Arson attack wipes out newly opened vegan cafe
A suspicious fire at a St Georges Road tobacconist in Melbourne’s Fitzroy North has destroyed a vegan cafe that opened only three months ago, leaving its owners with losses of more than $100,000 and a rebuild that could take a year.
Emergency crews were called to an explosion at the single-storey tobacco shop shortly after 3am on Monday. Fire Rescue Victoria crews reached the scene within six minutes and found the building fully ablaze. Firefighters worked hard to protect the neighbouring businesses and the homes behind the site and declared the blaze under control at 4.32am.
“The fire has severely damaged the tobacco store and spread to neighbouring businesses on both sides,” a Fire and Rescue Victoria spokesman said.
Police have deemed the fire suspicious and investigations are continuing.
Two hospitality businesses caught in the blaze
While it was the tobacconist that was targeted, the fire damaged And Bodega, a vegan cafe run by newlyweds Manali and Ash, and Standing Room Coffee’s roastery.
The couple opened And Bodega in July after five months of DIY renovations. In a GoFundMe appeal, they said: “We opened And Bodega in July after five months of DIY renovations, an enormous amount of physical work, and pouring more than $100,000 of our life savings into creating the place we’d always dreamed of.”
Thieves then broke into the damaged cafe and took about $5,000 worth of equipment and technology. The couple said the roof had melted off and soot covered the interior.
The extent of the damage means the site at 340 St Georges Road is likely lost to them. “We’ve now learned that, given the scale of the damage across all three affected sites, rebuilding the buildings could take around 12 months,” they said.
Insurance falls short
Their contents insurance is expected to pay out $25,000, but the couple said it will not cover the loss. “We are incredibly grateful that our contents insurance is expected to provide a $25,000 pay out. But after everything that happened, that money simply isn’t enough to recreate what we built or get us back on our feet.”
The GoFundMe aims to cover outstanding commitments to staff and fund a relaunch. At the time of writing, it had raised $29,262 of its $30,000 goal.
“Rather than give up on And Bodega, we’d love to start again on a smaller scale,” the couple said. They hope to find a small takeaway window to serve their bakes and coffee and bring their team back together where possible.
Standing Room Coffee, which also trades in Carlton and at the University of Melbourne, said no one was on site when the fire broke out. “The fire spread into our roastery, and also into the newly opened And Bodega, causing significant damage to our equipment and site generally,” the business said in an Instagram post. The properties were burgled the following day.
“We’re absolutely devastated by this loss, and we’re in the process of relocating our roasting operations,” it said.
Anyone with information, dashcam or CCTV footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online.
Jonathan Jackson, 20th October 2026
