On 6 April, Merivale announced the launch of its new food delivery program, Merivale at Home. Since then, the group has seen a great response within Sydney for its set menu offering.
Merivale at Home is the group’s new at-home dining service which includes meal, drink and produce boxes from some of the group’s flagship venues. CEO Justin Hemmes said the program was actually in the planning stages before the shutdown, but had been sped up in response to the new trading environment.
“Merivale At Home has been in the works for a while now, but we haven’t had the time to bring it to life. Now, with our regular operations on hold due to government restrictions, and our chefs and drinks talent craving new creative outlets, we have been able to fast-track the launch and deliver it at a time when our guests need it most. We’re thrilled that we can keep being a part of their lives and bring the best of Merivale to their homes.”
The Merivale at Home range includes set menu meals for two ranging from $75-90, as well as complementary drink pairings, and produce boxes of fruit and vegetables, meat or seafood from Merivale’s supplier partners.
Frank Roberts, Merivale’s chief food and beverage officer, told Australian Hotelier that the uptake of the program by Sydneysiders has been incredible.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with the response! It has been really tough not being able to welcome guests in venue right, now so we’re thrilled that people have welcomed us into their homes. We’re particularly delighted that so many of our guests are ordering the produce boxes in support of our suppliers too.”
Unlike many other venues pivoting to delivery of their menu a la carte, Merivale has chosen to curate set menus from a few of their flagship venues, to recreate the in-venue dining experience.
“We would like to give our guests the opportunity to re-create the whole experience at home. There is some planning and work required for the at-home cook, but we really want it to feel like a true slice of the restaurant at your dining table. We see this as a very different offering to takeaway or home-delivered food from a restaurant, so the menu needed to be advised in advance and created with this full experience in mind,” explained Roberts.
Currently, set menus are available from Mr Wong, Totti’s, Fred’s, Bert’s Bar and Brasserie, and Vinnie’s Pizza. Roberts said that as the program goes on, the menus will likely change, and tap into the offerings of other venues within the group.
“It is likely we will tap into different restaurants over time as we evolve the menus – everyone agrees Felix will be a great winter choice and Ms G’s has some great favourites to think about. We put a lot of thought into the impact of traveling, minimising packaging and how easily the food could be finished at home.”
Roberts and the group’s head chefs are currently planning the menus for May and June.