The tone of a dining experience is set within 10 seconds. Do you sense a welcome, hear a happy hubbub, see a smile? It’s not impossible to recover from a rocky first impression but if a business can get the beginning right, guests are onside from the get-go.

Campground Kitchen nails it. The location is unexpected, in semi-industrial western suburban Braybrook. Walk towards the tin-roofed warehouse and you see a gelato stand, people drinking spritzes while kids roast marshmallows, cute dogs, and a chalked “Camp Rules” sign that encourages you to eat, drink and take naps. I’m on board.

This is your glamping era. In the big, breezy shed, there are tables in the glow of a wood oven and a patio framed by a vertical garden.

The place feels like an exhortation to gather pals and share snacks, maybe spicy salami pizza with honey and chilli, proof that Melbourne’s hot honey craze is in full swing. The pizza is good, with charred, chewy crust and floppy Napoli-style interior.

Otherwise, you’re twirling seafood pasta, pairing craft beer with mac-and-cheese fritters, or sipping a summery Ode to Petrina cocktail made with piquette, a gleaners’ wine coaxed from spent grapes.

The drinks are good and the food is decent (I’m looking forward to plans for a barbecue selection), but it’s the vibe of the thing that truly appeals.

The good feelings are testament to the energy and vision of the owners, who haven’t had an easy ride. Imagine this: you’re a French engineer working in Mumbai when a midlife crisis sneaks up. You announce to your TV journalist Australian wife that you want to pack it all in and run a pizza truck. It just happens to be the day she’s delivered your first baby. Cut to Melbourne and there’s an old Airstream pizza truck in the driveway. Fast forward and there are three oven-equipped vehicles in a Braybrook warehouse.

Skip to the bad bit: one truck has a gas leak and the warehouse blows up. Remi Pham and Sonia Lear could easily have given up but they rebuilt, refashioning the warehouse into the bricks-and-mortar offshoot of Happy Camper Pizza trucks, largely because they thought the west needed it.

Running a venue is largely about making choices. To reduce their carbon footprint, there are solar panels on the roof, local vodka and gin is delivered in refillable vats, and the wine brands lean green and female.

Coming into its second full summer, Campground is still finding its feet but it’s growing with honest intention. First impressions matter but it’s even better when they’re backed up with passion, authenticity and fun.