Chris Lucas to revitalise Bourke Street’s commercial restaurant scene

Melbourne restaurant king Chris Lucas, the man behind Asian fusion eateries like Chin Chin and Kisume on Flinders Lane, has been given the green light to help revitalise CBD office towers.

Lucas has already brought successful restaurant offerings to buildings including 80 Collins Street and 101 Collins Street and will now open a Chinese restaurant and a Mediterranean venue beneath the 60,000 square metre tower that is currently under construction at 435 Bourke Street.

Backing Lucas is Cbus Property which has previously collaborated with him on the design of the hospitality precinct below its $1 billion Bourke Street skyscraper.

“My condition to participating was to be involved [early on] in the design process and to have a seat at the table when conceptualising this development, and they got that,” Lucas told The Australian Financial Review of his two-year collaboration with Cbus.

“You have to work with like-minded developers who share the same vision, which Cbus Property did.”

Lucas believes that well-run outlets and great dining options are vital for long-term tenancies, landlords and investors.

“At 80 Collins Street and 101 Collins Street, the feedback from the tenant community is that they can’t imagine coming to the building if it did not have the great restaurant amenity.

“The proof is in the pudding. More workers want to go to these types of buildings.”

Lucas said the Docklands was a great example of a very poorly executed amenity, with poor design and no sense of community, which is why there were high vacancy rates.

“We’re trying to avoid those mistakes [at 435 Bourke Street]. This project is a big game changer for the midtown [western end] of Melbourne,” Lucas told the AFR.

“Architecturally, it’s a quite stunning, beautiful buildings, which is not always the case [with office towers]. They’ve done a great job.”

The 48-level Bourke St building is due to be completed by 2026 and thus far is only 30 per cent pre-committed, with the Commonwealth Bank and law firm Baker Mackenzie taking space.

Cbus Property chief Adrian Pozzo hoped the collaboration will reinvigorate midtown.

“Cbus Property and Chris Lucas have taken an incredibly collaborative approach to designing the restaurant fitouts to ensure they are holistically aligned with 435 Bourke Street’s inherent focus on sustainability,” Pozzo said.

Lucas said he would not be repeating the style of his existing restaurants.

“We’re bringing new brands and concepts to a commercial and retail end of town,” he said.

“We have identified gaps in the market for these types of eateries in that part of the city.

“We’ve designed the restaurants so they don’t feel like they are part of the tower, but are freestanding buildings at the base of the tower.

“We’re trying to make the restaurant and cafe feel quite separate from the corporate component. We don’t want it to feel as if you are walking into an office building. This will make it more attractive for people to come visit the site,” he said.

The restaurants are expected to have a “bistro-brasserie level” feel, but will include three private dining rooms to cater for the corporate tenant community upstairs.

Jonathan Jackson, 12^th June 2024