IT'S no secret that apps like Uber Eats and Deliveroo are changing the way we eat.
At the press of a button your favourite meals from basically any restaurant nearby can be delivered straight to your door for just a $5 delivery fee and it's what dreams are made of for foodies.
On-demand food delivery apps are disrupting the way restaurants operate. Consumers have a choice now to dine in or to have virtually any meal delivered to their doorstep.
With more and more traditional restaurants, and fast food outlets, responding to the digital demand, it's becoming a necessity for many restaurateurs to be available on the app as well as physically at their own business.
Ben Cleary-Corradini, one half of Brisbane's Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers with his business partner Theodor Roduner, says to ensure your business survives you need to accept and embrace change.
"There's no doubt that UberEats has changed the landscape of both fast food and restaurant food, and I think to be a thriving business you have to embrace the change," says Cleary-Corradini.
"People by nature are getting lazier and lazier and they want things brought to them, so we're all about embracing the new technologies. I'm all for Uber and technology that makes it easier to get food to customers at their convenience."
Both Cleary-Corradini and Roduner are nominees in Business News Australia's Brisbane Young Entrepreneur Awards this year, with their unique and fresh business model helping them land a spot as finalists.
Their restaurant, called Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers, is Australia's very first 'Gnoccheria'.
"You've heard of a pizzeria and also a trattoria," says Corradini.
"We are a new concept in the food industry offering gnocchi as our one and only dish, we are Australia's first dedicated 'Gnoccheria'".
The concept was born in 2015 when Ben and Theo decided to open a market stall at the Farmers Markets in Brisbane where they would sell fresh gnocchi once a week.
"It turned into being a hit for Wednesday lunchtime trade to the point where we started to back ourselves and put together more and more markets," says Cleary-Corradini.
Quickly the concept grew out of its humble market stall and into a full-blown restaurant. They opened their first bricks and mortar 'Gnoccheria' in Paddington, Brisbane. From there, the duo have opened three permanent locations across Brisbane and the Gold Coast within their first year of operating.
Currently Cleary-Corradini and Roduner employ a team of 14, all while developing and creating their own gnocchi and sauces fresh daily.
To keep things fresh the duo launch regular and exciting experiences for diners new to the 'Gnoccheria' concept.
"We're going to start a gnocchi master class to teach people how to make gnocchi at home, and hopefully they'll realise how hard it is!" says Cleary-Corradini.
"We've also launched something called the Backdoor Experience, which is basically a couple of tables that we've managed to squeeze into a little alleyway which we've lit up around the back door of our restaurant.
"Within the gnocchi community we always give them something to come back for."
The team are hoping to have permanent stores across Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne within five years. The duo hope to achieve this by launching their own line of branded gnocchi and sauces to complement their restaurant sales.
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Business News Australia
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