MELBOURNE, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Regional Victoria could soon boast fine dining experiences on par with the world's culinary capitals.
Neil Perry, Australia's premier chef, said that taking his brand regional was a focus after his Rockpool Group and restaurant business Urban Purveyor Group (UPG) signed off on a 75 million U.S. dollar merger to form the Rockpool Dining Group.
Perry, best known for his flagship restaurant Rockpool and modern Chinese restaurant Spice Temple, plans to open 40 new restaurants nationwide in the next 12 months as the newly formed group expands its total number of venues from 47 to more than 80.
Of the 40 new establishments, 20 will be in Melbourne alone, enhancing the city's reputation as Australia's culinary capital, but Perry flagged that he could take his dining experiences into regional cities such as Geelong and Ballarat in Victoria's west.
"A lot depends on opportunities and location," Perry told News Limited in comments published on Tuesday.
"There are lots of great spaces in Victoria and Melbourne is already so strong for us.
"All I would say is watch this space."
Thomas Pash, CEO of the Rockpool Dining Group, said the group's expansion would create up to 1,500 hospitality jobs in Victoria alone.
"About a third of our current sales currently come in Victoria, so we definitely see rapid expansion there," Pash said.
"When we discussed this merger, we wanted to create the largest dining group in the industry while growing both our brands - and we think we complement each other pretty well."
The group is also in negotiations to open its first establishments overseas, likely in London and Los Angeles.
