In a bid to bring back Melbourne’s hospitality scene sooner rather than later, the City of Melbourne has announced a new initiative that could see CBD restaurants, diners and cafes open as early as late October.
The initiative has been labelled Inside Out, where the city will do exactly that. It’s proposed that several laneways in the CBD will close to cars on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights to allow for increased capacity for outdoor dining.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp is leading the way with Inside Out, and looking for more ways to rejuvenate Melbourne as quickly as possible while staying in line with Government health advice. Several options are being looked at, such as increasing retail trading hours to align with the extended hospitality trading, as well as employing buskers to entertain diners.
“Our small businesses have been the hardest hit in the whole of Australia. We are determined to make trading easier for them while we navigate this unique set of circumstances,” the Lord Mayor said.
The hugely popular Melbourne Money, which saw diners have up to $100 of their bill reimbursed by the City of Melbourne, is also returning, this time with a midweek spin.
It's been dubbed Midweek Melbourne Money, where between Monday and Thursday, diners will this time be able to claim 30% from any bill that comes to a total of $50 to $500—which means you'll be able to score up to $150 back.
There's a total of $5 million in the pool for this round, which will likely be snapped up damn quick. Like last time, it's a first in, best dressed situation. It kicks off Monday 15 November and again, like last time, you'll need to submit your receipts to the City of Melbourne.
For more details, head to City of Melbourne.
In the meantime, keep up with Melbourne’s current restrictions here.
Image credit: Jake Roden | Visit Vic