Tassie restaurants to deliver to homes during the ‘apocalypse’

The ‘apocalypse’ might have temporarily floored Tasmania’s restaurants and cafes. But not for long. They’ve banded together to create a new, Uber Eats-style, home delivery service for the state’s premium eateries.

Apocalypse Eats is a new collective of Tasmanian restaurants and cafes trying to stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis, building an UberEats-type platform with all-Tasmanian food, brands and produce. Local hospitality operators, observing social distancing rules and standing 1.5 metres apart, include Will Preistley, Chicko Mackeen, Dave McGill, Chloe Proud, Kif Weber and Kobi Ruzicka. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

THE apocalypse may have struck for restaurants and cafes flattened by forced closures, but that doesn’t mean the state’s top foodies plan to remain buried in the rubble.

An all-Tasmanian home delivery food service platform is under construction thanks to a new local eatery collective, cheekily named Apocalypse Eats, which built a membership of 400 in just 24 hours.

The collective’s first job is to build its Future Feeders online platform, which will be similar to Uber Eats but will feature an all-Tasmanian menu by local chefs, using local produce, and keeping local staff employed.

Apocalypse Eats is a new collective of Tasmanian restaurants and cafes trying to stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis. They're currently working on building their own UberEats-type of platform. Local hospitality operators (L-R) Will Preistley, Chicko Mackeen, Dave McGill, Chloe Proud, Kif Weber and Kobi Ruzicka. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Hobart restaurateur Chloe Proud said the COVID-19 crisis — which has closed down restaurants, cafes and pubs nationwide — was terrible news for her industry, but also an opportunity.

“People will always need to eat and drink,” she said.

“Our platform will be a core site for distribution, for getting food to people’s homes or collect safely.

“This is the time Tasmanians need to get behind [local businesses] and understand their purchasing has a great impact.”

Businesses already on board include Suzi Lucks, Tom McHugo’s, Pigeon Hole, Fico, Etty’s and Launceston’s Stillwater.

Ms Proud said an important difference between Future Feeders and Uber Eats would be a focus on all-Tasmanian brands, growers and makers.

“We need to know we’re putting money back into the hands of a maker or producer,” she said.

“We’re thinking about the person at the end of the line, like the person pulling carrots out of the ground at Bream Creek, because they need that support as well.”

Ms Proud also said the Tasmanian platform would not impose “ridiculous” charges for the service and deliveries.

Apocalypse Eats won’t just deliver food to Tasmanian homes. It’s also a chance for foodies to come together, brand build as a team, and work out how businesses can help each other.

“We’ve got a small enough community that if we actually talk about this together and figure out how to minimise the footprint, we might be able to bounce back more quickly together,” Ms Proud said.

Ms Proud asked her fellow industry leaders to come together in a virtual sense this week, reminding them to take some time to “chill” and send through their menus while the Future Feeders platform is built.

She has also put out a call for anyone with large commercial kitchens who could host several eateries cooking together and anyone with business nous who could provide advice to contact her at [e-mail].

The Future Feeders platform, which aims to go live by the weekend, will be hosted at www.aeat.org.au.

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