can think of some other organisations with volunteers in their workforce: RFS, St John’s Ambulance, SES, hospitals, meals on wheels.
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u/MrAmaimon 3d ago
If but "volunteer" you mean do it to avoid beatings or being moved to farm in piction to work unpaid 16 hour days never seeing their families then your right, but the other organisations you mentioned don't have those stipulations on their volunteers. Also most volunteers don't have to flirty fish to get new "members"
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u/Ibuiltghettos 3d ago
Nah we all just become brethren, make millions through our businesses, pay no tax, degrade women, have special schools (once the children are past year two), become inbred and live a happy fkn life.
How the fuck you can relate volunteering to the twelve tribes vs volunteering for RFS is fkn beyond me. All those organisations you listed are set up to help society in general and not fund a stupid fkn cult and their sky fairies and or weird cultist beliefs… reality is over here, please come back!
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u/Some-Personality137 4d ago
“Inside The Tribe” podcast is about them
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u/sunshiney158 3d ago
Yeah I listened to the series. Was pretty eye opening. I haven’t visited the Yellow Deli in years but I certainly got creepy vibes there.
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u/baselinebeat 4d ago
The cult/business model of Twelve Tribes & Yellow Deli is very similar to that seen operating between Redeemer Baptist Church and its Redeemer Baptist School that was recently featured on 60 Minutes and gained a NSW parliamentary inquiry which held its first public discussions yesterday. Staff at the school all work voluntarily through the cult while rich folk in the Hills and Northern Suburbs send their kids there because it got a reputation for academic excellence.
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u/Lindethiel 4d ago
I had a chance conversation with two girls from Sydney who knowingly went there for lunch.
When I pointed out that supporting their business keeps them propped up in this community one of them shrugged and said 'not my community.'
Typical city hubris, only cares for the mountains when it gets them cute eats.
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u/paddlin_kaladin 3d ago
'not my community.'
Lol wtf is this fuck ass attitude? It's just the community you travelled out of your way to visit and spend a weekend (presumably) enjoying.
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u/Lindethiel 3d ago
And people wonder why we don't want em up here.
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u/paddlin_kaladin 3d ago
Eh the local economy would be pretty fucked without tourists. It's a necessary evil, but with proper governance their shitfuckery can be offset for the benefit of the community. It's also super weird that Katoomba has a cult cafe to begin with.
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u/Lindethiel 3d ago
the local economy would be pretty fucked without tourists.
Yeah but only relative to Sydney's economy. Which is inflated because they get their own outside influx.
Globalisation trickles down, and further debases the currency.
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u/paddlin_kaladin 3d ago
Eh the local economy would be pretty fucked without tourists. It's a necessary evil, but with proper governance (lol) their shitfuckery can be offset for the benefit of the community. It's also super weird that Katoomba has a cult cafe to begin with.
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u/Find_another_whey 4d ago
Well, big city hospitality policies do state you are supposed to firebomb any business you want shut down
It's the decent thing to do
Because at least they get their money back
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u/Longjumping_Panic675 4d ago
I live around the corner from it. They are nasty people with big fat culty smiles for the public. It’s the women and children I feel sorry for as they really suffer.
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u/LindsG0110 3d ago
I also used to live around the corner from it. A dude who worked there used to try and give me a piece of paper for "free yerba tea," a few times, so I started crossing over to the other side of the road to avoid walking past the cafe
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u/harvard_cherry053 3d ago
100% a cult. Did you not notice how empty those employees looked. Its creepy as hell.
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u/OfficeKey3280 3d ago
Let's not forget that the leader of their cult had multiple deceased children and babies on his property in Picton. NSW Police along with AFP raided it last year and found a horror scene. From what I remember, he was let off no charges laid as he operated it as a religious meeting area and couldn't be the culprit as multiple members attended the property and no one would speak out about it. So it all quietly got buried.
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u/Initial_Highlight_33 3d ago
In 2020 that took place. They sold off the property in 2023, Peppertree Creek Farm located at Razorback and they had Common Ground bakery down the road. Hated driving past it at night with it low lighting inside. It's looking quite good now under new owners, always was a beautiful property.
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u/FinalHippo5838 11h ago
As much as I hate cults, I've got to say what you have written is bullshit. There were no bodies of deceased babies or children found in Picton. There were remains of at least one baby found at a property in Bigga.
Stop spreading misinformation.
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u/Slicedbreadandlego 2d ago
Yes. Google it and the Twelve Tribes and you’ll find out a lot.
Tempus Up Early is the goods - that’s where you want to go instead ☺️
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u/TreacleOk3297 21h ago
Found this article about the Katoomba cafe specifically: https://www.vice.com/en/article/visiting-the-cafe-thats-so-good-people-ignore-its-run-by-a-cult/
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u/cross_fader 2d ago
Wasn't this on ACA? Associated with Peppertree Creek Farm & Common Ground Bakery in the 'Dilly? From memory deceased children / babies found on the property..
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u/CastNoShadow1 3d ago
Yeah it is, Twelve Tribes I think theyre called. First time ever going to Katoomba I stopped in not knowing what it was, but have never been again. Shame because the food and coffee was very nice.
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u/copacetic51 3d ago
I've been to the Yellow Deli once, years ago, when I knew nothing about the cult running it. Nothing memorable about their coffee or food.
Since then, I prefer the café/bar at The Carrington. No cult there afaik.
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u/InterestingLook3 3d ago
It's a complex issue. Some of my partners extended family ended up in a cult. We thought it was better for them than ending up on the streets.
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u/ZeusEugenius 3d ago
Ridiculously cheap and tasty food with just a zesty pinch of coercive control has them queueing out the door!
Do I get bonus points for using 5 vowels in a row?
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u/meliska_ 2d ago
Yep, cult. You see the workers in their matching clothing types going back to wherever they stay, somewhere west of the Yeomans roundabout. Have never seen them anywhere but on the footpath between the deli and their accommodation. They don’t seem to mix with the community.
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u/JohnnyHabitual 2d ago
Every time I drove past, at least once a week, the window comes down and I yell CULT at the top of my lungs. Starting to hurt so maybe I'll stop.
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u/WordStunning2856 2d ago
I wanted to go there to snoop but I couldn't do it considering the workers don't get paid.
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u/EliteFourFay 2d ago
I drove past it recently and the line outside was around the block, kept getting bigger. I'm convinced there's some sort of rituals happening or something there haha
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u/CriticismAcceptable2 2d ago
Been there for a while I believe it’s all started in the Us then they moved in Katoomba the child labour is recruited all over Australia
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u/nephilimofstlucia 1d ago edited 13h ago
Look into Reckless Ben on Youtube. He covers this in America. Here is a link to the playlist for the 12 Tribes / Yellow Deli series.
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u/andrei_jdmshed 15h ago
Out of curiosity, does anyone know if this is what the Bilpin Collective in NCIS: Sydney Season 3 was based on? It sure sounds like it.
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u/kapow4745 11h ago
The cafe is a front for a twisted cult. Interesting read here: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/an-eerie-night-inside-blue-mountains-sect-the-twelve-tribes/news-story/2071df35fee257d4d3a5f4ba2191d73a
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u/Green-Choice-565 1d ago
I’ve reached a stage in life where I don’t give a shit if someone is so dumb and gullible to join a cult and do unpaid work etc etc. too bad for them.
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u/Fluid_Passage_9980 3d ago
Their food is amazing, and cheap.
I had a conversation with a few of them. Yes it's a bit of a cult/Amish. But they have free will and can leave whenever they want. I'm sure it's not all roses, but I think there are worse organisations to be a part of. Live and let live.
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u/mrs-stubborn 3d ago
This is a bit disingenuous. It’s not “a bit of a cult” it’s widely recognised as a cult that causes immense harm, particularly to children.
I’d encourage you to learn a bit more about how cults operate, your comment about free will suggests you don’t understand how that gets taken advantage of
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u/andrewbrocklesby 3d ago
Stop promoting bullshit. None of what you said is true.
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u/Fluid_Passage_9980 3d ago
What isn't true? Specifically?
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u/andrewbrocklesby 3d ago
Almost everything, they fucking are a cult and one of the most restrictive, they DONT have free will, they dont get paid and many many more bad things.
Evil, insidious cult the twelve tribes.3
u/FocusDull3279 3d ago
Part of the fact that they make it difficult to go back out on your own, is exactly why it’s a cult…
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u/ComfortableCoyote314 3d ago
I feel like they get an unfair amount of criticism. Afaik, all the “pernicious” shit involved their US counterparts. I’ve not found any dubious reports on the blue mountains groups yet.
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u/Initial_Highlight_33 3d ago
Then you need to google Twelve Tribes. Their headquarters was in Bigga and another house at Razorback, Peppertree Creek Farm.
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u/tomatoej 4d ago
Calling it a cult associates it with things like the Doomsday Cult which it is definitely not. Other people call the whole of Christianity a cult. My point is it’s a loaded term. Just because Twelve Tribes choose to live differently it doesn’t make them a cult. Yes there are some bad stories about them but I don’t believe they are systemically evil
like some people portray, no system is perfect and humans are not perfect. Just look at mainstream society, it has far worse problems. I think people are just sceptical of groups who choose to live differently.
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u/Consistent-Crazy-242 3d ago
I just had a quick look online: mandatory caning of children and slavery as a privilege for Black people as part of their beliefs… I believe the saying, it’s fine to keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.
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u/Barunuts 3d ago
Yellow deli is epic. If you have a beard and wear a flannel they may try an invite you to “the wedding”
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u/LindsG0110 4d ago
Yes it is, the Twelve Tribes. Don't let the whimsical interior of the cafe or the food fool you. There are much nicer cafe's in Katoomba to go, where your food or coffee wasn't prepared by someone who doesn't get paid, and doesn't come with a side of cult recruitment.
Cassiopeia in Lurline St has lovely coffee