{"id":78983,"date":"2026-08-24T06:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T06:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/78983\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T06:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T06:02:09","slug":"west-melbourne-bar-and-bottle-shop-benchwarmer-is-closing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/78983\/","title":{"rendered":"West Melbourne Bar and Bottle Shop Benchwarmer Is Closing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Hot List<\/a> is the definitive guide to Melbourne\u2019s most essential food and drink experiences, updated weekly. Learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

West Melbourne beer hall and takeaway bottle shop Benchwarmer<\/a> is closing in September. The Hot Listed<\/a> spot has been pouring limited release craft beers and serving an Asian-inspired food menu since it opened in 2020, weeks before the first Covid lockdown hit in Melbourne. Owner Locky Jones says the decision wasn\u2019t easy but has been on the cards for a while.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor about a year I\u2019ve seen this as being inevitable but it\u2019s so hard to finally make the decision to pull the plug,\u201d he says. \u201cAs a hospo lifer, you just want to put your head down and keep working, but at some point you just have to say it\u2019s not working.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones cites several factors that contributed to the decision to close the venue, including cost of living pressures and the beer excise tax.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people are seeing craft beer as a luxury, almost a special-occasion experience now. When they can only afford to spend maybe once a week, what they spend on becomes much more specific,\u201d he says. \u201cWe try to have tap specials and happy hours to serve a $10 pint when we can, but with the beer tax going up every six months, that\u2019s just not a sustainable thing to do anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benchwarmer sits on a stretch of West Melbourne\u2019s Victoria Street with a handful of cafes, shops and restaurants. There are a couple of wine bars nearby, but the area isn\u2019t known for its nightlife. Jones says this also contributed to the decision to close.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people have said we were a bit early, maybe a case of the right venue at the wrong time,\u201d he says. \u201cWe wanted to help build the area up as place to go at night, but you look around on a weeknight and there\u2019s just not many people around after dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones also runs his own craft beer brand, Oishii World<\/a>, which he plans to focus on once Benchwarmer closes its doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot to do, I need to make sure all our staff and suppliers are looked after first,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s been a really emotional few days for everyone, so we\u2019ll make sure everyone\u2019s taken care of, take a small break and then I\u2019ll focus on the next steps.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving done all this independently without financial backing, you end up learning so much more. You learn to be a tradie, how to set up a sound system, how to fix things. So I definitely haven\u2019t come away from the experience empty-handed. It just wasn\u2019t the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benchwarmer is hosting a send-off party<\/a> on August 29, with the final day of trade set for September 13.<\/p>\n

The Hot List is proudly sponsored by Square.<\/p>\n