HWKR INTERVIEW
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TEAMS HAVE OPEN MINDED TEAMS
UPDATE: SADLY, THE HWKR FOOD CENTRE CLOSED DOWN IN SEPTEMBER 2019. DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU FROM READING AN INTERESTING INSIGHT INTO A UNIQUE BUSINESS MODEL THOUGH!
If you're anything like us here at Hermetic, you love food - like love love - and in a city like Melbourne, you're spoilt for choice. But once in a while, the stars align and the universe opens up a seat at the banquet table that you could have never imagined. Enter HWKR, a dynamic hawker centre at the base of Eq. Tower in Melbourne's CBD spearheaded by ICD Property.
Amongst the illustrious tapestry that is Melbourne's culinary fare, HWKR's seat at the banquet is like no other. Home to interchanging vendors, artificial intelligence computer ordering, and "friction free" food; HWKR is the eatery of the future. A forward-thinking venture, HWKR has even engaged in collaborations with MasterChef and Subtle Asian Traits to name a few.
We recently sat down with Simone Gervasi and Vivienne Ngau from ICD Property to discuss our favourite topics - food and stories - and how HWKR helps brands to forge their legacies.
HOW DID HWKR COME ABOUT?
ICD Property came up with the concept of doing something innovative on the ground floor of Eq. Tower. Our team came up with the idea, helped to brand it, picked tenants, and essentially managed the whole construction to what you see now.
At ICD, innovation drives our decision-making process. With respect to Eq. Tower, it was known for having a huge amount of amenities for its residents. Rather giving the space to another operator, or separating it into nail salons or supermarkets or other similar outlets, we thought it would be cool to create something innovative and add another amenity to the residents - something we could be really proud of. At the time, we recognised the whole concept of start-ups and incubators, but noticed that there was a gap in the market when it came to hospitality.
So we came up with this concept of having four rotating kitchens that allowed: for chefs to come in and change the cooklines as they wished, for new brands to test out new concepts, for interstate brands to test Melbourne, for MasterChef contestants, or even collaborations - we wanted to provide a space for people to have the freedom to test their craft without the restrictions of the lack of capital.
In the beginning, we faced some difficulty in getting consumers to understand the HWKR concept but once they did, it really took off.
"For us at ICD, legacy and story are very important. Having a backstory is what really defines your brand and that's the way that people remember you"
WHY WAS THE HAWKER CENTRE MODEL CHOSEN?
For us, we recognised that there is a strong Asian demographic, for this market and this area - particularly a lot of young students. We did a survey of all our buyers within Eq. Tower to understand what they wanted for this space. Around 90% of the responses requested Southeast Asian food. The decision was very market driven.
We've made sure we're not just an incubator space for kitchens, but to provide for other brands too. For example, we work with Silver Chef who lease kitchen equipment and for them, HWKR’s concept was a new thing as well.
We also work with Convo, which is an AI chatbot that operates via Facebook Messenger. With it, you can browse menus and also order from your table. They were another innovative business that approached us with an idea they had yet to trial, and HWKR was the space for them to do that.
MasterChef Australia
HOW DOES THIS MODEL HELP START-UPS?
For start-up brands like Pinchy's, Lulu's CKT, and Scoopy Milk Bar, HWKR offers a location, help with branding and menu selection, and the flexibility to change and adapt their menus. We're really here to support them to grow their businesses in any way that they can. Quite a few of them have gone on to have premises outside of HWKR which is really exciting. Former HWKR residents include Diana Chan's Chanteen, which is still going strong; and Sashi Cheliah's Gaja by Sashi is about to open in Adelaide. Pinchy's has now also opened up in Emporium.
HWKR provides a lower barrier to enter into the market than a traditional food centre or other hospitality venture like a permanent restaurant where you have to commit to long-term leases. We provide centre staff, cleaning staff, wait staff, customer service, social media, PR/marketing, and insights into our database. There's a lot of support for those who come in here.
"We've found that the most successful brands that have come through HWKR have been the teams who are open minded and really flexible"
HOW DO YOU HELP BRANDS TELL THEIR STORIES?
For us at ICD, legacy and story are very important. Having a backstory is what really defines your brand and that's the way that people remember you. What we've done from a marketing perspective is to make sure that we've interviewed every single brand that's come here, and lot of them have interesting backstories. For example, Wonderbao's generational family story involves the secret to making fluffy white baos. It's important that we make sure that we tell these stories and use them to promote these brands. All the facets that make each story unique are imbued into the menu items and even the naming of particular dishes. We take the time to invest in these stories and make sure that gets communicated.
It's also important to note that others are still finding their story, so when some brands come to us, they're still quite new. They have a cool concept but they're not really sure what direction to take, so we help them to build their story.
Subtle Asian Traits Trivia Night
HOW DOES HWKR DIFFER TO A TRADITIONAL FOOD COURT?
Currently, we offer tenancies between 3 to 6 months. This allows for a constantly changing menu. Our biggest emphasis is that we provide a frictionless and seamless process. It's easy, you sit down with friends, you don't have to worry about splitting the bill, you order through your phone, and it's cashless.
We're also finding that HWKR is a great location for brand activations and place-making. It's really become a social hub. We've had many events and pop-ups come through and we're making sure it's more than just a place to eat.
With HWKR, you have the convenience of one permanent location where you can constantly try new things.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THOSE LOOKING TO START THEIR CULINARY DREAMS?
For starters, come to HWKR!
As a general list of requirements, you would need:
- A strong business idea
- What do you want your business to be?
- Where do you want your business to go?
- A strong business idea
- To be open and flexible to change
We've found that the most successful brands that have come through HWKR have been the teams who are open minded and really flexible. This includes those who update their menus, update their branding, adjust their social media output, and engage in activations. Those are definitely the brands that have come out stronger at the other end. In essence, these tenants share the same philosophy that we have at HWKR.
WHAT SURPRISES HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE WAY?
It's been really nice to see how much some brands are open to working with each other. Gelato Messina and Wonderbao, who we thought of as two separate brands, came in and began collaborating to create something together. We never anticipated anything like that but it worked out really well.
Also, the quality and calibre of some of the brands that have reached out for collaborations has been interesting. One that comes to mind is Sunnylife, who are one of Australia's largest beach and pool inflatable providers. MasterChef of course is another. One of the most interesting to date thus far has been hosting the first meetup for Subtle Asian Traits, one of the largest Facebook communities and a global meme phenomenon that was actually born right here in Melbourne.
WHAT PREDICTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE OF HWKR?
We’re quite open and flexible here at HWKR so it’s a little hard to predict – nothing’s off the table. Some of the short-term tenancies have been a little challenging and we’ve noticed it has taken maybe a month for consumers to recognise a tenant is in HWKR, and then said tenant will only have 2 months to gain momentum and be really successful. In future, we may explore slightly longer tenancies.
Whatever future lies in store for HWKR, we can only see bright skies and calm waters ahead! With a solid concept, stellar team, and variety of offerings in their arsenal, HWKR is a foodie’s dream and a force to be reckoned with.
Why are you still here? Go! Eat!
Scroll | published under The Octopod Agency.