“You don’t need the Aston Martin and the Range Rover.”
Rick Munday has opened The Little Spoon Co in Hyperdome, a chic yet modest cafe in the revamped North Mall section of the shopping centre.
All the talk about eggs benedict being the most popular item on the menu is a vast change of pace for the man formerly named among Australia’s rich and famous.
In the BRW’s rich list in 2009, Mr Munday was valued at $132 million, having sold the Taverner Group – “we got into gaming” – for $380 million in 2005, and picking up 26 pubs in Victoria.
Mr Munday blames the global financial crisis for putting him into a financial hole of more than $50 million and ultimate bankruptcy in 2011.
It sounds dire, but Mr Munday takes it in his stride – he has a “nice” house at Southport, a daughter and son, and a partner.
He finds the 25-minute commute bearable, and sits among the bright yellow and pink decor of The Little Spoon Co with a sharp eye on the yellow coffee machine he personally designed.
“We want to have good fresh, clean food,” Mr Munday, a chef by trade, said.
Regular visitors to Hyperdome may think of the North Mall as the poor cousin to the rest of the centre, particularly when the piazza was built.
But it’s now the place to be, and The Little Spoon Co with its 15 staff and seven-day roster, has a lot to do with that.
“There’s enough unhealthy options elsewhere,” Mr Munday said.
“We want to concentrate on breakfast and lunch, with salad and woodfired pizza. It’s family friendly with a lot of modern favourites.”
A bikie in Bali named Mike came up with the name of the cafe and a design company put together the retro interior.
Mr Munday talks openly about his past, stating the Lawn Pub on the Great Ocean Road as one of his best-known pubs before being “hurt” by the GFC.
He still owned a pub until late last year – a pub in Melbourne which has since been closed for 35 weeks.
Call it a lucky break, if you like. But Mr Munday, formerly from Geelong and now a proud Queenslander, sees a career in hospitality as a fortunate ride.
“The nature of the business is good,” he said. “Serving people, and talking to people is great. And there is a great lifestyle here. I’ve got a nice house and the kids are good. Life’s okay.”
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