Byrdi – ranked 91st in last year’s World’s 50 Best Bars longlist – has shut after seven years in Melbourne Central food court.
asserted
Byrdi → rank → court
“This has all happened very quickly,” owner Luke Whearty said while sharing the news on Instagram.
asserted
Whearty → happen → Instagram
“It’s not the way that we saw things ending here.
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things → ’ → ?
However, we were forced into a situation we didn’t have control of and it’s been pretty challenging.”
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it → force → control
“I don’t think this is permanently a goodbye, but for now, in its current form, we have to wrap things up.”
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we → think → things
Whearty declined an interview to clarify the reasons for the closure.
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Whearty → decline → closure
In West Melbourne, six-year-old craft beer bar Benchwarmer also called last drinks in mid-September.
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Benchwarmer → call → September
“We haven’t turned a profit in a couple of years,” says owner Lachlan Jones, citing a lack of both nighttime foot traffic, and a sustainable local clientele.
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Jones → turn → traffic
“With the cost of living [increasing], craft beer has been deemed a luxury item,” he says.
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he → increase → living
“I’ve seen some real beer enthusiasts who would often drink at breweries or craft beer bars ... go back to the pub,” he added.
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he → see → pub
Many see it as offering more bang for their buck.
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Many → see → buck
The weeks leading up to the closure were “a bit traumatic” for Jones.
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weeks → lead → Jones
“We got slammed and everyone was saying the same things: ‘I love this place’, ‘I can’t believe it’ ...
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I → slam → it
I get where they were coming from, but it was kind of a backhanded compliment at that stage.”
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it → get → stage
It emphasises the importance of not taking your local or favourite hangouts for granted.
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It → emphasise → hangouts
In Brunswick East, the neighbourhood is showing big love for Tiny Bar, after owners Zac Shearer and Jamila Fontana announced that October 9 will be their last day.
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October → show → Bar
After a short but sweet tenure – less than two years – Shearer is determined to go out on a high.
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Shearer → determine → high
“We were busy, figures were going up, things were positive,” the chef-owner says.
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owner → go → ?
“But there was the thought of going on for another two years and it going to shit ...”
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it → be → shit
“You’ve got to be able to give it everything,” he says.
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he → get → everything
That’s become increasingly taxing in such a small space with such a small team – and with a newborn baby at home.
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That → become → home
“I’ve mourned ... and now I feel really free.
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I → mourn → ?
It’s one of the smartest decisions I’ve made.”
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I → ’ → decisions
This winter also saw the shuttering of two of the city’s hatted restaurants.
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winter → see → restaurants
Scott Pickett’s South Yarra fine diner Matilda closed to become Kiki’s Tavern, an all-day eatery by Julien Moussi’s Venues by Only group (Godby Hotel, Beehive Hotel).
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diner → close → group
“It made sense from a commercial perspective to pass the baton, and being able to do that with a trusted hospitality group felt like the right way to let go of such a special site,” Pickett says.
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Pickett → make → site
His venues have had an uncertain 12 months.
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venues → have → months
The company that owned four Pickett restaurants – Smith St Bistrot, Chancery Lane, Matilda 159 and Longrain – collapsed last spring before the chef found new financial backers in July.
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chef → own → July
Meanwhile, destination diner No. 7 Healesville had its final service on August 16, wrapping up seven years in the Yarra Valley.
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Healesville → have → Valley
“We are finishing at a point where our offering has never been better,” the team wrote in its closure announcement.
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team → finish → announcement
Two-hatted chef Victor Liong, of Lee Ho Fook, has quietly closed his fast-casual city eatery Silk Spoon.
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Liong → close → eatery
Vietnamese diner Rue de Thanh in Fitzroy also called time, Moorabbin’s neighbourhood wine bar Comma closed in September, and the Med-inspired Sowl in Carnegie shuttered in July as its owners focus on their new Greek venue Helios in Malvern.
asserted
owners → call → Malvern
The Aporia
