What Melbourne restaurateurs are doing to stay afloat in lockdown
From virtual dinner parties, meal kits and delivery — Melbourne’s hospitality scene is pushing through another six weeks of lockdown restrictions. Here’s some ways you can show your support.
Lifestyle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
We won’t be eating-in at a restaurant or cafe, in a best-case scenario, until after October 26.
That’s providing Melbourne’s daily coronavirus case numbers stay low and the mystery cases subside.
Even then, some parts of the hospitality scene has been struggling to stay afloat after six months of lockdown and uncertainty over when restrictions will ease.
Many have adapted to selling takeaway or pre-made meals, and will continue this model for the next six weeks.
Here’s some of the innovative ways food businesses have adapted to the COVID-19 climate — and how you can show your support the industry.
FOOD DELIVERY
Before COVID-19, most of Melbourne’s takeaway food offerings came delivered hot (or lukewarm) in a brown paper bag on the back of a push bike.
Now takeaway comes in many forms — par-cooked and pre-portioned, shipped via cold freight overnight, or produce boxes fresh from the supplier stocked with fruit, veg, meat and seafood.
Special occasion degustation dinners from up-market Melbourne restaurants can be served in your dining room (with a mood-setting music playlist to match).
There’s even virtual grocery stores to buy fancy pantry staples available to order in Melbourne and Australia-wide.
Try: Providoor, Click for Vic, Melb Food Squad, Co-Lab Pantry, Golden Grocer.
MEAL KITS AND VIRTUAL COOKING CLASSES
Atlas owner and head chef Charlie Carrington launched his successful Atlas Masterclass mealboxes and virtual cooking classes on the first day of Melbourne’s lockdown in March.
Each mealbox comes with three dinners of a new cuisine each week (feeding either singles, couples, families and groups of six). The business has been so popular, Carrington plans to sell his Masterclass boxes long-after Melbourne’s restrictions are set to ease on October 26.
Carrington is still deciding whether to re-open his bricks and mortar Atlas restaurant after that date, as the meal boxes were more viable than bookings of up to 10 people.
“I change my mind every single day (about reopening),” he said.
“Naturally we want to reopen. Like any business, we’d have to make sure it would be financially viable.”
Next week, Carrington will release his Taste of Italy Dinner Box and donate a percentage of profits to the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation in order to raise money for brain cancer research.
Make-Out Meals is another food delivery service that’s been born out of lockdown.
Founder Billy Green came up with the idea to release a weekly meal-kit box at the start of the state’s first lockdown.
Make-Out Meals is similar to Marley Spoon and Hello Fresh in that it delivers three to four pre-portioned meals to your door each week. But unlike the others, Make-Out Meals lets you recreate meals served in Melbourne restaurants such as Bomba’s skirt steak, Tipico’s pumpkin risotto or ISH’s eggplant curry. An online instructional video lets you cook along at home.
“Before we started I noticed an extreme juxtaposition between meal kit companies, like Marley Spoon and Hello Fresh, which were thriving, while at the same time restaurants were closing down and struggling to employ people,” Green said.
“There were two extremes operating in the food industry. I wanted to help bring restaurants back up.”
Try: Atlas Masterclass, Make-out-Meals.
If you miss degustation dinners and wine tastings, Melbourne business The Wine Loop lets you try several wines from the comfort of your lounge room. Book for yourself or a couple of friends. The Wine Loop showcases a new restaurant and winery each session. Costs $149 per person, which includes 10 wines, paired with a five-course heat-and-serve dinner and delivery.
TOURING THE SUBURBS
More inner-city restaurants are hitting the road with takeaway offerings for the suburbs — often popping-up in a new area every few weeks.
Plenty are doing it, like Windsor’s Mr Miyagi with its One Night Stand, Richmond sandwich kings Hector’s Deli and Pinchy’s Pop-Up-Tour, just to name a few. Watch for when your favourite is visiting your postcode on social media.
Try: Mr Miyagi, Hector’s Deli, Pinchy’s Pop-Up Tour
VIRTUAL SOCIAL MEDIA EVENTS
It’s not just about the food and drink — some venues are coming up with innovative ways to keep diners engaged. Attica’s Ben Shewry is hosting a free A Party For Melbourne, part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, on Saturday 12 September, which features a performance by The Avalances.
Maha chef and Providoor founder Shane Delia also hosts cooking classes with Melbourne chefs through the food delivery platform.
Other Melbourne events that would usually be held at this time of year — like the Prahran Market’s Say Cheese Event — are held online.
Commune Group director Simon Blacher said he was very fortunate his venues, Hannoi Hannah, Firebird, Neptune and Tokyo Tina, had strong takeaway offerings before the pandemic.
“Takeaway food has been a big focus for us, especially now on Providoor,” he said.
“It’s taken up a huge part of business and it has been a good focus for us since lockdown began.”
This lockdown he’ll be focusing on his Providoor partnership, adding Prahran’s Neptune to the mix, as well as bringing Tokyo Tina’s popular Bingo Academy Live, hosted by drag superstar Valerie Hex to the platform.
The drag bingo launches Sunday September 20, costs $150 for two people and includes seven dishes, eight Aperol spritz cocktails and access to the interactive game.
“Over the next six weeks we’ll think about the steps to reopening and how to keep Providoor there,” Blacher said.
“It’s allowed us to get a sense of normality back and keep our staff employed,” he said.
Try: Tokyo Tina Bingo Academy Live, Providoor.
MORE NEWS:
CELEB CHEF SORRY FOR DELIVERY FAIL
NEW IT-DRINK YOU’LL ENJOY THIS SPRING