The Grounds of Alexandria to Finally Open New CBD Outpost
The new venue will hark back to the old days of the city, with old-school service, cake trolleys and shoe shines while you wait.
The team behind The Grounds of Alexandria has been teasing us with whispers of a new CBD outpost for a while now — the venue, which is to be their second, was announced almost two years ago. Since then it's been in development, but the team behind the wildly popular Alexandria venue has confirmed The Grounds of the City will finally open later this month inside The Galeries on George Street.
The new venue will be a 'nod to times past' with throwbacks to 1920s hospitality, and will be a distinct departure from The Grounds' existing vibe. "The Grounds of Alexandria is all about bringing families and the local community together, so we started off thinking about who it is that we want to bring together and connect in the city," says The Grounds co-founder and creative director Ramzey Choker. "We really got inspired by the 1920s, a time when the inner city was a place for real social gathering and connection between professionals."
Design studio Acme & Co. have again worked with The Grounds, creating a truly 'spare no details' kind of space, from the antique theatre pendant lighting, up-cycled timber floors and marble details to the hand-crafted stained glass windows and custom-made enamel fridge doors. Even the light fixtures have been carefully curated and the cast iron doors were actually hand-casted by The Grounds team. "The building took a lot of craftsmanship and is going to be really different than what you're used to," says Choker.
The Grounds of the City will also aim to bring socialising back to the hustle and bustle of city life. Shoe shines for waiting customers, a cake and tea trolley that circles the room and a top-of-the-line barista's bar with 'coffee sommeliers' on-hand will be just a few services on offer at the new venue.
For truly next-level service, the new members app allows customers to let The Grounds get to know them a bit better – from where they work to their favourite coffee order, which will be ready for you on arrival. "When corporate workers come for a morning coffee we want to make their time pleasurable and really get to know them as individuals," says Choker. "We want to give them something a bit extra."
"We want to create a place that becomes like a city home away from the office and somewhere you want to go that is just really comfortable. It's going to be really different, really unique and really special."
The Grounds of the City will open late May inside The Galeries, 500 George Street, Sydney. We'll update you with an opening date, but for more information, visit thegroundscity.com.au.
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