News GMHBA Stadium Stage 5 Redevelopment
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cats_09
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Club Chin Chin opens pop-up restaurant at GMHBA Stadium with the Geelong Cats
The iconic Melbourne restaurant is making a sea change and opening its first regional outpost on the Surf Coast — in an unsuspecting location.Cats out of the bag — Melbourne restaurant icon Chin Chin is coming to Geelong.
In a first for regional Victoria, the buzzy South-East Asian eatery will open ‘Club Chin Chin’ at GMHBA Stadium for a one-year pop-up from late April.
Not only does the Geelong Football Club deal mark an exciting new chapter in Geelong’s dining scene, but provides the ultimate homecoming for celebrated restaurateur, mad Cats fan and proud Belmont boy Chris Lucas.
“For my whole life people have been saying “why don’t you open something in Geelong” and that sort of nostalgia is something I’ve always had in the background,” Mr Lucas told the Saturday Herald Sun.
“I love the club, I’m a crazy Cats supporter and have been all my life. So I thought, why not?”
The 200-seater restaurant marks a final piece in the $350m stadium’s puzzle, shacking up inside the Joel Selwood stand; beaming its trademark ‘Chin Chin neon-pink’ across the ground and Kardinia Park precinct.
Chin Chin executive chef Benjamin Cooper is also relocating for the pop-up to be on the pass with his army of senior kitchen staff.
Club Chin Chin will run seven services, across four days, both on and outside of game days.
“This is the first of its type (partnership), where an entire restaurant is being moved into a grandstand. Guy Grossi and the MCC is in a consulting role, while in Sydney Justin (Hemmes) has taken over the entire ground. We’re building a restaurant that will also run on non-game days.”
For those days, Cooper will run an a la carte offering, with a game day packages inclusive of a set-menu and reserved seat, which will be sold through the club.
All of the Chin Chin classics, including the famed green chilli kingfish sashimi, will feature with ‘Geelong’ exclusive dishes also in the works.
The restaurant will be open to all AFL supporters, though Cats superfans will see the most benefit.
A table has been dedicated to current list players, so you never know who’ll you run into.
Mr Lucas said players would be forthcoming and sign autographs or footys, as well as pose for photos with diehard fans.
“This is a country club that happens to be an AFL club. There’s a country feel to it and the club has built an image around family and kids and getting to meet their heroes.”
Geelong Football Club chief executive Steve Hocking said the club had been looking at alternate revenue streams after becoming the first club to move away from the pokie machine model.
“This restaurant will fit nicely into the region, will compliment the region and we believe it’s ready to come into the region,” Mr Hocking said.
Both Hocking and Lucas are open to keep the pop-up running beyond 12 months, with the Chin Chin boss not ruling out opening more restaurants in his hometown in the future.
“And it’s not just Lucas Restaurants. This may bring other Melbourne restaurants to town. The more the merrier.”
“And if the Cats do win the flag this year, I’ll take credit for a small part of that as they’ve been eating Chin Chin.”
Club Chin Chin opens at GMHBA Stadium in late April.
Was that the game Billy Ryan won the game with a kick after siren (after his first effort was touched and the umpire gave a 15m penalty)? 1967
Checked on YOU TUBE.
Worth a watch - thats how footy was then.
Thunder Road
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About 300 seats still available on Ticketmaster, mostly single seats and some accessable seating. The Selwood Stand has a some groups of seats left but not many. Looks promising for a great start to the season and stand opening!
Coming Soon: Chris Lucas’s First Regional Chin Chin Outpost Is Opening in Geelong
Expect the Flinders Lane venue’s famous “feed me” menu on game days and an à la carte offering – including some exclusive dishes – the rest of the time.
www.broadsheet.com.au
I returned 4 seats in Row E, A37 (new stand) about 2 hours ago. I assume they went instantly.
Thunder Road
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Thunder Road
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Thunder Road
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- Sep 26, 2011
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Disgusted to learn from the elderly folks you cannot take the lift to the C-level (top) bays of the Selwood Stand. You have to take two flights of stairs. It’s only for “going down”. What a f**kin joke. Are the club such idiots?!?
Don’t see us holding these seats for long and demanding a refund. Very disappointed.
Don’t see us holding these seats for long and demanding a refund. Very disappointed.
cats_09
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The new media boxes at top of the staff
And the legendary family name lives on
These were taken before we saw Joel kick the first goal at the stand bearing his name and taken until now to load - so one thing they haven't improved with the construction is phone reception
And the legendary family name lives on
These were taken before we saw Joel kick the first goal at the stand bearing his name and taken until now to load - so one thing they haven't improved with the construction is phone reception
So did anyone from here watch the game from the new standing room area? How was it?
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- May 14, 2012
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Love the viewing from my new seat and atmosphere was fantastic.
However the lack of access to internet or even text messages makes it unlikely that I will continue to go to games. Couldn't even communicate with my disabled mum who was in a different part of the ground for tonight only.
Absolute joke that the scoreboard doesn't even give updates from other games.
However the lack of access to internet or even text messages makes it unlikely that I will continue to go to games. Couldn't even communicate with my disabled mum who was in a different part of the ground for tonight only.
Absolute joke that the scoreboard doesn't even give updates from other games.
- Aug 21, 2016
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But why so many empty seats in that area?
I was sitting right next to them and it was brilliant. Geelong fans have a reputation of being a bit quiet but when there was a big block of opposition fans making a heap of noise, they rose to the occasion.
If the ground was entirely Geelong or the opposition fans were scattered about, the atmosphere would remain s**t house.
This way we might be able to really get the joint feeling electric.
That was before the game, cheer squad were off doing the banner
- Aug 21, 2016
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No. It was during the game. A block of empty seats in the cheer squad area.
It was empty during the game too
Maybe the cheer squad is struggling with numbers then.
Probably anyone who dared suggest a chant other than Geelong clap clap clap, got the boot
Probably anyone who dared suggest a chant other than Geelong clap clap clap, got the boot
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There is a lift between the premiership and Selwood stands that you were able to go both up and down in. We did a couple of times without issue. Gets you up to level C Selwood stand where I was seated.
I cannot get my head around this. I pay a premium for a Telstra service (why, I don’t know), yet whenever I go there I can’t even send / receive a text message let alone dare to think I could check other scores or stats on the internet - they didn’t even put player stats up on the board either.
Amazingly still works for eftpos facilities though… go figure.
It actually looked like the Cats cheer squad was somewhere else early on the tv (maybe wing) hard to tell but definitely wasn't behind the goals. I know later on after half time it looked like the cheer squad moved behind the goals, but still strange to see so many empty seats earlier.
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