Innovation in every bite: the investment driving Melbourne’s food scene

When Chin Chin opened its doors in Melbourne in 2011, it quickly became one of the city’s hottest venues. Patrons queued every night of the week to enjoy its South-East Asian-inspired dishes and vibrant atmosphere, and in 2017 it opened an establishment in Sydney. The iconic restaurants remain as popular as ever.

“Chin Chin was the original disruptor. It changed the rhythm and feel of dining in Australia.”
– Chris Lucas, founder of Lucas Restaurants.

‘Chaos in the best way’

Lucas set up his eponymous business after seeing a gap in the local market for high-energy, design-led venues that fused world-class food with atmosphere and edge. Chin Chin has won major industry awards, including a Good Food hat and Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence but Lucas remembers the grind of its early days fondly.

“It was chaos in the best way. No bookings, queues out the door… It flipped the model on its head. That first year taught us everything: hustle, resilience, and how to build something people didn’t just visit but felt part of.”

Today, Lucas Restaurants has 25 brands across 14 venues in Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney and Canberra and employs 1,500 people. The group is looking to significantly increase the size of its hospitality empire over the next five years.

“We’re expanding across both Melbourne and Sydney, with Grill Americano Sydney opening later this year at Qantas House. We’re also exploring international opportunities. But growth for us has never been about volume. It’s about cultural impact. Every venue must elevate the standard and shift the conversation,” says Lucas.

“Growth for us has never been about volume. It’s about cultural impact. Every venue must elevate the standard and shift the conversation.”
– Chris Lucas, founder of Lucas Restaurants.

Evolution is key to success

Lucas understands that continuously evolving is essential to maintaining growth. He believes resting on one’s laurels can result in the loss of market share. This is especially true in a city like Melbourne, which he describes as the “most diverse, sophisticated and democratic food city in the world”.

“If you don’t evolve, you fall behind,” he adds. “Expectations have never been higher. People want more than just food. They want spectacle and emotion. Strategic investment helps build spaces that deliver that. Innovation, whether it’s technology, guest experience or bold new concepts, keeps the scene alive and moving forward.”

“Expectations have never been higher. People want more than just food. They want spectacle and emotion. Strategic investment helps build spaces that deliver that. Innovation, whether it’s technology, guest experience or bold new concepts, keeps the scene alive and moving forward.”
– Chris Lucas, founder of Lucas Restaurants.

To many, Lucas Restaurants has helped to raise the bar across design, scale, energy and food culture in Melbourne. Its own success has underpinned Melbourne’s emergence as a leader in the nation’s culinary scene.

“Melbourne has always punched above its weight but over the past decade it has gone truly global,” says Lucas.

“We’ve shifted from neighbourhood favourites to destination dining. From laneway bars to precinct-defining venues that rival the best in the world. We proved that you can be high volume and still deliver extraordinary quality.”

Industry knowledge to support growth in hospitality

The growth of Australia's hospitality industry is a key focus for CommBank with specialised hospitality bankers supporting the ambitions of operators like Chris Lucas.

“The hospitality sector employs close to 1 million workers and is an integral part of the social fabric and economy of Australia. The sector is seeing a strong rebound this year, driven by a resurgence in tourism, lower inflation and interest rates and renewed investor confidence,” 
– Avin Luther, Head of Industrials and Agriculture, Institutional Banking, CommBank.

Continued growth in Melbourne’s hospitality sector promises significant economic benefits for the CBD and metropolitan areas, stimulating job creation across ancillary industries such as food production, packaging, cold storage, and retail. As an industry, hospitality is the seventh-largest employer in Australia, with almost 962,000 workers, while Victoria’s food and beverage manufacturing sector employs more than 77,000 people and the state accounts for a quarter of Australia’s food and fibre exports.

CommBank is also a sponsor of many of Melbourne’s key sporting, fashion and culture events – of which food and beverage is an integral part. Its specialised bankers have a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges the hospitality sector faces, which makes for a productive partnership with its clients.

“When we meet with our customers, they want to know that their banker is across any issues impacting the supply chains for food and beverages, whether its floods impacting vegetable production, or global coffee price volatility. They want us to be deeply embedded into that business community, so they don’t feel they’re having to educate somebody who’s perhaps a good banker but does not understand their sector, specifically,” says Luther.

“For example, we know that the industry has high overheads and that continuing to reinvest in venues is really important. You can't just build a venue and it’ll be fine for 10 years: you need to keep updating it to make it appealing to your target market.”

Lucas Restaurants has embraced sustained innovation, with a stream of new ventures keeping patrons coming back for more and pop-ups of its famed establishments across Australia.

“There’s a reason why there’s constantly a line and a booking process to get into their restaurants,” says Craig McQuillen, General Manager, Major Client Group, CommBank.

“The wine lists and the quality of the food is spectacular, but it’s also because they're always doing something new, which keeps them front of mind. Just when you get used to the Grill Americano, for example, then Maison Bâtard opens up and it’s a new venue for people to go and enjoy and talk to their friends about.”

Five years from now Melbourne will double down on originality and create experiences that aren’t borrowed from abroad. Dining will become even more integrated with art, fashion and technology. It will be about memory-making, not just meals. And Lucas Restaurants will be right at the centre of it.”
– Chris Lucas, founder of Lucas Restaurants.

Five years from now, Lucas sees Melbourne’s food and dining scene as being even more creative and sophisticated.

“It will be more layered, more global and even more guest focused,” he says. “Melbourne will double down on originality and create experiences that aren’t borrowed from abroad. Dining will become even more integrated with art, fashion and technology. It will be about memory-making, not just meals. And Lucas Restaurants will be right at the centre of it.”