Andrew McConnell to bring Supernormal to Australian Open

Melbourne restaurant Supernormal is set to make an appearance at the Australian Open for the first time, joining other top names such as Stokehouse, Nomad, Rockpool, Maha and Penfolds. 

The move is part of Tennis Australia’s plan to dial up the mega sporting event’s culinary offering to get more fans to attend. 

“We have really tried to dial up our food and drink offering to be really cutting-edge and on trend, so having fan favourites as well as new and emerging talents,” Fern Barrett, head of product growth and innovation at Tennis Australia, told The Age. 

“Average spend is up year-on-year as people are wanting to try different food and drink experiences across the site.” 

Next year’s Australian Open is expected to see a return to pre-pandemic attendance levels, with a renewed focus on delivering premium experiences.  

“We are seeing a really strong sales conversion on our premium experiences – being all of our restaurants like Supernormal and Nomad at the atrium – they have record sales,” Barrett said. 

Chef Andrew McConnell will tailor the Supernormal menu with the restaurant’s iconic lobster rolls among the options at the new Melbourne Park venue. 

“For us, it was a great opportunity to bring what we do at Supernormal to so many Melburnians but also so many interstate and international travellers,” he told The Age. 

“It’s not just about coming and watching sport now but introducing a lot of different restaurants and experiences in and around the tennis. 

“There’s a great opportunity to really come and spend the whole day actually at the tennis.” 

AHD - 13-10-22