6 minute read
F & B EVENTS: MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE MEAL
More than your average meal
Food-and-drink paired menu events are taking centre stage as consumers become more discerning with their venue visits.
- By Adam Carswell and Molly Nicholas.
PUBLICANS ARE fighting harder than ever to get customers through the door, as household budgets face the pressures of increasing inflation rates. With the end of the post-COVID economic boost, pubgoers in many neighbourhoods are slowing down their on-premise consumption habits, albeit begrudgingly.
While consumers are becoming more conscious of their spending, people can still be enticed to treat themselves if the proposition is right.
Special events are playing a big part in the push for dining out, with foodand-drink paired events particularly coming to the fore.
Dining trends
A recent survey conducted by reservation platform SevenRooms found that more than one third of Australians now categorise themselves as ‘special occasion’ diners, while 68 percent agree that as a result of cost-of-living pressures, they’re focusing more on the quality, rather than the quantity, of their dining experiences.
“We’ve known for some time that consumers are demanding more personalised experiences when dining out at restaurants,” said Paul Hadida, general manager APAC at SevenRooms.
“The experiential economy is currently undergoing a second coming where businesses who are designing engaging experiences are winning on the current competitive battleground for consumers’ attention and money.”
“Economic pressures are making consumers more cautious about their spending, so they’re expecting more from venues when they do dine out. They’re there for more than a meal, they’re there for the experience.”
Pino’s Vino e Cucina in the Sydney suburb of Alexandria is a case in point, having held several ‘Take Me Back to Italy’ events during COVID, where guests embarked on “a food and wine journey across the regions of Italy that are close to our hearts, recreating childhood dishes and bringing authentic Italian flavours to life”.
Food and drink is no longer the only thing Aussies are looking for –it’s one aspect of a much broader focus on the entire experience.
Responding to the survey’s findings, the venue’s owner Matteo Margiotta agreed that consumer habits and expectations have changed significantly in recent years.
“Food and drink is no longer the only thing Aussies are looking for – it’s one aspect of a much broader focus on the entire experience,” he said.
“We know the economic pressures so many of our customers are facing, but they’re still willing to pay for experiences that stand out. Ensuring we provide these unique experiences, and reward their loyalty, is our biggest focus.”
Melbourne’s perfect pairings
Omnia Bistro and Bar in Melbourne has also been among those venues to showcase the power of pairing a uniquely tailored food menu with a selection of fine wines. The Black Truffles & Bannockburn event, which was hosted by Angus Pollard, invited 60 guests to enjoy their exclusive five-course tasting menu.
Pollard guided guests through a handpicked selection of his family-grown wines, which had been perfectly paired with a full truffle menu. The exciting collaboration of two well-established brands, and fusion of high-quality produce, offered guests a personalised experience that set them apart from competitors.
Stephen Nairn, CEO and Culinary Director at LK Hospitality, said that the event was organised simply to celebrate their love of truffles: “Black diamonds are a real treat for chefs to use with varying seasonal produce across multiple dishes. So, each season, we like to celebrate with a dinner, where we dedicate the full menu to the masterpiece that truffles are.”
“Omnia always tries to showcase Victorian producers, whether it’s a farmer, grower or winemaker. Bannockburn Wines are family-owned and run vineyards and some of the earliest in the Geelong wine region of Victoria”, Nairn added.
As well as offering regular customers a special reason to return, the collaboration also engaged a number of new customers. The event was a great success and highlighted the importance of collaborating with other operators in raising brand awareness and giving the venue a competitive edge.
In late May, Melbourne Good Beer Week hosted a series of new brewery/tap room food-and-beer matching events, with an unusual range of pairings taking place. Publicans can take inspiration from the brewers, who used their expert knowledge of flavour and ingredients to devise menus that were perfectly matched to their beers.
Moon Dog, for example, combined a slew of barrel aged beers, including its Cognac Barrel Aged Belgian Tripel with vol au vent smoked chicken, blue cheese, pear and walnuts, as well as its Barrel Aged Wild Imperial Stout paired with confit duck leg, pumpkin puree, charred cabbage and spiced raspberry jus.
Dessert featured their Spiced Rum Barrel Aged Smokey Stout with white chocolate pot de crème, poached rhubarb and brown sugar shortbread crumb.
Deep dive with Deeds
Meanwhile, Deeds Brewing took the plunge during Good Beer Week with Carlton wine bar and restaurant Henry Sugar, elevating the experience by handing over their own brewing ingredients to Henry’s kitchen team.
Bec Campbell, Deeds’ Victorian sales rep and one of the brains behind the event, explains.
“Myself and Gav [venue manager] from Henry Sugar thought we’d start at the brewery and figure out which ingredients we could use,” she said.
“We did a very in-depth, technical brewery tour and [Henry Sugar’s] chefs tasted all the beers. They asked technical questions of how they could incorporate them into their cooking, and ended up using a lot of ingredients from the brewing process in the kitchen, [such as] the wort, and pre-fermented and postfermented beer.”
“Then they decided that they wanted to make [the menu] vegetarian and make it all about the processes.”
The event’s menu included five courses: two starters plus sourdough bread (featuring wort butter), two mains, a dessert, and some beer gummies to finish.
“It was a small group, plus myself and Gav. We had shared tables of different groups, so we could go to each and have question time,” stated Campbell.
“We had a black lager, an IPA, a mixed culture beer, a barrel aged stout… so quite a large amount of products to choose from, which meant the chefs could be as interesting as they wanted. There’s always going to be some sort of different beer that will fit in with [anything].”
In terms of promoting the event, Campbell said the dinner used both theirs and Henry Sugar’s Instagram and Facebook accounts to get the word out, as well as the extra help from Good Beer Week’s socials.
“The chefs absolutely loved it. They had an absolute blast just building the menu out. They love doing that sort of thing,” she said.
“Personally I love doing these sorts of events, because it gives you a chance to be really creative in your beer selections and food, and then explain the whole backstory.”
“It’s about picking out an alcohol brand that you trust, and that you can really throw ideas around with. Someone that fits within your style of food making that has a big enough range of products so it can be really diverse,” Campbell advised.
As consumer needs continue to evolve, Australians are turning to restaurants and pubs alike for unique dining experiences. Competition is growing, as are the economic pressures facing many consumers today. Despite all of this, the desire for a more personalised experience isn’t going away.
Showcasing your most premium dining options with wellpaired wine offerings, or perhaps a classic combination of a margarita and nachos, could go a long way in appealing to new consumer habits.
