In response to the changing landscape for hospitality businesses, one Canberra burger joint is thinking outside the box when it comes to their offerings.
Kingston Foreshore eatery, Beef & Barley has designed a series of ‘lockdown boxes’, with something for the whole household, available for takeaway.
Owner Lauren Hassall says the team have “tried to think about what people need and we can provide”, and have introduced the boxes to give the community “the fun dining experience they used to come to us for”.
“Good food – of course – but more so for a cute date, to entertain the kids, or the opportunity to celebrate with the people they love,” she says.
Options include a box for couples both working from home in need of a date night, a kids’ burger bar box for little chefs to DIY their own dinner, and a date box for those who can’t see their date in person, with one box for you and one box to deliver to your date and enjoy together over a video call.
“The couples’ box and the kids-burger-bar box have been the most popular,” Lauren says.
“We’ve even had a couple of local businesses buy bulk boxes as gifts for their remote workers – how cool!”
She says the couples’ box was initially designed for a friend who had to cancel their wedding and “needed something nice to do on their ‘not-wedding day’”.
“Then we also did this box for our friends who have had a baby. Usually I’d try to bring food for the new parents and have a celebration bubbly, but it isn’t the right time to visit – so we sent them one of these boxes instead!”
She said the Beef & Barley team are “stoked” with how the community is making an effort to support local hospitality venues.
“All of us in this industry have been scrambling to reinvent ourselves, pivot to the community, and create the infrastructure to support this change,” she says.
“It sounds silly but commenting on socials and sharing posts is a great way to show support – we miss getting to chit chat to customers so please engage and stay in touch!”
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