St Ali has been announced as the hospitality partner for the Mercedes me concept store on the corner of King and Collins Streets, at the foot of the Rialto Towers.Launching early November 2017, the new space – one of just seven in the world – sees café culture meet Mercedes lifestyle.
This exciting partnership between Mercedes-Benz and St ALi will immerse visitors in the atmosphere of Mercedes-Benz, with world class coffee managed by St ALi head barista, Leon Holdsworth, and St ALi’s much loved menu, with some surprises.
In the kitchen will be head chef Daniel Dobra, bringing to the CBD a grown-up St ALI menu with fine attention to detail and European influences and techniques.
While Dobra has a long history with St ALI, he has also worked in many of Australia’s best restaurants including Royal Mail Hotel Dunkeld and Greenhouse in Perth, as well as Melbourne’s short-lived but very smart venues such as Brix and Brutale, of which Dobra was co-owner.
General Manager for St ALi Lachlan Ward is heading up the food and beverage aspect of the project. “Working for St ALi and Salvatore presents never-ending opportunities and it’s been a great way to learn and grow in the hospitality space. A relationship with Mercedes-Benz is both exciting and rewarding. What we are doing at Mercedes me Melbourne is really special and I know St ALi fans and newcomers to the brand will find it as exciting as I do.”
The first of its kind in Australia, Mercedes me Store Melbourne will join cities including Munich, Tokyo and Hong Kong. St ALi’s Salvatore Malatesta said: “We love being part of early adopter projects … and working with the team at Mercedes-Benz on this project takes things to another level.”
General Manager for Mercedes me Store Melbourne Simon Johnson said: “The Mercedes me stores around the world are about celebrating the culture of the city they reside in, of course in Melbourne we knew that had to be the city’s famed café culture and the streetscape itself.”
“As well as a place for current fans and customers to enjoy, Mercedes me opens up the brand to people who may not have previously considered interacting with our brand or our vehicles. It’s not a merchandise store nor a retail outlet, but instead an access point to the brand, in what is an entirely new approach in Australia.“
By night, Mercedes me Melbourne will transform into an event space, showcasing art, food, fashion, sport, design, innovation and collaboration, and also harness existing Mercedes-Benz partnerships such as those with National Gallery of Victoria, Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix and Virgin Australian Melbourne Fashion Festival.