Juliana’s Cucina & Bar
Juliana’s Cucina & Bar
21/31 Corridor St, Moonee Ponds VIC
julianascucina.com.au
English expat, Jacob Goss had positively made himself at dwelling right here in Australia. He knew he needed to be a bar proprietor, and waited patiently till the possibility to buy Rum Diary in Melbourne got here alongside. Then, throughout COVID he opened Rum Diary Newcastle. And now he’s at it once more. A possibility got here as much as become involved in a suburban restaurant in Moonee Ponds and he jumped on the probability. Scorching on the heels of opening, we checked in with Jacob to compensate for the brand new venue and the way it all got here to be.
Juliana’s is a little bit of a change from the Rum Diary bars? Inform us how this got here to be?
It positive is. The technical reply is that my investor for Rum Diary had the chance and introduced me in. He’d seen what we had achieved within the business with Rum Diary and others so thought it will be a good suggestion to make me a part of this one too. The opposite reply is that the present pattern in cocktail bars is transferring into that clear, upper-class & basic cocktail providing paired with high-end meals and silver service. We’ve seen this from the Perhaps Sammy Group, Speakeasy group, and extra particularly and near dwelling venues like Tetto Carolina & Pearl Diver. I’m rising up and may’t play in dive bars perpetually haha.
Give us a little bit of background on the way you got here to be right here – residing in Australia with three hospo companies
Like most Brits, I needed to journey and see the world however like most Brits I simply ended up in a barely higher local weather however let’s be sincere a lot cooler nation of Australia. I’ve at all times been hospo from the minute I used to be allowed to be in hospo and fell in love with each side of it. I’ve at all times strived to enhance in any state of affairs I’ve been in and needed to proceed to work my approach up. I be taught the arduous approach that the subsequent step up value some huge cash and sadly misplaced all my financial savings (and my associate on the instances cash) via an avoidable and rookie mistake.
After tasting being my very own boss, I needed to proceed that as I knew I might do it however with another person’s cash.
That’s the place buyers got here in.
I’ll say although to any bartenders studying this which have exhausted their stage of managing companies for somebody and wish to do it for themselves, please be ready to lose plenty of sleep. Even when you get buyers, it may be very worrying as, if like me, you don’t wish to let folks down. It’s that outdated saying, “I didn’t need a 9-5 job so I turned my very own boss… Now I work 24/7.”. That is extraordinarily correct.
Inform us a little bit bit concerning the ethos of Juliana’s.
Juliana’s is located in Moonee Ponds. A cute little suburb simply north/west of the CBD and is fastly changing into a booming hub of its personal. From constructing one other venue right here previous to Rum Diary, I used to be very conscious that the demographic for folks in search of a enjoyable night time out and expertise may be very sturdy on this suburb. In case you’re capable of create the vibes and experiences that the likes of the large names in Melbourne & Sydney can on this small city, folks will speak and other people will come.
The preliminary design was for a small and fashionable eating expertise with an open kitchen and chef’s desk. This was then paired with a stable marble central U-shaped bar that’s surrounded by all of the friends and cozy sales space seating. This impressed me to take inspiration from our buddies at Perhaps Sammy and create an consuming and consuming expertise that the locals and vacationers wouldn’t neglect and would even be shocked to search out within the outer suburbs.
You’ll discover your commonplace eating sittings from lunch, early night and into the night. Then at 10pm all of it adjustments. The lights come down, the dimly lit desk lamps come on, the music comes on and the shock reside musician from Sax gamers to “Rat Pack” impressed singers roaming across the venue to work together with the gang.
IT’s fairly thrilling to be opening a 3rd venue; is that this only the start for you?
It’s been tough and really rocky with Covid. Clearly, Hooch didn’t final and my undisclosed warehouse venue in Richmond continues to be on the playing cards however pushed again for now. It’s thrilling but when I’m sincere it could actually generally be overshadowed by the fixed worry of impending doom from environmental and exterior elements that we will’t management. I’d prefer to assume I can proceed to develop the group as there’s nothing I’d love greater than to champion the managers which have grown and learnt with us and to see them with a proportion of a bar for themselves and underneath the Gospo Group banner.
Hardest factor about opening a brand new venue?
Paperwork, council & licensing are at all times essentially the most time consuming and irritating however the recent drawback as everyone knows is employees. We open with a bang and it was incredible however not desirous to overreach and never present what we promised, I made a decision to decelerate the bookings to ensure that we might sustain and provides the identical high quality of service to the final buyer of the day that we did to the primary one that walked within the door. So when you’re in search of a job hit me up.
What do you like most about hospo?
This group. It doesn’t matter what you want, somebody can assist. Irrespective of the place you go or journey inside Australia, you stumble upon somebody that’s from the business or somebody that you just met and had a foggy dialog with at bar week. It’s a like minded group of selfless folks that have devoted their careers to creating positive the remainder of the inhabitants have memorable experiences. So many employees cop abuse from clients or have horrible experiences with employers however 9 instances out of 10 nonetheless present as much as work the subsequent day. Unbelievable folks that I thank all of them for letting me be part of such an ideal crowd of individuals.
The place would you prefer to be in 5 years?
Nonetheless doing this hopefully. I wouldn’t thoughts having a bigger crew like the opposite teams with folks taking good care of bookkeeping, advertising and so forth on prime of all the things else versus making an attempt to juggle all of it however for now it’s bought to be achieved. I’d prefer to be away from this pandemic and out of debt so I can breathe and spend all my time doing the elements we love about this enterprise.
What traits are you seeing in bars proper now?
I’m loving what Tim and Tony are doing at PAR. A number of years in the past it was considerably frowned upon to have your drink pre-made and introduced out to you with “minimal effort”. The technical facet of what they do and the product they’re able to obtain is superb and wishes extra recognition. I’m additionally extraordinarily jealous of venues like this which can be sticking to smaller portions of friends which not solely lowers the operating value of the enterprise however provides the crew extra one-on-one time with the folks in entrance of them. High quality over Amount is the pattern I’m personally seeing.
Who evokes you?
I believe my name-dropping all through has some clear inspirational figures in there haha.
What are you consuming proper now?
Proper now water as a result of the 6 coffees have dehydrated the hell out of me however I’m very a lot trying ahead to a barrel-aged Negroni at Juliana’s after I get there later right now.
