The hospitality industry in Australia is on the rise. More and more people are frequenting restaurants, cafes and bars and in turn, new businesses are popping up.
At the same time, there has been a growth in foodie culture that has created a demand for food and drink to be accessible to more people and to be produced with high standards across all tiers of the industry. In this competitive environment, innovation has become the key to success. It is fundamental to stay creative, push the boundaries and anticipate where the industry is headed.
We picked five hospitality businesses that are doing just that – keeping innovation at the forefront of their vision and strategy, and setting themselves apart with their unique approaches to the industry.
1. A Glass of Wine and a Good Time
Sydney winemakers and educators Cake Wines have opened a cellar door and wine bar in Redfern, NSW – aptly named Cellar Door! It offers a relaxed atmosphere to drink and learn about wine without snobbery – a place for sharing and enjoyment. It is “at the intersection of wine and culture” and features weekly curated music and art experiences that celebrate young local talent, while also regularly teaming up with cultural events taking place around town.
Cellar Door is unique in its approach, collaborative, creative and accessible – a truly fresh take on drinking and appreciating wine.
2. Caffeine Goes Green
Hortus x Seven Seeds is a temporary cafe housed in a glass house structure in Docklands, VIC. It is the collaborative effort of coffee powerhouse Seven Seeds and architecture, art and design creative consultants Utopian Folk.
Places Victoria, the government agency delivering urban renewal and property development, awarded the Temporary Activation of the Dockland Harbour Esplanade to Utopian Folk in 2014. The glass house structure they subsequently created also incorporates a garden by installation artist Lauren Berkowitz. The idea behind the project was to educate the public about sustainability, and the cafe contributes to this by composting the garden with coffee grounds and utilizing low-energy coffee brewing methods.
Coffee, art, education and innovation all in the one communal space! Hortus x Seven Seeds is giving the area a much needed breath of life.
3. An Inner City Sanctuary
The Grounds of Alexandria in Alexandria, NSW is truly a Sydney institution! The unique concept was born out of the desire to create an urban sanctuary in what is otherwise a mostly industrial area. The Grounds is a huge space that houses a cafe, indoor and outdoor seating, coffee roastery, sustainable garden, small animal farm featuring the infamous resident pig Kevin Bacon, an artisan bakery, coffee research facility, and a private den with top-shelf whiskeys and cocktails... just to name a few of the things to see and do!
The Grounds is a trailblazer in Sydney’s coffee culture, and it is leading the way in sustainable business practices. The beautifully designed space is a portal into another world far away from the concrete on top of concrete of its surrounds.
4. Bubbles and Booze
There are bars that brew their own beer or make their own whisky. But PS40 is a bar in Sydney, NSW that makes and bottles its own soda in-house! And not just any soda – it’s all natural and preservative-free, made from local and native ingredients. There is a core range alongside changing seasonal flavors, and they pour out of the bar taps alongside the beer! The sodas are used for the bar’s (very interesting) cocktail list – matcha, amaranth and turnip puree are featured!
PS40 is taking a new approach to cocktail making – going beyond the spirits to source new flavors and ensure every ingredient in their drinks is of the best quality.
5. Ooh la la
Lune Croissanterie in Fitzroy, VIC is a bakery offering croissants and other pastries that are so good the business recently had to relocate to a much bigger venue to meet demand!
Aside from the creation of a space big enough to allow the chefs to push the boundaries of their craft, the move also came with a brand identity overhaul. This saw Lune start to approach pastry making like fine dining and begin to offer an exclusive, bookings only experience to The Lube Lab (the glass cube in the centre of the venue where the pastry magic happens). This gives customers a chance to partake in pastry tasting of special items that are not on the menu, accompanied with insight from the chefs, all while watching the process unfold.
Lune is pushing the boundaries of croissant making whilst also changing the way pastries are experienced – from an easy treat on a Sunday morning, to degustation.
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Want to learn how you can innovate in your own hospitality business? Come to Typsy Live in Sydney on October 5th! We're hosting a line-up of speakers from all corners of the industry – design, social media, business and customer experience (just to name a few).
Check out the trailer below and then book your tickets here.