Overview
Crowdfunded restaurants may sound like a dubious proposition, but Sydney's IconPark have shown they can make it work. The company's Darlinghurst restaurant space has twice opened its kitchens to pop-up operations, first in the form of Matt Stone's Stanley Street Merchants, followed American-style BBQ joint Rupert & Ruby. Now IconPark is once again looking for tenants. Only this time, there's no expiration date.
As before, the recipient of the IconPark lease will be decided via reality TV-style death match. Applicants run competitive crowdfunding campaigns, giving hungry members of the public the chance to vote with their wallets. After three weeks, whichever concept has the most pledges gets a three-year contract at IconPark's established 78 Stanley Street location, with the opportunity to start cooking straight away.
"If applicants raise enough money during the crowdfunding campaign to support their concept, they have the opportunity to walk into a location with an awesome existing trade, without needing to pay for the business," says IconPark co-founder Dean McEvoy. "The license is in place, and all the equipment and fittings are there to start trading the day after they win."
Information on how to pitch your unique restaurant idea can be found at the IconPark website. Applications open this week, with the three week crowdfunding blitz set to occur in early 2015. The inaugural season attracted more than 100 applications, so whatever your pitch, make sure it's a good one.