The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne have been an icon in the cultural life of the city for more than 175 years. The gardens are much loved by generations of Victorians, as well as by many visitors from interstate and overseas, welcoming over 1.5 million visitors each year. It is a picturesque haven for recreation and an important resource for education, conservation, science and horticulture. The Melbourne Gardens extend over 38 hectares and houses a collection of more than 8,500 species of plants from around the world. 

Future Food was appointed by RBGV in 2022, prior to multiple F&B licences within the Gardens coming to the end of their natural term, to develop a Gardens-wide Food and Hospitality Strategy to inform future requirements for running multiple EOIs. 

The strategy included a local F&B trade area review, benchmarking against comparable destinational attractions and forecasting the sustainable F&B revenue potential for Melbourne and Cranbourne Gardens. 

Through a series of workshops with the RBGV project group, we developed the vision, positioning and final strategy for the future F&B EOI engagements, presenting and receiving board approval to proceed.

Future Food has subsequently managed four Expressions of Interest for finding F&B operators aligned to the Gardens' vision and bring significant transformation to each.  

Future Food Services

• Scoping Study 2022-24 Retail Food & Catering Strategy 

• Destinational Benchmarking & Local Competitor Review & Recommendations

• Forecast of Sustainable F&B Volume & Market Potential

• 2026 Retail Food & Catering Vision & Strategy

• 4 x Expression Of interest - The Terrace cafe, Jardin Tan, RBGV Lawns & Pavilions & Cranbourne Gardens