A collaborative new food and wine store stocking local produce will help keep staff in work and provide a retail outlet for restaurants that are diversifying their offerings.
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The Eureka Street Food and Wine Store opened on Wednesday in the old Bottle O next to Carboni's Italian Kitchen.
The store is a partnership between Carboni's, Mercure Ballarat and Good 4U Meals.
Mercure Ballarat managing director and Carboni's business partner Iain Gunn said he first had the idea for the store around two weeks ago and opened it nine days later.
It uses all the resources we have collaboratively; the kitchens, the staff, all chipping in to try to get an outlet up and running and giving people some good work.
- Iain Gunn, Mercure Ballarat
He said he had some new ideas throughout lockdown, but did not connect them until someone mentioned to him there were limited places in Ballarat to buy quality drive through food.
"Clearly things are slow, Mercure is quite, the restaurant is not able to trade and the conferencing and event business has slowed down," he said.
"We have had the drive through bottle shop next door to Carbonis unused.
"I thought why don't we try to pull it together, clean up the bottle shop and re-open as a collaborative.
"It uses all the resources we have collaboratively; the kitchens, the staff, all chipping in to try to get an outlet up and running and giving people some good work."
The store is a retail outlet for Mercure, Carboni's and Good 4U Meals, that are made in the Mercure kitchen.
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It also features other Ballarat produce including Inglenook Dairy milk, 1816 Bakehouse bread, Buninyong Bakehouse bread and Millbrook eggs.
"We are looking at filling out the range with Ballarat and region producers. We want to support local producers where we can," Mr Gunn said.
Mercure staff are working at the store that will open seven days a week.
Mr Gunn said the customer response during the first few opening days had been promising.
"If it proves to be sustainable long term that would be wonderful, but I suppose it is just a response to the immediate crisis and what the life expectancy of it is remains to be seen," he said.
"I would like to think it will become a sustainable business over the next period of time.
"People love the convenience of driving right up to the door. Other people walk with their dogs. It has a nice community feel about it at this early stage."
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Rochelle Kirkham
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
