We recently headed down to the launch of Melbourne hospo co-working space Worksmith to get a taste of the future.
Portraits: Jake Roden
Last month, Worksmith – a hospitality focused co-working space – opened its doors in Collingwood. We headed along to the launch and took the opportunity to quiz some of Australia’s most-respected hospitality pros on the industry’s next big trends.
Co-founder of Worksmith, and co-owner and manager at Bar Liberty
“There will be growth in niche venues and speciality food outlets – just look at the success of Lune Croissanterie. Chefs will become more focused on one offering and do it very well, rather than trying to push out a larger mediocre offering.”
Creator of Marionette Liqueurs
“Definitely sustainability. We'll see a move towards close gap production, more consumer education around waste and the removal of straws!" (right)
Australian food and wine writer
"There will be a lot more collaboration and sharing across the industry because it's becoming more challenging and expensive for businesses to cut through. Just looking at what Worksmith is doing."
Chief wine officer at the Wine Gallery
“We’ll see greater connectivity between makers and consumers and less reliance on the middle people, like wholesalers. People are getting more concerned about the origins of their food and drink, and developing technology will allow greater transparency in this area.”
Head chef at Grub Food Van and founder of The Social Food Project
“Technology will improve many of the supply chains across the industry, which will mean there will be more direct relationships between producers and consumers. An example of this is CSA [community supported agriculture] models where consumers can engage a producer and subscribe to a proportion of their harvest.”
Worksmith is located at 450 Smith Street Collingwood and is currently taking registrations of interest for memberships via its website.
