MELBOURNE: A café collaboration is proving that good food and social impact can go hand in hand, with six trainees stepping into award-wage hospitality roles as part of an extended pop-up.

All Things Equal and GingerSnap have announced the return of their West Melbourne Pop-Up Café, running from Tuesday, February 17 to Saturday, May 9. This time, the partnership will operate five days a week with extended hours, creating more consistent paid employment opportunities for people with disability.

All Things Equal is a Melbourne-based social enterprise focused on inclusive employment. Through structured training and award-wage roles, it supports people with disability to build confidence and long-term career pathways in hospitality. The GingerSnap pop-up is a practical extension of that mission, placing trainees in real front- and back-of-house roles in a working café environment.

The extended program will allow six trainees to gain hands-on experience while earning award wages, a key distinction in a sector where people with disability have historically been underpaid or excluded from mainstream employment.

CEO of All Things Equal Jess Colgan said the longer stint would make a meaningful difference.

“This extended pop-up allows us to move beyond short-term training and offer award-wage employment in a supportive hospitality setting, she said.”

“Operating more days each week gives our trainees consistency, confidence and a genuine sense of belonging, all while showing that inclusive employment and excellent food go hand in hand.”

The collaboration is led by siblings Brett Duncan and Ms Colgan. Mr Duncan, a qualified pastry chef who was born profoundly deaf, founded GingerSnap and brings his signature plant-based desserts to the pop-up menu.

Visitors to the café at 114 Adderley St can expect a refreshed menu combining favourites and new grab-and-go options suited to weekday workers and weekend visitors. Offerings include signature toasties such as Yay! Foods’ feta, pesto and sun-dried tomato, and Gaga’s kimchi and roast pumpkin, alongside Veneziano coffee, seasonal salads and GingerSnap’s well-known desserts.

Open Tuesday to Saturday from 8am to 3pm, the pop-up aims to serve the local community while modelling what inclusive, award-wage employment can look like in practice.

For West Melbourne, it’s more than just another café. For six trainees, it represents a paid pathway into the hospitality industry – and for customers, an opportunity to support a business where purpose is built into every plate.