The growth of food-delivery services like Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Door Dash has been matched by a commensurate spike in dark kitchens. As COVID-19 continues to hamper Brisbane’s dining scene, many operators are opting to keep overheads low by setting up kitchen-only businesses. Chef Collective is a new depot that is housing to multiple budding restaurant concepts under one roof, giving business owners access to a customisable kitchen and order fulfilment technology, allowing them to cook and dispense their product with lower costs and associated risks than brick-and-mortar ventures. Chef Collective’s Coorparoo location – located on Cambridge Street – boasts 30 kitchens that offer gear for caterers, established businesses seeking a central kitchen space and food-delivery businesses.

Chef Collective’s Brisbane roster includes a bevy of operators that are already drawing attention on delivery apps. Coop’s Chicken & Fries is a specialist in all things fried chicken, from fried-chicken burgers, southern-style chicken wings, buttermilk fried-chicken bites and sides like crinkle-cut fries. Delivery-only dumpling bar Bao Wow Dumplings boasts a menu including pork-and-prawn wontons, soupy xiao long bao, steamed custard buns and milk tea. Craving souvlaki, crispy calamari, kalamaki skewers or huge mixed grill platters? Greek St Kantina has got what you need. Thai Ginger Express is slinging tom yum soup, stir-fry dishes, laksa and papaya salad from its cloud kitchen locale, while Clayfield Seafood Markets is using Chef Collective to expand its footprint and give locals greater access to its range of fish and chips, burgers and fresh seafood. 

Keep an eye out for Chef Collective’s vendors on all of the major delivery services.