Club Chin Chin opens pop-up restaurant at GMHBA Stadium with the Geelong Cats
The iconic Melbourne restaurant is making a sea change and opening its first regional outpost— in an unsuspecting location.
Food
Don't miss out on the headlines from Food. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Cats out of the bag — Melbourne restaurant icon Chin Chin is coming to Geelong.
In a first for regional Victoria, the buzzy South-East Asian eatery will open ‘Club Chin Chin’ at GMHBA Stadium for a one-year pop-up from late April.
Not only does the Geelong Football Club deal mark an exciting new chapter in Geelong’s dining scene, but provides the ultimate homecoming for celebrated restaurateur, mad Cats fan and proud Belmont boy Chris Lucas.
“For my whole life people have been saying “why don’t you open something in Geelong” and that sort of nostalgia is something I’ve always had in the background,” Mr Lucas told the Saturday Herald Sun.
“I love the club, I’m a crazy Cats supporter and have been all my life. So I thought, why not?”
The 200-seater restaurant marks a final piece in the $350m stadium’s puzzle, shacking up inside the Joel Selwood stand; beaming its trademark ‘Chin Chin neon-pink’ across the ground and Kardinia Park precinct.
Chin Chin executive chef Benjamin Cooper is also relocating for the pop-up to be on the pass with his army of senior kitchen staff.
Club Chin Chin will run seven services, across four days, both on and outside of game days.
“This is the first of its type (partnership), where an entire restaurant is being moved into a grandstand. Guy Grossi and the MCC is in a consulting role, while in Sydney Justin (Hemmes) has taken over the entire ground. We’re building a restaurant that will also run on non-game days.”
For those days, Cooper will run an a la carte offering, with a game day packages inclusive of a set-menu and reserved seat, which will be sold through the club.
All of the Chin Chin classics, including the famed green chilli kingfish sashimi, will feature with ‘Geelong’ exclusive dishes also in the works.
The restaurant will be open to all AFL supporters, though Cats superfans will see the most benefit.
A table has been dedicated to current list players, so you never know who’ll you run into.
Mr Lucas said players would be forthcoming and sign autographs or footys, as well as pose for photos with diehard fans.
“This is a country club that happens to be an AFL club. There’s a country feel to it and the club has built an image around family and kids and getting to meet their heroes.”
Geelong Football Club chief executive Steve Hocking said the club had been looking at alternate revenue streams after becoming the first club to move away from the pokie machine model.
“This restaurant will fit nicely into the region, will compliment the region and we believe it’s ready to come into the region,” Mr Hocking said.
Both Hocking and Lucas are open to keep the pop-up running beyond 12 months, with the Chin Chin boss not ruling out opening more restaurants in his hometown in the future.
“And it’s not just Lucas Restaurants. This may bring other Melbourne restaurants to town. The more the merrier.”
“And if the Cats do win the flag this year, I’ll take credit for a small part of that as they’ve been eating Chin Chin.”
Club Chin Chin opens at GMHBA Stadium in late April.
Join the conversation
The top five spots for fish ‘n’ chips in Melbourne
From the best humble take-out shops to fine dining dens, here are the top five places to reel in delicious fish ‘n’ chips in Melbourne.
Read more
Would you pay $30 for meat on a stick?
The views from the city’s hottest new hotel rooftop are unmatched, the drinks top-tier — but how much are you willing to spend on the city’s fanciest skewer?
Read more