One of Melbourne's most iconic rooftops has been featured in Beat Magazine - and Fluro is part of the story.
Beat ran a feature on how Naked for Satan, the legendary Brunswick Street rooftop in Fitzroy, fixed one of hospitality's quiet problems: dead phones at peak service.
The Venue
Naked for Satan has been a Melbourne institution since well before "rooftop bar" became a category in its own right. Perched above Brunswick Street, the venue blends a century-old building with a steampunk-Mediterranean aesthetic, a celebrated tapas-and-wine offering, and sweeping views over Fitzroy.
It's also a venue under sustained pressure on busy nights - hundreds of patrons across a single rooftop service, most of them on phones for photos, payments, group coordination, and the rideshare home.
The Problem
The phone-charging issue at Naked for Satan was the same one that quietly affects most rooftop venues. By 9pm, a meaningful share of patrons are running below 20% battery. Some leave early to find a charger. Others hand their phone over the bar and ask staff to plug it in. Either outcome is bad - patrons leaving sooner than they otherwise would, or staff juggling a tangle of cables on top of pouring drinks.
It's the kind of friction that doesn't show up on a P&L but quietly eats into the experience patrons came for.
Why Fluro Fit
When Riverland Group took over Naked for Satan, they wanted to fix the charging problem without disrupting what makes the rooftop work. Heritage venues earn their character over decades - dropping in technology that demands attention undermines exactly what made the venue iconic in the first place.
Riverland Group Co-Owner Richie Ludbrook described the brief to Beat Magazine as a question of fit. Their approach to running a venue like Naked for Satan, he explained, is closer to caretaking than renovating - choosing partners who match the venue's character rather than override it. The Fluro station, in his words: "had everyone happy from the get-go - staff and punters."
The Setup
Fluro stations are designed to be visually quiet. Small footprint. Neutral finish. Placed within reach of the bar but never the centre of attention. At Naked for Satan, that meant a station that fits the rooftop's aesthetic rather than fighting against it.
The interaction takes seconds. Scan the QR code, pay through Apple Pay or card, walk away with a fully-charged power bank. No app to download, no account to create, no staff to ask.
Return at the same station, at any other Riverland venue, or anywhere across our 1,000+ station network in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. Most patrons drop it back before they leave. Some keep it for the rest of the night.
What Changed
The impact at Naked for Satan was immediate. Staff stopped fielding charging requests. The bar stopped functioning as unofficial phone storage. Patrons who would have left at 10pm to find power stayed for another round. The night flowed without a small, recurring interruption nobody had quite registered as a problem until it was gone.
The Beat Feature
Beat is one of Melbourne's most influential hospitality and culture publications, with deep roots in the city's music, nightlife and food scenes. Their feature on Naked for Satan covers the venue's history, the Riverland Group philosophy, and how Fluro fits into both. Read the full piece on Beat.
If you're heading up to Naked for Satan - 285 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, open Monday to Saturday from midday and Sundays until 6:30pm - the Fluro station is on-site. Use it freely.