Eve Jeffery
Many venues across the nation are breathing a huge sigh of relief as restrictions have eased enough for them to, at the very least, get the wheels back in motion for businesses that have been closed for weeks.
Stone & Wood Brewing Co has created a whole new concept to set up the ‘Welcome Back’ option.
From the brewery’s Community Team, Lizzy Keen says closing had a huge impact on them. ‘We effectively lost 50 per cent of our revenue, with no certain idea of when venues would reopen.’
Lizzy said that within the period of increased isolation and physical distancing, however, came a spike in online shopping – including beer purchases. ‘Our brewers and production team have certainly had their work cut out for them over the last few weeks meeting this demand!’
Since they closed the doors to their Tasting Room they’ve operated their takeaway window seven days a week 12–5pm.
The crew at the brewery kept a close eye on government developments, so the first stage of the ‘Road Map to a COVIDSafe Australia’ was a welcome one, and the idea of ‘Welcome Back’ was born.
‘While there are certain challenges in only opening for 10 people at a time, we’ve been thrilled to welcome people back into the Tasting Room and provide a space to enjoy a beer.’
Lizzy says that the best thing about visiting the Tasting Room in such a small group is the spaciousness and the longer conversations you can enjoy with our crew – it’s a great opportunity to learn more about beer.
Taking cleanliness and physical distancing very seriously, the space is thoroughly cleaned and sanitised during, and between, every Welcome Back session. Any additional purchases are card only, and the session is strictly table service. ‘Our team are specially trained, and the space is set up to avoid all unnecessary contact.’
It’s been a considerable time since venues have been open. Something as normal as enjoying a beer or a meal out with friends has become quite novel. ‘Many people haven’t seen their close ones in person for weeks. We think meeting up for a fresh, locally brewed beer and a meal is a great way to return to our “normal” way of life, even if it does look a little different in the beginning’.
The Welcome Back sessions menu is a relaxed barbecue of Trevor Meade pork and fennel sausage, served with potato salad and a Bread Social milk bun, there is also a great vegan option served with a vegan sausage.
‘Keeping our crew onboard during COVID was a huge priority for us, and we’re proud to have been able to keep all our local full-time and part-time staff on’, says Lizzy. ‘Meanwhile, JobKeeper enabled our eligible casual staff to remain employed and work across a variety of roles as we adapted to these uncertain times.
‘We look forward to re-engaging all our awesome casual team members as business rebuilds in pubs and clubs around Australia, and we gradually open up further in line with government guidelines.’
Bookings can be made for groups of 1–10 people. ‘Whether you’re riding solo, in a pair, or in a group of 10 we look forward to hosting you.’
To find out more, or make a booking, visit: www.stoneandwood.com.au.
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