In that small sliver of time, the restaurant has expanded to a whopping 125 venues nationwide, providing a mixture of fresh burgers, local produce, healthier options and charitable intentions.
Recently expanding further still to a new location in the cultural hub of Collingwood’s Smith Street, Grill’d celebrated by hosting the exclusive panel event Business With Conscience, alongside fellow local initiatives HoMie, Orange Sky Laundry and The Social Studio. Focusing upon the balance between enterprise and ethics, the evening was a platform for discussing how each of the organisations use their business as a force for good.
HoMie’s objective is to provide pathways out of homelessness by offering new clothing, on-the-job training and permanent career opportunities – made possible through both an apparel label and a duo of stores in Melbourne. Likewise, Orange Sky Laundry is a world-first free mobile laundry service for the homeless and a catalyst for genuine connection, doing over 6.9 tonnes of laundry (and having over 1,300 hours of positive conversations with those affected) every week.
Finally, not-for-profit The Social Studio aims to improve the lives of young Australians from a refugee or migrant background who may experience barriers to education or securing employment through their fashion and hospitality business – which includes a clothing label, retail shop, digital printing studio, café, catering services and TAFE-level training.
Grill’d’s own mantra is simple, but has garnered incredible success: be good, do good, and feel good. Giving back to the many communities Grill’d calls home, the Local Matters program offers $500 a month to a noble cause in your area. You probably know the drill, but just in case: every month, your local Grill’d sponsors three community groups. When you order food, you get a token to place in one of three jars in-store representing the various groups. At the end of every month, the tokens are tallied, with $300 for the most popular cause and $100 each for the remaining two.
With HoMie, Orange Sky Laundry and The Social Studio as this month’s featured community groups, the organisations have been able to combine their efforts and provide even further opportunities. On Saturday June 24, Grill’d Collingwood will be bringing burgers to St. Mary’s House of Welcome to feed the homeless community while their laundry is being done, and if you get into The Social Studio this month and buy a pair of limited edition socks you’ll receive a free burger next time you go in to the new shop.
Likewise, the Grill’d Collingwood team will be heading down to the HoMie VIP Day on Tuesday June 27 – one of several days every month where HoMie provide a haircut, coffee, a meal & 5 items of clothing to the disadvantaged – in order to feed 20 people experiencing homelessness.
It’s more important now than ever before to observe positivity and ethical consideration within what we buy, eat, and economically contribute toward.
