Selling… selling… not sold?

WITH CAM O’KEEFE

As troubling economic times continue to plague the greater population at large, it seems our friends in the hospitality industry are still bearing the front (unfortunately) compared to many.

It’s no secret the majority of us have been eating out less over the past twelve months as interest rates have continued to rise – some of us even more so since coming out of the COVID jungle.

And if we’re not eating out less, we’re eating out more cheaply, with those once frequenting restaurants and fine diners now opting for pubs and less-fuss eateries for their eat-out (and take-out) options.

Couple this with rising food costs, hard-to-find decent hospitality staff, restless landlords, and a historically saturated market, and what do we get?

Bingo. All of sudden our once sexy hospitality industry now looks a little scary.

During the week I was helping a friend drop some pasta samples around town for a new gnocchi business he’s started (more on this in a future column) and for some reason it really hit me just how many FOR SALE signs there are plastered above the doors of local hospitality outlets.

As I got back home, I made a point of writing down all the places I knew that were currently on the market to be sold… the list totalled more than 20!

And that was without even doing my research properly.

In our CBD alone you’ll find the likes of Poké Geelong, CENTRA, Union Street Cellars, Shinya Ramen, Surreall, I Ragazzi … the list feels oh so long.

Not to mention the doors long closed and the yet to be re-leased premises (and obviously therefore a lack-of-sale) that housed Azzurra Trattoria, Café Savvy (CBD), Dripples Burgers, Ambergris, Analogue Academy, and the other Shinya Ramen in town (yes, in addition to their Little Malop Street outpost).

All doom and gloom you might think I’m being. Unfortunately, it’s more so just plain realistic.

And that’s just the places known to the wider market, not mentioning those venues silently seeking buyers, or who are on the edge of thinking about selling up shop.

As I’ve said in previous columns: it’s tough out there!

Should there be a better reason for all of us to head for our favourite local in the next few days to show some support and keep their doors open!?

In more upbeat news, the team at The Kyn in Torquay are doing great things, blending their Middle Eastern menu inspiration with more contemporary and locally sourced ingredients.

The kitchen brigade is headed by previously hatted chef James White, who certainly knows a thing or two about well executed, tasty dishes delivered in an ambient, bursting restaurant environment (and fairly well priced, mind you).

If you’re on the Surf Coast looking for a new local (or just in need of a good night-out) this could be your best option.

Or Samesyn.

This place rocks.

If you haven’t been since their reopening yet, GO.

Another interesting yet-to-open outlet, JPs (found along Yarra Street near its Myers intersection) promises a quality focused drive-thru experience unlike what’s on offer at your standard McDonalds. Grass-fed beef burgers that are minced daily; sauces made fresh daily in-house with avocado oil (rather than olive oil); only cold-pressed raw milk used from organic farms for their coffee… the list ticks all the boxes of fast-food done right.

Watch this space over the coming couple of weeks for it to open.

And I love their simple branding: it looks like an 80’s design you’d seen on the side of a Daytona race car.

Finally, I couldn’t not mention that we’re in my favourite part of my favourite produce season of the year, which is mid-late Autumn.

This means the following brilliant fruit and veg bounty is at its best, or coming close to it, right about now: local mandarins and oranges, tomatoes and beetroot, rhubarb, strawberries and figs (so underrated on this final one).

Head to your local fruit shop, supermarket or produce store and enjoy the best of our late autumnal season.