Drive thru Eureka Street’s newest food shop

EUREKA Street’s newest drive thru eat and drink spot is finding its feet after opening just over a month ago.

Owner Iain Gunn said the Eureka Food and Wine Store was a collaboration between the Mercure, Azzuri, Billy’s, Carboni’s and Good 4U Meals.

“Then we looked to include others and a range of staples like bread from 1816 and milk from Inglenook Dairy and Good4U meals,” he said.

“The bottle shop has always been here on the Carboni’s premise and we hadn’t really used it even though it had always been licensed.

“In early August, a combination of discussions I had with a few people, we thought we would reactivate this space as a drive thru.”

With partnerships at both Carboni’s and Mercure, Mr Gunn saw the opportunity to utilise the unused resources at both venues to create something more accessible.

While the businesses were either shut or reduced trading, Mr Gunn said because they had the product and capacity to operate, it came together quickly.

“We use the chefs at the Mercure to produce a range of items and Donatello from next door produces some stuff to sell here,” he said

“We use the chefs at the Mercure to produce a range of items and Donatello from next door produces some stuff to sell here.

“It’s been an exercise in utilising the resources we had and the stock, the kitchen staff and the actual building we had here.”

Open all day from 6.30am to 6.30pm, the Eureka drive thru aims to cater to a variety of customer needs from coffee and groceries to wine and cheese.

While they predominantly sell food, Mr Gunn said the coffee trade is what underpins the whole business.

“There’s coffee, breakfast options, cakes, pies, sausage rolls, Turkish breads and salads, bread, milk, butter as well as beer, wine and soft drink,” he said. “But most people that come in buy a coffee.

“People have been very complimentary and the general feedback is that it’s nice to have something in the vicinity.”

While Mr Gunn said the first few weeks of trading have been a success, it’s unclear whether the shop will be a permanent fixture.

“It’s been a bit of an instant success,” he said. “The intention is that we can build it into a sustainable business, but at the moment it’s a just a bit more than a pop up.

“We’re still not 100 per cent sure if it will be permanent as of yet.”