The tight-knit community of Mickleham is the first in Australia to get access to bp’s new Wild Bean Cafe fresh food menu.
The food at bp Merrifield, about 40 minutes north of Melbourne, will be made to order and deliver on the promise of “real food, real good, real fast”, says Matt Elliott, bp Vice President, Mobility & Convenience for Australia and New Zealand.
“Out of our 1400 stores across Australia, we chose Mickleham to trial our new menu for a number of reasons – it has a strong sense of community, its residential and commercial development is growing, and it’s close to major highways,” Mr Elliott said.
“Our new food offering is designed to have wide appeal to people in the area, whether they’re tradies wanting a hearty lunch, busy parents needing to refuel on the go, or Aussies needing sustenance before heading off on a road trip.”
With a dramatic new storefront, and white tiling and wooden panels inside, the Merrifield Wild Bean Cafe has been revamped to cater for the new “made to order” offering. Available seven days a week from 10am to 7pm, with all the food freshly prepared in the on-site kitchen, the menu includes:
- Three sourdough toasties (triple cheese, ham and cheese, chicken and herb mayo) – $8
- Three loaded fries (gravy, chilli con carne, salsa) – $8
- ¼ chicken and whole chicken with fries and a choice of three salads (potato, pesto pasta, coleslaw) – ¼ $11, full $20
The menu has been quietly trialled in the past few weeks and the feedback has been unanimously positive, according to Mr Elliott.
“People love the fact our fries are fried to order, our toasted sandwiches are toasted to order, and our chickens are roasted in-store. That’s our aim – to offer freshly prepared, quality food that’s value for money and easy to eat for busy people on the go,” he said.
The pilot will run for at least six months so bp can test and learn from the Merrifield store before rolling out the new menu across its network.
Mr Elliott says bp is constantly driving change in the highly competitive convenience sector.
“We are very much a part of our local communities and our aim is help people who are going places. Getting our food offering right is an important part of our growth strategy and it’s great to see Mickleham playing a role in our future plans.
“The feedback we’re getting from Merrifield will help us to create the next generation of bp stores, with retail innovation at the forefront,” he said.
To promote the new menu, various Mickleham locals have been filmed trying out the food, with everyone giving it the thumbs-up.
Since opening in 2020, bp Merrifield has been serving more than 1000 customers each day. After fuel, coffee is the most popular product with more than 200 cups brewed each day.
