WHAT'S NEXT?

BOLD IN SCOPE AND FLEXIBLE IN ITS HOSPITALITY, MELBOURNE’S SOON-TO-OPEN SOCIETY IS REWRITING THE RESTAURANT RULES.

Whether you weigh it by the money spent, the talent involved, the attention it has attracted or simply by its epic square footage, Society is the biggest restaurant opening of the year.

No one’s saying exactly how much it cost, mind you, but given that it’s the jewel in the crown of the 80 Collins Street development, which is worth a cool $1.5 billion, the sums involved aren’t small. Chris Lucas, the restaurateur behind runaway hits such as Chin Chin and Kisumé, says bringing it to life has also cost him no small amount of mental anguish. There’s a lot at stake here.

For one thing, Society marks the return to the kitchen of chef Martin Benn and his partner, Vicki Wild. After closing their Sydney restaurant, Sepia, in 2018, riding high on a wave of international acclaim, they moved to Victoria to team up with Lucas. “We’re not here to create a restaurant just for Melbourne,” says Lucas. “We’re here to create a restaurant for Australia.”