A pop-up version of the Stokehouse opened in time for the St Kilda Festival on Sunday.
Stokehouse owner Frank van Haandel was determined to be open for the festival after a fire razed the iconic Melbourne restaurant on January 17. Van Haandel and his team set up the pop-up with a short menu consisting of a veggie burger, fish burger and chilli dog, and a makeshift bar with a list of beers, cider and vodka.
The makeshift Stokehouse opened its doors at 1pm on Sunday with a queue well and truly taking shape by 3.30pm. Over the nine hours it was open the venue sold 152 cases of beer and served more than 2000 people.
Van Haandel has been taken aback by the generosity shown to the group since the fire. The marquee for the temporary business is from Harry the Hirer. It had been earmarked for next month's Australian Grand Prix but "Harry" gave it to The Stokehouse instead.
Since the fire, van Haandel says that supporting his staff has been the most important thing as well as remaining positive. On the whiteboard in the group's office van Haandel has written the quote: "If you think you can, you can; If you think you can't, you can't."
The temporary restaurant is being fitted out this week and will seat 200 inside and 60 outside. The pop-up will reopen on Friday, February 14, and is already fully booked for a Valentine's Day dinner. It will then operate daily for the next three months.
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