Few industries have been as heavily impacted by the current pandemic lockdowns as our hospitality sector. Although government schemes like JobKeeper aim to alleviate some of the stress restaurants face retaining full-time staff, casual employees and those in the country on working visas face a more uncertain future. As nation-wide lockdowns were implemented at the end of March, Phil Trenbath and his team at The Mark Agency decided to help its Canberra-based hospitality clients by establishing No Biggie – an online ecommerce site and ordering platform that afforded venues the chance to supplement income from takeaway trade and food-delivery by serving ready-to-eat meals prepped in their top-grade kitchens. Initially launching with six venue partners on its roster, No Biggie was an instant success – selling more than 2000 meals in its first three days. The concept, which was built with ease of use and scalability in mind, expanded rapidly throughout April – the number of Canberra venues has doubled while restaurants in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne have since signed up to serve No Biggie meals to local consumers.

So, how does No Biggie work? Well, every week the team at No Biggie HQ releases a new menu of dishes that can be ordered, delivered and then heated or frozen depending on your schedule. The menu is distributed to its partner venues who in turn engage their own produce suppliers (a hidden victim of these lockdowns), using their networks and kitchens to cook pre-ordered nutritious meals. Orders for the coming week are accepted up until Sunday at midnight before being distributed the following Wednesday, giving restaurants time to secure the perfect amount of ingredients to avoid costly wastage. The menu includes options for vegetarian, gluten- and lactose-free eaters, as well as a selection of kids meals. No Biggie meals can be ordered in packs of five or ten, with costs equating to $11 per meal. Of that total, $9 goes straight to the participating restaurants, while the other amount is used to cover delivery and marketing costs. Currently, No Biggie boasts the likes of Motorwagen, Alba Bar & Deli, Toasted Cafe, Isles Lane, Beirne Lane and Sutton’s Beach Pavilion as venue partners, each whipping up meals like truffled mushroom risotto, spice-rubbed barbecue beef ribs, herb-crusted baked fish, chicken bolognese and vegetable cassoulet.

Head to the No Biggie website to check out the current menu and to place an order!