When Peter Gilmore starts doing home delivery lasagne, and bars are sending out cocktails in vacuum sealed baggies, you know it’s a brave new world out there. Us Sydneysiders love our food, and our drinks, and we’ve loved having a chance to still enjoy them while sealed inside.
And now, with the gates slowly opening back up, it’s time to show our love for the people behind the scenes that didn’t get to kick back or couldn’t qualify for JobKeeper. And the good news is, we’ve got even more of an excellent excuse to go eat, drink and be merry, at some of our favourite hotspots.
The team at Applejack, who keep us well fed and watered at all time favourites like SoCal, The Butler, Bopp & Tone and The Botanist are reopening their doors but in a way that lets us put money in the hands of some well deserve hospo staff.
Starting off with the reopening of Neutral Bay’s SoCal on June 22nd, Applejack will be serving food on the house for the first few days back in business. That’s right. Now, this isn’t really about free food for you – the restaurant is covering the cost of food so that you can choose what you’d like to pay, knowing that the entire proceeds will be going straight to the staff who lost their income and didn’t get JobKeeper payments. That’s right, every cent will be shared out equally to the staff in their ‘Food Sales For Staff’ program. So, go hungry, go with your pockets full (aka bring your credit card) and your mood generous.
What to expect? From Monday June 22nd – Wednesday June 24th, SoCal will be pumping out Guac and Black Corn chips, plating up their famous tacos, and satisfying sweet tooths with dulce de leche Churros, transforming into a buzzing Taqueria for a hot minute to high five staff. Drinks aren’t on the house, just the food, but don’t forget to give your Taco Tip for the staff when you’re finished.
AppleJack’s other venues will stagger reopenings – The Butler will start back on July 6 with an on the house Ibero-American banquet, followed by The Botanist kicking things off on July 13 with a ‘family feast on the house’. The same deal applies, with the first few days dedicated to pay-as-you-want for food. Keep an eye on websites and socials for more pay-as-you-like openings, lunch specials and details about the group’s new CV-19 policy.
