How Melbourne restaurant owners are all fired up to reopen
Most restaurant owners, chefs and hospitality leaders are cautiously optimistic about getting back to business when restrictions ease slightly on June 1 and Melbourne bosses say they will “fight tooth and nail” for the city’s dining culture to return.
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Hospitality bosses say Melbourne’s restaurants, cafes and bars will “fight tooth and nail” to restore the city’s world-renowned dining culture to its former glory.
As venues prepare to welcome back dine-in customers from Monday, but with a 20- person limit and social distancing rules, Australian Restaurant and Catering Association CEO Wes Lambert said: “We are absolutely excited about the reopenings.
“The food service industry was one of the hardest hit, so this return to at least the beginning of normality in Melbourne and Victoria will begin to save the industry.
“Dining is Melbourne, Melbourne is dining,” Mr Lambert added. “Victoria and Melbourne are world-renowned for their vibrant dining culture. I know those restaurant and catering services will fight tooth and nail to ensure that dining culture returns.”
Most restaurant owners, chefs and hospitality leaders are cautiously optimistic about getting back to business when restrictions ease on Monday.
However, some concede the damage done by the two-month shutdown might be too much to come back from.
“The world is forever changed and traditional hospitality is now in a state of disaster,” said Shane Delia, owner and chef of Maha. “The reality is, it was bloody hard work to make a living as a restaurant owner before all of this mess, when revenue was at least consistent.
“I do not see how a traditional business can make it and survive now that we have limited trade, heavy trading restrictions, no corporate dining, very limited consumer expendable income, and consumer health and safety confidence is low.”
Chris Lucas, who owns restaurants including Chin Chin, Kisume and Kong, says his venues are ready to reboot, but the restrictions will make it very tough to turn a profit.
Mr Lucas also said the 20-person crowd limit set by authorities was too “arbitrary”, adding: “It should have been based on the floor size or capacity space of each business. If you’ve got a 1000sq m pub, you should be allowed to have an appropriate percentage of that floor space available for diners.”
Simon Blacher, of the Commune Group, said limited dining numbers would affect “revenue, ambience and customer experience”.
He added: “We are focusing our attention on diversification. A balance between providing a great experience and environment … as well as a strong takeaway experience. The two will have to coexist for the foreseeable future as restrictions slowly lift.”
Elsewhere, some businesses are really struggling.
Joseph Vargetto, owner and chef at Mister Bianco in Kew and Massi in the city, says his Kew venue is staying afloat but the city restaurant won’t reopen until August.
“It has been a tumultuous ride, not something I would wish upon anyone. It has been absolutely gut-wrenching,” he said. “I am just rolling up my sleeves to get us through.”
In Little Bourke St, Chinatown Precinct Association president Danny Doon says the dining district is “feeling good” about reopening.
“At least we can get a few people in. It’s better than nothing,” Mr Doon said. “But it won’t be what it to used to be until they open up the state and international borders.”
Food And Wine Victoria CEO Anthea Loucas Bosha, hopes diners embrace the easing of restrictions and start eating out again.
“Going out for a meal or a drink is so much a part of who we are and how we express ourselves as Melburnians,” she said.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp says she’s already made bookings at her favourite restaurants and cafes.
“Being able to sit in a restaurant with friends and enjoy some of the city’s best food is something I have been really missing during the lockdown period,” Ms Capp said.
“Having a vibrant and plentiful restaurants and cafes sector is very important to Melbourne, and we need to support these businesses now.
“I’d encourage everyone to dine in at them again soon.”
OWNERS REVEAL HOW TOUGH RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN
We asked industry figures about how restrictions have impacted their business, thoughts on how authorities have handled the re-openings, and suggestions on how many people they could host safely on their premises. We also broached the touchy topic of tipping and cancellation fees. Here’s what they told us:
Shannon Martinez, chef and owner, Smith and Daughters
“This isn’t good, no matter how you look at it. But we’ve got such an amazing following. Our customers are incredible, and they’re gagging to get back here. We’re opening two weeks later, on June 16. I want to sit back and watch how this plays out. The last thing a restaurant needs is its name and COVID in the same sentence.”
Andrew McConnell, chef and restaurateur, Cumulus Inc
“There’s no rule book for this, no right or wrong way to play it. It’s fantastic that we can re-open and get back to doing what we love doing and looking after our guests. A safe and considered reopening is the most important thing for our staff and customers right now. We’re following the guidelines and understand why they exist.”
Scott Pickett, chef and restauranteur, Pickett and Co
“We’ve had to really look at what we are offering in each of the businesses and see how we can do that better, smarter, and differently to ensure we fit in with restrictions. I think by not allowing us to open until it was 20 PAX was a good move. Trying to operate a venue with only 10 would’ve been impossible.”
Chris Lucas, Lucas Restaurants
“I’m hoping the consumer will reward our workers with some tipping, and try to be as generous as possible, because this industry has done it very hard, probably harder than most. Cancellation fees, because of the restrictions, have become a necessary evil. We’re doing that, as most businesses are, because we can’t afford for people to make bookings, then not turn up.”
Matthew Butcher, food visionary, Mr and Mrs P, Yugo, Pow Wow
“By reducing the amount of people we can have in a venue doesn’t only affect our bottom line and turnover, but it affects the vibe of the space.”
Jason M. Jones, owner, Entrecote
“I think (the reopenings have) to be a monitored and one rule for all approach. I think it’s been handled well. It puts everyone on the same playing field.”
Ian Curley, co-owner and chef, French Saloon
“We are going to experience a lot less people to begin with until all restrictions are lifted. Also, we now don’t have any (457) visa staff, so it’s going to be difficult. I have a feeling a lot of people will be looking for restaurants that offer value for money, as everyone will be experiencing a little hardship.”
Paul Waterson, CEO, Australian Venue Co
“Prior to the lockdown, many of our venues would be packed to the rafters on a busy Friday or Saturday night, and this in turn created that exciting, buzzing atmosphere that pubs around Melbourne are known for. It’s going to be a real challenge for operators to create that same experience for customers with capacity restrictions in place.”
Simon Blacher, director, Commune Group
“We (restaurants) have a social responsibility to ensure that we have a safe environment and to minimise to the potential of a second wave and another round of lockdown or extended restrictions. We are all in it for the long haul and need to see the industry get back to its feet in a timely manner, if that means short term challenges for a quicker return to normality then so be it.”
Soren Thogerson, chef, Seville Estate
“Prices will inevitably go up, and so they should. This industry has been slowly brought to its knees with the constantly increasing price of goods and labour without the reflection in meal prices. I hope that the ‘post-Covid diner’ has an appreciation for just what goes into making restaurants so special and can accept that it comes at a price, reflected in their bill.”
Barnie Bouchaud, owner, The Grand Richmond
“We’ll do all what we can to not increase costs and feel we can reopen with the need too, but the reality is, hospitality wasn’t healthy before the virus and these issues will just make margins worse. Moving forward, customers need to understand they need to pay more for their favourite restaurants to survive. It’s going to be hard to make this adjustment but the industry needs it.”
Kristian Klein, owner, Mr Miyagi
“I think everyone has been doing their best to help the situation. It’s important to have a timeline so we can start planning for the next few months, including a clear set of rules for each stage. It’s incredibly important to see the survival of everyone in our industry and the reality of things we unfortunately won’t see for a little while yet.”
Maurice McGrath, CEO, Moon Dog Brewing Co
“Our view is larger premises can safely cater for larger patron numbers due to the increased floor space which allows these venues to meet the density quotient of one patron per 4 sqm of patron-accessible area. At Moon Dog World in Preston, we can provide a safe physical distancing environment for 350 patrons, given our patron-accessible area exceeds 1,500 sqm.”
RESTAURANT RULES
Dine-in services can be resumed from 11.59pm on May 31 but with the following restrictions:
— Only 20 people are allowed in an enclosed space
— All venues must place limits on entry to ensure there can only be one customer per 4 square metres
— Tables must be at least 1.5m apart
— Venues must request contact details from every customer including first name and phone number to enable rapid contact tracing
— Extra cleaning of venues will be required
— Venue staff must not work when unwell
— You can’t go to a venue for a drink only. Alcohol will only be available with meals, not snacks
— Strict fines will be issued for breaching any of the State Government’s guidelines.
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