Morris Moor, a buzzy new precinct in Moorabbin, is bringing Melbourne’s foodie culture to the suburbs with some of the city’s biggest hospitality businesses taking up space in the $100-million mixed-use development from Up Property. Cult burger chain Royal Stacks and pastry supplier Penny for Pound are among the old tobacco factory’s newest tenants, which also include leading brewpub Stomping Ground, iconic furniture retailers Schots Home Emporium and Satara, and co-working and co-wa
-warehousing space Clik Collective.
Located about 15km southeast of Melbourne’s CBD, Morris Moor is well placed to tap into the growing demand for city-style dining, shopping and working options in the suburbs, as offices continue to embrace telecommuting beyond Covid-19 lockdowns.
According to mobile device data analysed by Roy Morgan and UberMedia, movement in Melbourne’s CBD in March 2021 was just 39 per cent of pre-Covid-19 levels in January and February 2020, and the two-week lockdown in May likely caused a further setback in the figures.
The suburbs in contrast are booming.
“Moorabbin has long been a mecca of industry, bursting with businesses of all sizes and industries in a large industrial precinct, as well as a residential market undergoing substantial growth and transition,” Adam Davidson, Up Property’s managing director, told Inside Retail.
“Morris Moor’s location is on the dividing boundary of these two precincts, which naturally lends itself well to fill the gap in a demand for greater amenity from the surrounding community in which the property sits, but also the substantial surrounding commercial and industrial workforce.”
Get people off the couch and into stores
For Royal Stacks, the suburban location of Morris Moor stands in sharp contrast to the mostly inner-city locations of its other restaurants. Founded in Melbourne in 2016, the US-style burger chain has a total of six stores: four in the CBD, one at Chadstone and one opening soon at Morris Moor.
“It will be a great satellite to our CBD store and a hub for locals”, Dani Zeini, Royal Stacks’ founder, told Inside Retail.
In terms of design, the Moorabbin restaurant’s nostalgic nod to the 90s aims to transport customers to another time when they walk through the door.
“I think we’re trying to be a little more theatrical in our stores … to entice people to get off the couch and provide a little escapism,” Zeini said.
“We’ve also been more active in our specials and it has made us rethink our brand guidelines.”
Royal Stacks recently secured Chad Mann, who has worked on projects with Nike and the AFL among other brands, as its creative director. This has given the burger business a “real shot of confidence and some direction”, Zeini said.
“We have really focused on our kings and queens that support us and we try to live the ‘Eat Royally’ motto.”
When it opens, the Moorabbin store will also feature a podcast booth, where Zeini envisions podcasters performing in front of live audiences with cameras, enabling them to simultaneously create YouTube videos.
“The engineering was done by Cam Trewin who put a lot of energy into creating a podcaster’s dream,” he said.
“We’ve also been working with Coca Cola to provide an exclusive interactive dispenser that will be an Australian first.”
Focus on local expansion
While Zeini was once enthusiastic about the possibility of taking Royal Stacks overseas, he is now focused on local expansion.
“For me, I think home is where it’s at right now. The skill set to form a multinational company is different, and I’ve developed a new appreciation for those who can do this,” he said.
The fact that Covid cut his discussions in China short was a blessing in disguise, he said.
“I need to be hands-on and I feel a little empty when I’m not able to connect with people in my venues. The office/boardroom meeting vibe is definitely not for me.”