• Melbourne’s food vendors are “beyond consolable” due to the state’s latest COVID-19 lockdown, said Grazeland director John Forman.
• Like thousands of restaurants and cafes across the city, the new food precinct is open for takeaway over the weekend.
• But Forman expressed fears for venues, livelihoods, and even Melbourne’s international brand through the two-week shutdown.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

Melbourne foodies were meant to gather near the banks of the Yarra River on Friday night, huddling around baskets of Nashville fried chicken, or watching bowls of piping-hot pho steam into the winter air.

Victoria’s fourth pandemic lockdown changed those plans for Grazeland, a new open-air food precinct in the city’s west.

The site is open for takeaway, allowing diners to take their pierogi and souffle pancakes into the night.

Even so, vendors are “beyond consolable,” Grazeland director John Forman told Business Insider Australia, “with many concerned how they can get through this current lockdown.”

Like thousands of restaurants, cafes, and food halls across the city, Grazeland is now subject to government restrictions designed to slow the spread of Victoria’s newest COVID-19 outbreak.

As a result, Melbourne businesses are barred from serving patrons on-site until midnight next Thursday. That includes the largely open-air Grazeland, which was poised to become a new gathering place for Melburnians after an isolated 2020.

“We thought, like many, that the worst of the pandemic had passed,” Forman said, pointing to the state’s bolstered contact tracing abilities and lessons learned from prior outbreaks.

“We were in shock and extremely disappointed that Victoria was yet again going into lockdown for the fourth time.”

Jobs and prosperity on the line

The State Government has pledged more than $450 million to support businesses impacted by the closures, and has offered grants of up to $7,000 for Melbourne businesses with eligible liquor licence and food certificates.

Canberra has also offered payments of up to $500 a week for workers impacted by the industry closures.

“Any support is welcomed and needed urgently,” Forman said. But the funding packages “should have been announced quicker and should be broader and more comprehensive.”

That sentiment is shared by Restaurant and Catering Australia (R&CA), a peak hospitality industry organisation, which yesterday said each week of lockdowns costs the Victorian sector $90 million in lost trade.

“Grants of just a few thousand dollars just won’t cut it this time, not with federal JobKeeper gone and tenant protections having just expired,” said R&CA CEO Wes Lambert.

While Lambert recognised the lockdown follows expert health advice, it is expected the latest closure will finally drive some smaller players into the ground.

“This current lockdown will close many businesses and effect jobs and prosperity,” Forman said.

A city’s culture in the balance

The lockdown’s is not just financial, but cultural, Forman said.

Melbourne’s global brand is one of laneway bars and warm hideaways, and the City of Melbourne even hoped to revive its nightlife economy with a series of CBD activations and giveaways.

It’s fair to say that Grazeland formed part of that recovery, with reviewers calling the food precinct a next-best alternative to culinary journeys overseas — which are at least a year away from reality.

“[The] Melbourne brand has been damaged and it will take some time for confidence in the industry to return,” Forman said.

Yet some hope remains. Grazeland will open for takeaway between 5pm to 9pm on Friday and Saturday, and 4pm to 8pm on Sunday, offering hungry punters within a 10 kilometre radius the chance to back a strong group of Melbourne eateries.

“We hope our community will embrace the offering and support our small business vendors,” Forman added.

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