Australian Hotelier April 2019

Hotelier AUSTRALIAN

AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL HOTEL INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

VOL. 36 no. 3 – APRIL 2019

IN THIS ISSUE: #PUBLEADERS PREVIEW | PUB DINING SPECIAL | MADE IN AUSTRALIA

SUPERRATINGS PLATINUM 2019 MYCHOICE SUPER

SUPERRATINGS PLATINUM 2019 PENSION

10

10 YR PLATINUM PERFORMANCE 2009–2019

MYSUPER OF THE YEAR FINALIST 2019

CAREER FUND OF THE YEAR FINALIST 2019

CONTENTS | ED’S NOTE

22 Craig Hawtin-Butcher

Editor’s Note

W

hat a month it’s been. As we go to press, new brand on the block Lyre’s is launching worldwide in an attempt to meet demand for non-alcoholic spirits.

Hear founder Mark Livings out, on page 16.

Of course, this month is a Pub Dining special (from page 17) and we’ve spoken to a vast spectrum of exec chefs to get the inside track on where the trends are heading. Casual but premium is where it’s going, on page 22. Meanwhile we explore whether it’s time to call it – Australian cuisine is a thing, on page 25. Over on page 18, family-focused venues reveal another way forward.

For your chance to meet the industry’s leading lights, read our Pub Leaders Summit preview on page 12, with full program and speakers line-up.

Staying in Melbourne, our Design & Build this month is Melbourne’s CBD venue, State of Grace, on page 30.

As always, we top and tail this fantastic issue with crucial news on page 6 and live sport covered on page 34.

Cheers and have a great month,

25 16

Craig Hawtin-Butcher, Editor E: craig@intermedia.com.au

NEXT MONTH

Beer equipment • Coffee • Winter Beers

Contents | April Special Features ED’S 12 Pub Leaders Summit: Preview of PICK our annual one-day conference.

16 Non-alcoholic spirits: Lyre’s founder reveals the new brand’s whole range.

18 Family-friendly venues: How pubs are making the most of this key demographic.

22 Going casual-premium: Exec chefs reveal precisely where pub dining is going.

PUBLISHER: Paul Wootton EDITOR: Craig Hawtin-Butcher PUBLISHED BY:

Food and Beverage Media Pty Ltd 41 Bridge Road GLEBE NSW Australia 2037 Tel: 02 9660 2113 Fax: 02 9660 4419

18

craig@intermedia.com.au

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER:

Jason Wild Tel: 02 8586 6213 • jwild@intermedia.com.au

GENERAL MANAGER SALES – LIQUOR & HOSPITALITY GROUP: Shane T. Williams

25 Made In Australia: From ingredients and products to menus and influences.

Regulars 6 News: The most relevant stories affecting your business.

30 Design and Build: Australian Venue Co’s State of Grace reveals its crossover spaces.

34 Sports Calendar: In the thick of LIVE! the action this month.

GROUP ART DIRECTOR – LIQUOR AND HOSPITALITY:

Kea Thorburn kthorburn@intermedia.com.au

HEAD OF CIRCULATION:

Chris Blacklock cblacklock@intermedia.com.au

PRODUCTION MANAGER:

Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au

DISCLAIMER

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4 | APRIL 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

WE ENCOURAGE RESPONSIBLE DRINKING Get the facts DrinkWise.org.au

SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1yr (11 issues) for $95.00 (inc GST) 2yrs (22 issues) for $152.00 (inc GST) – Saving 20% 3yrs (33 issues) for $199.00 (inc GST) – Saving 30% To subscribe and to view other overseas rates visit www.intermedia.com.au or Call: 1800 651 422 (Mon – Fri 8:30-5pm AEST) Email: subscriptions@intermedia.com.au

Average Total Distribution: 5,497 AMAA/CAB Yearly Audit Period ending 31 March 2018.

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NEWS

MITCHELL WAUGH’S PUBLIC HOUSE MANAGEMENT GROUP SELLS TWO Public House Management Group (PHMG) have sold both Bistro Moncur and the Woollahra Hotel CEO and Founder Mitchell Waugh’s portfolio reshuffle continues.

After exiting from The Buena, Mosman, along with its Bistro Moncur offering at that venue in September 2018, Public House Management Group today revealed the sale of both Bistro Moncur and the Woollahra Hotel.

A PHMG spokesperson has revealed the buyer of both venues to Australian Hotelier, saying “Bistro Moncur and the Woollahra Hotel has been sold to other members of the Waugh family. Owner of Public House Management Group, Mitchell Waugh has bought out investors and now owns in its entirety The Royal Paddington, The Toxteth and the Marrickville Ritz.”

The divestments come after the major purchase of The Toxteth Hotel in Glebe back in February 2017 for $22m from Geoff Dixon and John Singleton’s Riversdale Group.

Waugh will retain his position as the head of PHMG, owning in entirety the Royal Hotel Paddington, The Toxteth and Marrickville Ritz. PHMG confirmed there are “reimagined plans for each of the three venues and plans for future acquisitions.”

Announcing the sale of The Buena and Bistro Moncur Mosman last September, PHMG had confirmed significant reinvestments would be made into two of its key hotels: The Woollahra Hotel and The Royal Hotel Paddington, but the portfolio shuffle will clearly impact on those plans.

A PHMG spokesperson said, “Although it was part of the plan last year, as Public House Management Group no longer own The Woollahra Hotel, they will not be renovating the venue.

“The Toxteth was refurbished last year. The future will see works done to the Royal Paddington and Marrickville Ritz. PHMG plan to submit a DA for a restaurant at the Royal, expanding the Elephant Bar, and

The Woollahra Hotel. Image © Google 2019

providing a view of the bay. This will of course pend DA approval.”

Mitchell Waugh, CEO and Founder, Public House Management Group says: “Saying goodbye to Bistro Moncur is bitter-sweet for us, this was our first venture in the restaurant business, and we have thoroughly enjoyed growing in this space. We took some great learnings from restaurant ambassadors Guillaume Brahimi and Damien Pignolet and there is a vision to increase the food offering of the group in the near future.

“This change brings great excitement for the wider stable of venues and the growth of the business. We have already commenced plans to reimagine our existing venues and acquire new ones, the future is certainly bright for Public House Management Group.”

Mitchell Waugh and wife Harriet Waugh will be stepping away from the Woollahra venues in mid-April 2019 to focus on the rest of their portfolio.

Mitchell Waugh has been at the helm of Bistro Moncur and the Woollahra Hotel since the Waugh family purchased the venues in 2015.

AHGE EVENT MAKES A SPLASH IN SOGGY BRISBANE Australian Hotelier was there as the Australasian Hospitality and Gaming Expo (AHG Expo) concluded two successful days across 27 and 28 March at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, despite the wet cyclone conditions outside.

Keno AHG Expo Event Manager Amy Coady said: “We are really pleased to say the 2019 Keno AHG Expo has seen record visitor numbers though the door. We’ve also seen record numbers of international visitors.”

Among the key gaming exhibitors, IGT showcased their Multistar Hot Diamonds, Konami revealed new All Aboard iterations and Concerto Stack, while SG detailed their plans to extend Jin Ji Bao Xi Fortunes to all states.

Key themes from the expo included the presence of eSports, a global phenomenon, says Coady. Meanwhile sustainability is a clear focus for a number of exhibitors, from recycled carpet flooring (Signature) to bottle-crushers and eco-friendly packaging. The Queensland branch of the Independent Brewers Association was present, their members now numbering over 40 breweries and reflects the continued growth of craft beer

FOR MORE INDUSTRY NEWS FOLLOW US ON 6 | APRIL 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

within Brisbane (Ballistic, Revel, Felons) and state-wide. Related industries, including cellar equipment, were well represented (Cellar Control). A number of exhibitors showcased software solutions for customer relationship management (myguestlist) while a number of security services providers were also present on the expo floor.

The expo also featured an expanded food and beverage offering, AHG Tastes, many of these representing the more than 40 new exhibitors present at the show.

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NEWS

MARION HOTEL ADELAIDE UNVEILS $20 MILLION RENOS A major renovation in Adelaide’s south has passed a significant milestone as publican Jenny Hurley reveals the look and feel of their new accommodation rooms.

The $20 million project has already launched the new The Shed Sports Bar and associated function area in July of last year, along with a new threelane drive through and cellars along with the new kitchen, all launched in December 2018.

The first refurbishment in 20 years, now the Marion Hotel is on the brink of opening the new garden bar, gaming room and lobby in early June.

Ultimately the project will deliver 62 accommodation rooms in mid-July, 50 more than previously, and looks to reposition the hotel as a compelling function venue, particularly weddings.

“We have seen demand for not only accommodation in the area but also increased demand for function and retail space,” says owner Jenny Hurley of the Hurley Group.

Just the hotel’s second owner-operator in over 50 years, the Hurley Group will open the restaurant, function rooms and function garden at the end of August 2019.

Renovations begain in June last year and all spaces should complete in August 2019, creating over 40 new jobs, at the expense of a reduced footprint for the old Front Bar. Hurley Group’s Jenny and Peter have owned the hotel since 1984 and say the new bedrooms will have tailored furnishings and recycled materials reflecting a blend of traditional and modern elements.

“The rooms are sophisticated spaces where industrial chic meets luxury,” says Hurley, “boasting creative flare, the new guest rooms have been crafted with tailored furnishings and unusual fixtures made from unique or recycled materials. The rooms are a blend of modern and traditional design, [creating]

CGI rendering of the Marion Hotel, Mitchell Park

a calm and relaxed space – the perfect ‘home away from home’.”

A new garden bar, dining and function area and intimate gaming room will round off the project.

“We are proud South Australians with a passion for local designers, many interiors and finishes have been sourced from local and Australian suppliers” says Hurley, as she reveals a new menu will launch later in the year. “[We] will not stick to a specific cuisine but have hints, inspirations and flavours from around the world. On the menu you will find smoked food, dishes to share and the occasional quirky ingredient – bold, full of flavour yet appealing for the everyday diner. With health and well-being a focal point, there will be plenty of healthy choices – including gluten free, vegan and vegetarian options,” says Hurley.

LION BUYS 50 PER CENT OF FOUR PILLARS GIN Lion and Four Pillars have announced a deal which sees Lion buying a 50 per cent stake in the Four Pillars business.

Four Pillars was established in 2013 by Stuart Gregor, Cameron Mackenzie and Matt Jones, and Gregor told TheShout, this is a great day for Australian craft distilling, and that the decision to sell came after a number of entities had approached Four Pillars looking to make an investment.

“We have, over the last 18 months, been approached by a lot of people,” Gregor said. “By that I mean private equity, wealthy individuals as well as trade partners and more than one trade partner has approached us.

“Lion just felt the best and I like the fact they are based in Australia. I was a bit afraid of us not being the number one gin in a portfolio, that we might get lost in a company with three or four other spirits brands or gins brands.

“This is a very great day, not just for Four Pillars but for Australian craft distilling because finally everyone understands how good Aussie spirits can be and that a big business like Lion is interested enough to pay a fairly good amount of money for half of a pretty good spirits business.”

Lion’s Managing Director, James Brindley,

8 | APRIL 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

(Left to right): Matt Jones, James Brindley, Stuart Gregor and Cameron Mackenzie was also delighted with the deal.

“The partnership with Four Pillars is really exciting for Lion, as we venture into new categories outside our core beer business,” Brindley said.

“What Matt, Cam and Stu have done in creating Four Pillars in just over five years is nothing short of remarkable and we want them to keep their hands on the wheel, while we offer advice, counsel and assistance.”

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NEWS

EXEC CHEFS REVEAL KEY TRENDS Group executive chefs from Merivale, Solotel, Mantle Hospitality Group, Australian Venue Co, Parlour Group and W Short have revealed to Australian Hotelier the key food and beverage trends they’re seeing right now in their venues.

Leading the way is the rise of vegetarianism and veganism, particularly in Sydney’s Inner West.

Jordan Toft, Executive Chef of Coogee Pavilion, The Newport and The Collaroy, says: “People want choice but too much choice confuses the guest. The right amount of choice.

“Whether it be fine dining or casual the guest wants friendly and knowledgeable staff.

“Options, both healthy and cheat day food. Salad and fries is a thing!”

Solotel’s Group Executive Chef Sebastian Lutaud has also called the rise of veganism. “That vegan piece is going to grow in Australia,” says Lutaud. It’s being driven by “cost and ethics, 100%. We’re really seeing it massively in the Inner West [Sydney].”

Solotel’s The Marlborough Hotel has launched a new menu, half is plant-based, with 10 vegan dishes plus weekly Chef’s Specials, which include a vegetarian and vegan option.

Australian Venue Co’s executive chef Telina Menzies says “Plantbased is definitely everywhere – people are definitely on that movement.

Vegetarianism has been around forever, but people are definitely moving towards plant-based diets for health reasons. People just don’t want a deepfried mushroom in a burger anymore, you’ve got to up your game.

“There’s a lot of pea-based protein, soy burger mix and the impossible burger boomed. People are becoming more adventurous and they’re looking at menus before they go out and choose where they’re going to eat. You need to have a decent amount to offer, because [demand] is there and you’ve got to get on board with it.”

Abbotsford’s Carringbush Hotel launched in March with an exclusively vegan and vegetarian menu. Co-founder Liam Matthews and his team also

GAGE ROADS TO OPEN SYDNEY MICROBREWERY AND TAPROOM Gage Roads Brewing Co Ltd (Good Drinks) has secured a site for its first microbrewery and taproom on the eastern seaboard.

Located in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Redfern, the venue comprises 578 sq m and will house a small craft brewery, as well as a 250-person hospitality venue open to the public and the trade.

This is part of the company’s overall strategy to raise its profile on the eastern seaboard. Further venues are being sought in other cities in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

“We’ve been brewing now for close on 15 years now, but while we have had a national distribution, our success has primarily been in Western Australia,” says Miles Hull, head of marketing for Gage Roads.

“We’re looking to launch a new sub brand on this particular site that will brew a new range, some existing but some new beers as well.”

The company will invest around $3 million for the installation of a brewhouse and taproom fit-out of the premises, which is expected to be operational within 12 months.

10 | APRIL 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Vegetarian burger at Solotel's The Marlborough, Newtown

offer all wine on tap, packaging-free beer, eco-friendly reusable metal straws and ethical plates along with environmentally-friendly lighting and heating.

Other trends identified by Parlour Group Executive Chef Regan Porteous are: keeping things simple; reducing weekly work hours for full-time staff; and chefs using phones in kitchens.

Carl Mower, GM at Toormina Hotel emphasises the rise of the share platter. “People like to be able to dine and enjoy each other’s company, whilst enjoying the grazing experience” he says. “We have seen an increase in the number of people wishing to dine on Texas-style BBQ food, such as brisket and short ribs.” Mower also says, “people are always after healthy options, so it’s important that salads are never boring and are creative.”

Gage Roads’ Chief Strategy Officer Aaron Heary

You’re in good company.

PUB LEADERS SUMMIT

AUSTRALIA’S FINEST

OUR FOURTH ANNUAL PUB LEADERS SUMMIT COMES TO MELBOURNE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. SUMMIT CURATOR CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER REVEALS WHY YOU ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, HAVE TO BE THERE.

A

ustralian Hotelier‘s renowned Pub Leaders Summit will be returning for another industry-leading day in 2019 of networking, knowledge-sharing and over 50 ways to improve your business with the most important people in the business in attendance.

Already well-established and well-respected in Sydney, we can confirm the industry’s foremost summit will maintain its exceptional focus and this year spread the love by taking place on Monday 20 May 2019 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) in the Sovereign Room.

The one-day Melbourne event will pack in as many of the industry’s leading speakers, influencers, movers and shakers as you can handle. From operators and regulators to digital media experts, publicans, suppliers and brewers, you won’t want to miss this once-a-year opportunity to get the inside scoop on how to work more efficiently, more effectively and improve your bottom line.

All wrapped up with beers at our networking session courtesy of Gage Roads at the end for an opportunity to catch up with friends old and new. There’s also an after-party at Richard Chatfield’s nearby venue, Melbourne Public, to keep the business opportunities flowing.

12 | APRIL 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

TOP-DRAWER SPEAKERS Among the star-studded speakers already confirmed is our leading keynote speaker Chris Helder, a business specialist and author. His energetic delivery and excellent business acumen will help distill some of the sector’s most pertinent problems and offer clear solutions.

Meanwhile we’ve some of Australian’s most influential operator groups represented on the day. The major executive team from Sand Hill Road will be joining us, including Dan Viney and Andy Mullins, along with Colonial Leisure Group’s Lawrence Dowd, Australian Venue Co’s CEO Paul Waterson and Zagame’s COO Jackie Booth to name but a few.

But it’s not just key groups who’ll be sharing their top-level insights, we have game-changing individuals such as Steve Jeffares of Stomping Ground talking us through the latest in craft beer. Sommelier Matt Skinner will expand the topic beyond just beer into the wider world of quality beverage.

ENTERTAINMENT Live entertainment expert Shaun Adams and Melbourne native, who’s been responsible for much of the Espy’s line-up in recent years, will reveal how to go about building up your own entertainment proposition, in tandem

with Kirsty Rivers from Creative Victoria, an organisation tasked with trying to help venues make their plans a reality. Meanwhile Alistair Flower of The Settlers Inn in Port Macquarie knows exactly how to build a local community following via top-drawer marketing and social media management.

Want to discover more about launching a large format venue, as they appear increasingly profitable? Tim McLernon of Three Pound Group’s The Camfield will explain exactly how they’ve launched and are operating one of Australia’s biggest new venues next to the massive Optus Stadium in Perth.

For foodservice, we have Liam Matthews of Melbourne’s all-vegetarian Carringbush Hotel, Pete Baker of The Builders Arms, an Andrew McConnell venue, plus Sand Hill Road’s executive chef, Ashly Hicks.

GUARANTEED EXPERTISE We’ll have EY hospitality expert Stewart McCallum backing it all up with data and insights, along with strategic marketing thinkers quantifying and qualifying what’s working and why. Plus representatives from VCGLR and the AHA Vic will share their key expertise around licensing and the wider sector.

Follow #PubLeaders across social media for the latest updates.

PUB LEADERS SUMMIT

OUR SPONSORS

PLATINUM

Intrust Super is proud to once again be the Platinum Sponsor of the Pub Leaders Summit.

The Industry Super Fund has worked side by side with Australian pubs for 30 years and has watched the industry continuously grow and evolve. Much like the industry Intrust Super supports, it continues to innovate and improve its products and services. Intrust Super works hard to ensure clients and members receive the very best from their super fund. For example, the fund’s insurance options were awarded Money magazine’s ‘Best Value Insurance in Super’ from 2013-2018! Please visit the Intrust Super stand to see how the team can assist you. www.intrust.com.au

providing its portfolio of award winning beer and cider to Australia’s leading hospitality venues and liquor retailers. www.gageroads.com.au

JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group has completed more transactions than any other hotels and hospitality real estate advisor over the past five years, totalling more than $77.5 billion worldwide. Whether you’re looking at buying a hotel or are ready to sell, the pubs team can help using its hospitality industry knowledge and relationships to put the right parties together and execute a bespoke deal that exceeds your objectives. www.jll.com.au/hospitality

GOLD

Gage Roads Brewing Co is one of Australia’s leading craft breweries. Since commencing brewing in 2004, Gage Roads Brewing Co has been at the forefront of the thriving craft beer industry, producing a range of ales, lagers and cider all of which are inspired by the brewery’s home on the WA coast. The Gage Roads lineup includes some of Australia’s most popular beer and cider brands – Single Fin Summer Ale, Little Dove New World Pale Ale, Atomic Pale Ale and Hello Sunshine Cider. Gage Roads Brewing Co’s distribution reach extends across Australia through its national sales and marketing team, Good Drinks Australia,

Vectron Bepoz, serious POS technology for today’s hotelier. Offering one consolidated management platform for orders, payments, stock, purchasing, staff management, memberships, promotions and loyalty, backed with unmatched proactive reporting analytics and alerts. All tailored to your business structure from single-venue management to multi-venue head office.

Bepoz POS drives your business beyond the Point of Sale with our Customer Engagement Suite, My Place – Loyalty App, YourOrder – online ordering platform, MyKiosk – in-venue gaming loyalty and Web Addons – website sales and marketing. Fully developed by and integrated to Bepoz.

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providers of accounting, reservations, human resources and payments to complete our solution.

With 24/7/365 support there’s no comparison. That’s why we are trusted by 3,000+ venues across Australia. www.vectron.com.au

Foxtel Business is dedicated to providing an entertainment solution to help venues attract more patrons, ensuring they stay longer and keep coming back for more. Give your patrons an unbeatable atmosphere and the best seat in the house. With over 50 live sports across dedicated channels including Australia’s only 24/7 Cricket, Rugby League and AFL channels, access to world class Pay Per View events, a variety of music options and a great selection of entertainment programming all year round.

Foxtel Business also provides access to a large range of venue specific merchandise and helpful marketing tools to help customers promote live sport. Call 1300 306 460 to enquire today! www.foxtel.com.au/venues

SILVER

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AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER APRIL 2019 | 13

SUMMIT 2019 MONDAY 20 MAY 2019 MELBOURNE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE ÓThe best run event in the industry.Ó Andy Mullins, Sand Hill Road ÒA fantastic event with many valuable insights.Ó Ben Varela, Public House Management Group TICKETS FROM $349 + GST

Get your tickets at: www.publeaders.com.au EVENT SPONSORED BY:

Landor Associates Via Tortona 37 Milan I-20144 Italy Tel. +39 02 764517.1

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M Fir EL st BO tim U e in R N E

HOSTED BY

A ONE-DAY CONFERENCE AND MINI-EXPO FOR LEADING PUB OWNER/ OPERATORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT

THE PROGRAM MONDAY 20 MAY 2019 SUMMIT 2019

MELBOURNE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE SOVEREIGN ROOM

8:30am Ñ 9:30am Registration (with tea and coffee) 9:30am Ñ 9:40am

Welcome and Opening: Craig Hawtin-Butcher (Australian Hotelier) and MC (TBA)

9:40am Ñ 10:40am

Keynote Presentation: Chris Helder (business specialist and author)

10:40am Ñ 11:10am

Showtime: winning with sports, music and entertainment Shaun Adams (Hotel Esplanade/Karova Lounge); Kirsty Rivers (Creative Victoria); Alistair Flower (The Settlers Inn); and another speaker TBA

11:10am Ñ 11:40pm Morning Tea 11:40am Ñ 12:10pm

A year in 30 minutes: everything we learned in our first year Tim McLernon (Three Pound Group); Lawrence Dowd (Colonial Leisure Group); Paul Waterson (Australian Venue Co); and another speaker TBA

12:10pm Ñ 12:40pm

Turning on the taps: beer, craft and beverage trends revealed Steve Jeffares (Stomping Ground); Matt Skinner (Sand Hill Road); Liam Matthews (Carringbush Hotel); and another speaker TBA

12:40pm Ñ 12:50pm Successful by assocation: the pub landscape right now, with David Canny (AHA Vic) 12:50pm Ñ 1:10pm

Bringing home the bright lights: gaming for the win Jackie Booth (ZagameÕs); John Curran (VCGLR); and more speakers TBA

1:10pm Ñ 2:10pm

Lunch

2:10pm Ñ 2:40pm

Casualisation and premiumisation: how to build a food proposition whatever your budget Ashly Hicks (Sand Hill Road), Pete Baker (The Builders Arms); Liam Matthews (Carringbush Hotel); and another speaker TBA

2:40pm Ñ 2:50pm

Any Question Answered: 10 minutes with Dan Viney (Sand Hill Road)

2:50pm Ñ 3:20pm

Should I stay, go or grow? How to call the next shot for your business Paul Waterson (Australian Venue Co); Craig Shearer (Open Arms Hospitality); Stephen Hunt (consultant); Stewart McCallum (EY)

3:20pm Ñ 3:50pm

Put it to the panel: everything you need to know to succeed in the year ahead Andy Mullins (Sand Hill Road); Lawrence Dowd (Colonial Leisure Group); Jackie Booth (ZagameÕs); and another speaker TBA

3:50pm Ñ 4:00pm

Closing note (MC TBA)

4:00pm Ñ 5:00pm

Networking drinks with Gage Roads

5:00pm onwards

After-party at Richard ChatfieldÕs Melbourne Public

Follow #PubLeaders for the latest

NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS

LYRE’S LAUNCHES

NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS RANGE MARK LIVINGS, CEO AND FOUNDER OF NEW NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS RANGE, LYRE’S, REVEALS TO CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER THE BRAND’S HUGE PLANS TO REVOLUTIONISE DRINKING OPTIONS IN PUBS.

WHAT IS LYRE’S? What we wanted to bring to market – and have been working on for over two years – is a system that is friendly to bartenders. So our guiding principles were: can we help bartenders make classics, and their own favourite cocktails, and to make a non-alcoholic version, all they’d need to do is reach for a single bottle?

WHAT ARE YOUR PRODUCTS? We have 13 SKUs. It spans the gamut of arguably the world’s most loved spirits. We have a gin. Our other two big movers are bourbon and whisky. Then we’ve got our rums – a white rum, a spiced rum and a dark rum.

We have two vermouths – a dry vermouth and a sweet rosso vermouth. In the liqueurs, we have absinth, triple-sec, amaretto and a coffee liqueur. We can cover pretty much the entirety of the top 10 cocktails by demand.

SO WHAT’S THE NAME?

single-purchase occasion into something that’s far more profitable for the venue.

We see our products as mixers and very important to the pub and hotel channel. We expect to see [different takes on] rum and coke, bourbon and coke, gin and tonic, etc.

It’s a derivative of lyre bird. The Australian lyre bird, really interestingly, is nature’s greatest mimic. It can mimic the birdsong of anything it can hear. So we thought that as a brand set up around mimicry and creating homage, it would be an extraordinary icon.

HOW BIG IS THE MARKET?

HOW ARE THEY MADE?

They’re in exceptionally high growth and there’s more market demand than there is products to satisfy demand. Seedlip [are saying they're] on track for 3m bottles this year, that’s a half-million unit case. To put that in context, that’s a US$50m business. But given that gin is 5% of the total spirit category, what does that look like if you kick the door off and say, ‘actually we’ve got these alternatives that go across the broad range of spirits’?

We don’t use a distillation process. We do pull in ingredients though. For example, this rosso vermouth – this has over 31 different, naturally-derived essences, extracts and distillates. So what we’re doing is taking the same compounds, the same molecules, that distillation will throw into an ethanol base, we’re just getting to those particular compounds in a different method. We’re combining them post into an aqueous base.

We’ve crafted these beverages to get as close as possible to that using some really, really cool stuff in food science from natural ingredients.

But there’s still a gap. First of all we don’t recommend that people use these as sipping, don’t sip it like a whisky and so on. The second thing, they absolutely shine when they’re used in cocktails and mixers. Thirdly, they need to be handled slightly differently to their alcohol brothers and sisters. Because they have a water base, water is the enemy of these. So only shake to instill a drop in temperature, not to produce further ice melt in the beverage because you do reduce that flavour intensity.

WHO ARE YOU TARGETING?

HOW ARE YOU EDUCATING PUBLICANS?

HOW SHOULD LYRE’S BE SERVED?

The first thing that we’d tell someone with a pub is: alcohol consumption by volume in markets like the US are down 5% year on year. That’s an enormous number and that’s resulting in less foot traffic to venues. So having a robust, interesting range of non-alcoholic options to keep these places relevant to the consumer is a really important thing to do.

There’s a really interesting story here for venue profitability. So a hotel selling a non-alcoholic beverage there’s people getting free waters or buying a very low-priced standard soft drink or lemon, lime and bitters. So we can transform that

These are as close as we can get to the original thing, so use them like you would use the original. So for the bourbon, make an old fashioned or a manhattan. For the gin and the rosso [vermouth], go and make a negroni. No need to trade out of those beautiful classics that we all love, just switch the bottle.

WHAT IS YOUR POSITIONING

It’s very, very clear that consumers are demanding this. The first one is millennials – they’re more mindful with their consumption, around food and beverage. Then we’ve got women who are pregnant. A lot of people are now saying ‘I don’t actually want to drink during the week’ or ‘I want those alcohol-free days’, and this is giving them a real alternative.

Then we have the boomer population. We have an ageing population and they’re a significant population. It’s really important that we can continue to offer them [alternatives to] the beverages that they’ve grown to love over the course of a lifetime.

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ARE THESE EXACTLY LIKE THEIR ALCOHOL BROTHER?

WHAT’S THE ROLLOUT? We’re doing probably the slightly absurd and quite ambitious thing of doing a multicontinental launch. In Australia, Swift and Moore will be our distributors.

PUB DINING AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Foodservice Inspiration For Your Pub

SIMPLE AND CASUAL

WHY CASUAL SIMPLICITY IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY

MADE IN AUSTRALIA

FROM INGREDIENTS TO DRINKS, AUSTRALIAN-MADE IS DELIVERING PROFITS

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FROM SPACES AND PLACES TO FOOD AND DRINK THAT ATTRACT VALUABLE FAMILY GROUPS

FAMILY FORTUNES

Beer garden and play area at Toormina Hotel

FAMILIES FLOCKING TO FAVOURED PUBS

FAMILIES HAVE NEVER BEEN BETTER CATERED FOR. SMART OPERATORS REVEAL TO CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER HOW THEY’RE REVOLUTIONISING MENUS AND SPACES TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITY.

“O

f course, hospitality is all about being hospitable,” says Regan Porteous, Parlour Group’s Executive Chef, when Australian Hotelier asks him how the group is catering for the increased demand from families. “We encourage families and have menus available for all ages,” he says.

The Parlour Group aren’t alone in catering for this key customer segment. With competition for customers as intense as it’s ever been, and profit margins being squeezed, venues are increasingly keen to attract any and all demographics, and families are a key one.

“We’re definitely focused on families, 100%,” says Deniz Coskun, Executive Chef for the Queensland-based Mantle Group Hospitality.

“A lot of our venues are in the CBD, though a few are outside. You do find those [outside the CBD] are more family friendly.

“At the end of the day, families want to go out for dinner or lunch. They want to have fun,

18 | APRIL 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

catch up with other families. I’m a dad myself – I want to catch up with my friends. We tend to do lunches now instead of dinners. We still want to have good food, be able to be more relaxed and bring the kids, go to our local. For those suburban pubs, having that good quality food offer will attract that,” says Coskun.

Pubs are responding precisely to the demand Coskun descibes. Venues know that kids don’t eat alone, so that loss-leading promotions including ‘kids eat free’ headline sales guarantee adults will likely order from the menu also. Family groups are also attractive to operators keen to attract daytime crowds and to develop return business from local regulars.

Lincoln Baker, GM at The Australian Heritage Hotel in Sydney’s The Rocks precinct recognises the value of family groups, saying: “Service during the day is important. During the week it’s mostly travelling families and on Sundays we attract young families out for a meal and a drink.”

ATTRACTIVE PRICING Baker looks to attract families with a daily $10 children’s menu, along with children’s crayons and sketch books to keep them occupied. More prosaically, The Australian Heritage Hotel caters for the practical requirements of young families, offering separate baby-changing facilities and high-chairs. Many venues now offer similar facilities, which are increasingly the norm rather than the exception.

Baker also has one eye on the long-term future for the venue, saying “That Aussie pub experience has now become a part of our culture and being a family friendly venue will ensure that culture continues onto the next generation.”

Mantle’s Coskun says, “Our approach [to families] is pretty similar, it’s still quality food, but having the dining rooms flexible to have children there, having separate dining areas and kids menus. Our approach has always been good quality, reasonably priced. For kids [pricing is] by age – it could be $5-$10.”

FAMILY FORTUNES Telina Menzies, Executive Chef at Australian Venue Co says “Some of our venues kids can eat free, for certain nights or all week. I know The Local in Port Melbourne they’re doing kids-eat-free every day of the week.”

At Mosman’s The Buena, GM Lloyd Mckerrell says “we have designed a kids menu to help make the decision to go out for dinner just a little bit easier. We have a $15 kids menu that includes a free drink, colouring-in pack and icecream. In addition to that, kids eat free on Mondays.”

But not all family dining is exclusively price-driven, says Mantle Group’s Coskun: “As housing in the CBD gets more expensive, it pushes professionals further out to the suburbs. But they’re still two-income families with money to spend. They want to be able to get a good steak, fresh seafood locally-sourced.”

Therein lies the opportunity.

As Chris Jones, GM at The Tudor Hotel in Redfern, NSW highlights, family groups also have other tangible benefits beyond profits, saying, “Local families have become a very important part of The Tudor’s growth. They bring a friendly approachable vibe to the pub.”

The Tudor Hotel, Redfern

“At the end of the day, families want to go out for dinner or lunch.

They want to have fun, catch up with other families.”

– Deniz Coskun, Mantle

FAMILY FORTUNES

The Buena, Mosman

HEALTH-CONSCIOUS In regional NSW, Carl Mower, GM at the Toormina Hotel is very proud of the family atmosphere and dining experience his team have created there, and believes pricing isn’t the only consideration for patrons, with health and quality both key attractions.

“We have proven that price is often outweighed by quality,” says Mower. “Parents are looking for healthy options for their children and not just what would be considered ‘easy fried’ food.”

The health factor is something that’s definitely front of mind for Solotel’s Group Executive Chef Sebastian Lutaud, who says, “Pretty much every venue has a kids menu. We’ve gone in and done some health-conscious menus for the kids – there’s always one [option] that’s more health-conscious. Kids just want fried items and chips, we know that, but we want to make sure there’s a healthier option.”

Australian Venue Co’s Menzies says “Our CEO and COO both have kids. They eat and drink out a lot and they don’t always want to give their kids chicken nuggets. Making sure you’ve got a healthy option, [it’s important to offer] a little bit more rounded food offer for kids, not just a cheeseburger, nuggets and chips.”

A Solotel spokesperson says they’re also looking at “shifts in menus, spaces and service times to accommodate families rather than just straight-up drinkers – we are introducing kids (and dog) menus at The Bank, Newtown and The Clock, Surry Hills.

“We are going to ensure that kids menus include vegan options as a groupwide focus to being inclusive for all – dietary requirements is a big thing for us.

20 | APRIL 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

We have Easter activations at The Sackville Hotel [in Rozelle, NSW], with a petting zoo and face painting.”

SAFE SPACES Back at The Tudor Hotel, they’re also looking beyond pricing, menus and facilities to offer suitable spaces for family patrons. They reserve spaces for families “so the kids can run around and more importantly the adults can relax and enjoy their time,” says Jones.

Over at Merivale, Jordan Toft, Executive Chef of Coogee Pavilion, The Newport and The Collaroy describes how entire venues have been reworked for the family segment: “Those venues like Coogee Pavilion and The Newport have been conceptualised with families in mind,” says Toft. “Creating multi-use spaces, choices where parents and kids can enjoy a different offering yet enjoy in the one space [all] create a family atmosphere. As a parent, if your kid loves to go somewhere and you too enjoy it, it’s a win-win!” says Toft.

Telina Menzies, Executive Chef at Australian Venue Co says “A lot of our demographic in our target markets, it is people with young families, so you need to just embrace that and be able to create a safe space where people feel like they can sit for an afternoon and their kids are occupied and they’ve got a good food offer.”

For venues grasping the family market with health-conscious menus for kids, grown-up dishes for parents, all served in the right spaces with activities on hand to keep the kids busy, the rewards are plain to see.

“Our CEO and COO both have kids. They eat and drink out a lot and they don’t always want to give their kids chicken nuggets.”

– Telina Menzies, Australian Venue Co

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SIMPLE IS BEST

KEEPING IT SIMPLE AND CASUAL EXEC CHEFS ACROSS AUSTRALIA REVEAL TO CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER WHY CASUAL SIMPLICITY IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY.

F

or exec chefs like Deniz Coskun of the Mantle Hospitality Group, premium and fine dining are dirty words. They’re also precisely what pub-goers are avoiding right now.

“I was in fine dining,” says Coskun, once of Brett’s Wharf and Tank restaurants, “but I switched to this group because I could see people want good food, but they want to sit down and relax with friends or family. They don’t want the waiter coming over and saying ‘this fish was caught yesterday at 9:10am’.”

The result, says Regan Porteous of Parlour Group, is the number one foodservice trend right now: “Keeping things simple”.

Coskun and Porteous’ comments are reflective of what pubs across Australia are telling us. Tablecloths, foams and silver service are out, relaxed dining options and affordable menus are in. This casualisation of the dining

22 | APRIL 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

experience harks back to the more traditional purpose of an Aussie pub – a great place for those of all ages and genders to convene, eat, drink and talk, without the costly experience more familiar in the higher echelons of Australian fine dining.

“You have to be premium in the sense of what you offer, but I don’t think you should be gouging at people for it,” says Coskun.

as a chef, everything went a bit crazy – everyone was trying too hard with ‘molecular this’ and ‘molecular that’. People really seem to be winding it back. All the old-school dishes seem to be coming back into fashion. People are stripping back all the chemicals, the powders, and just really getting back into simple, wellexecuted food. I’m seeing it everywhere – not just on the plate but in settings and venues.”

QUALITY CASUAL

HANDS-FREE SHARERS

“People are expecting higher quality food from pubs these days,” says Lincoln Baker, GM at The Australian Heritage Hotel. “The old schnitty and chips isn’t cutting it like it used to. Pubs have been forced to have restaurant quality grub available.”

But it’s not just pricing that’s having to change. Telina Menzies, Executive Chef at Australian Venue Co says, “I know even myself

Perhaps the most tangible result of this shift to casual dining is how customers are ordering and consuming their meals – shared platters, often enjoyed without cutlery.

“There’s a fair few trends of Italian [cuisine] making a comeback,” says Solotel’s Group Executive Chef Sebastian Lutaud. “Alberto’s Lounge, but I think what that trend is doing, if you look at Italian cooking it’s produce-driven,

The Tudor Hotel, Redfern

SIMPLE IS BEST it’s not complicated. I really think that way of eating and sharing just keeps growing.

Carl Mower, GM at the Toormina Hotel, is witnessing precisely the same trend in regional NSW. “Most definitely the ability for diners to experience ‘a share platter’ [is a key trend]. People like to be able to dine and enjoy each other’s company, while enjoying the grazing experience.”

“We look at that in our pubs – people are just ordering for the table and sharing pretty much everything apart from the burgers,” says Lutaud.

“One of the things we’re really pushing is that comfort of hand-held food,” says Lutaud. “You can have a beer, no need to get a knife and fork out, just use [your] hands, that whole part of socialising and spending time with the people you’re with.”

DIFFERENT DAY, A DIFFERENT WAY

“All the old-school dishes seem to be coming back into fashion” – Telina Menzies, Australian Venue Co

It’s not just what’s on the menu and how it’s consumed that’s changing, but the make-up of customer groups. Lloyd McKerrell, GM and Licensee at The Buena in Sydney’s Mosman says, “I am seeing a change where people expect to be able to walk in with any version of their friendship circle and enjoy great quality food in a lively and inviting atmosphere. I regularly see people come in with their families for lunch and then two days later the same person has a table for eight with their mates.”

Those differing scenarios play out at different times but within precisely the same venue, which means hotels – and their menus – are having to adapt and rapidly.

“I know for me,” says Menzies, “menu planning and the sheer amount of venues that I’ve got, that I’m trying to strip the food back, less is more and being able to concentrate on, for example, the perfect mashed potato or pomme puree, a nice steak with a simple sauce. Rather than too many moving parts where there are too many factors to getting it wrong.”

OPERATIONAL UPTICK Simplified menus don’t just suit the customer – operationally they’re great for venues. With Menzies

arguing it’s getting harder to find and retain chefs, stripping back dishes makes prefer sense.

Equally with the drive towards using seasonal, local produce – which suits venues trying to keep their costs down – pared-back menus are increasingly prevalent.

Solotel’s Lutaud says, “Produce-driven is going to be a massive one. Matt [Moran] is a director in Solotel and his ethos has always been around great produce. We still believe in that. Great produce, that’s done right.

“We don’t want to overcomplicate, and that goes for everything. We want to keep things simple so that diners can relate to it. They might go home and say they want to cook it, but it’s not quite the same. Because we want to put an element of surprise in it or use an unusual ingredient. That’s the biggest challenge – to keep things simple, but in the background there’s still a lot going on, there’s a technique behind it. There’s an ingredient where you think ‘wow, where’s that coming from?’ That’s how we try to look at things,” says Solotel’s Lutaud.

SMALL MENU, RAPID CHANGES Lutaud says this simplification of menus isn’t just happening in kitchens – menus themselves are now written down more simply. “Instead of adding 50 different things to the menu, it’s a smaller menu, changed more regularly,” says Lutaud.

“People want choice but too much choice confuses the guest, the right amount of choice.” says Jordan Toft, Merivale’s Executive Chef at the Coogee Pavilion, The Newport and The Collaroy.

Straightforward menus answer that need.

For Lutaud, it’s also about making sure what’s on the menu is executed perfectly. “Operationally that makes things easier for us and the customers,” says Lutaud. “Labour these days is so expensive so we need to be a lot smarter about things.”

Lutaud cites The Paddington [Paddo Inn] as a great example of where this has happened. “About 18 months ago we went in a direction that wasn’t the right one, and we started listening to people and what they wanted. We’ve gone back and simplified it as the venue got too large, with great ingredients.

Pizzas at The Australian Heritage Hotel

Black bean nachos at The Marlborough, Newtown

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER APRIL 2019 | 23

SIMPLE IS BEST

Regan Porteous, Parlour Group

Pizzas at Toormina Hotel

Pig ‘N’ Whistle

The Village Inn, Paddington

“People are expecting higher quality food from pubs these days,” – Lincoln Baker, Australian Heritage Hotel

The Tudor Hotel, Redfern

And we’ve seen a massive change in that venue, people are coming back twice or three times a week, and that’s what we want. If you have that restaurant or venue that’s just occasional, then you’re definitely losing that touch.”

It’s not just a city trend, either. Toormina Hotel’s Mower says: “the overall approach is keeping it simple and always fresh. We are heavily focused on ensuring that we exceed expectations, this includes making sure our menu changes seasonally, which allows us to utilise all the fresh produce that we can source locally.”

PRICE POINTS Not only are menus getting simpler, but they’re also increasingly more affordable. Tight competition is keeping a lid on the prices venues can charge, with pubs not only competing with each other but with restaurants too. The result for diners is a boom in top-quality meals at a competitive price.

“It’s great to be working in a time where customer expectations are as high as they currently are,” says The Buena’s Lloyd McKerrell, “it keeps us hoteliers

24 | APRIL 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Toormina Hotel honest, and ensures we are constantly pushing the boundary with our food offerings. Gone are the days where pubs can keep the same offering season after season. More often than not, we’re seeing pub meals rival restaurant quality food.”

Raised expectations aren’t without their challenges, of course. Australian Venue Co’s Telina Menzies says simplification helps with keeping costs down, but says “There’s a tightness around spend, 100%.

Your food or bev spend is your biggest bill each week and the industry is getting harder and harder, more competitive, and it’s getting harder to make a dollar out of 15 cents.”

One solution to these challenges is offered up by Mantle Hospitality’s Deniz Coskun: “Have a tiered structure, that’s my approach. Have a dish for $25 and have a dish for $70 for those who want it. I don’t think you need everything in the $40s or $50s. If you do that in the suburbs, you will not succeed.”

But despite the challenges, handheld foods, simple menus using local, seasonal ingredients executed with flair and quality service is the name of the game and venues doing it well are positively thriving.

MADE IN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Heritage Hotel, The Rocks

100% DOING IT AUSSIE “W

e have our own cattle [at Bilambil Heights, NSW] on about 450 acres, just inland from the Gold Coast at Tweed Heads,” says Deniz Coskun, Executive Chef for the Queensland-based Mantle Group Hospitality.

“It’s a beautiful piece of land – I keep saying to the boss we should have a wedding venue up there – luscious green grass overlooking the Gold Coast, it’s stunning. We take our head chefs out there and go mustering.”

Coskun and the leadership team at Mantle aren’t in it, however, for the scenery. They’re one of a number of groups taking the provenance and sourcing of their ingredients incredibly seriously and looking to reap the rewards.

“Just last year, food made up 50% of the sales, so it’s a huge part of our business,” says Coskun. “In every venue we open, we certainly put a big emphasis on the kitchens, the food and having a restaurant within our fitouts. It’s definitely a main target of ours.”

Over at Merivale, Jordan Toft is witnessing the emergence of a defined Australian cuisine.

FROM PERTH TO BRISBANE AND ALL POINTS IN-BETWEEN, THE GREAT AUSSIE PUB HAS NEVER BEEN MORE AUSTRALIAN. CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER TALKED TO EXEC CHEFS ACROSS AUSTRALIA, FROM SOLOTEL TO MERIVALE, MANTLE TO AUSTRALIAN VENUE CO, ABOUT WHY SOURCING 100% AUSTRALIAN FOOD AND BEVERAGE MAKES PERFECT ECONOMIC SENSE.

The Executive Chef of Coogee Pavilion, The Newport and The Collaroy says, “Australia’s size allows for different climates during different seasons and therefore we have a vast variety of produce coming from our lands. Australian cuisine is hard to define and an area for interpretation. We have generally taken techniques from other cuisines while morphing it to Australian taste using our Australian sensibilities.

“There has been a rise in native Australian products available and in use which may push us into a cuisine we can definitively call Australian.”

FOIS GRAS FORCED OUT “In my younger years it was all about the French bries and fois gras, imported stuff and imported wines” says Telina Menzies, Executive Chef at Australian Venue Co. “In WA especially [where Menzies hails from] they’re very proud. The guys in Perth are very proud of the local produce, and now when we’re writing menus we’re trying to source the best local produce I can and support local

producers … before I reach out anywhere else, but definitely Australian. We’ve got the best seafood in the world, and a lot of sustainable stuff. We’re producing great beef, and the cheeses these days are really world class. We’re really progressing.”

For some, like Solotel’s Group Executive Chef Sebastian Lutaud, using Australiansourced produce is no longer a question – it’s simply heavily engrained in their business.

“As a business, in terms of pushing Australian, we’ve been doing the right thing for a while,” says Lutaud. “We would be pretty much 90% all-Australian for our food. 100% we support Australian, most of what we get is from New South Wales and Victoria.”

The main issue is adapting to fluctuating prices as a result of the drought.

“Last year we got an increase of lamb of 30% and we ended up copping a bit of that as a business. It’s about educating our guests about prices. If I was to put 30% onto the price of lamb we received, I don’t think anyone would pay for it.

“Profitability is harder every day, to be honest,” says Lutaud. “Two weeks ago I got

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER APRIL 2019 | 25

MADE IN AUSTRALIA an e-mail from our fruit and veg guys. Half the stuff, the price has gone through the roof.

100% of that is drought-related. We’re starting to increase our prices – we sort of have to – but we need to be smart about it.

“If it’s protein, do we cut down the size by 10-20%? You know consumers – they’re willing to pay to a certain point, we don’t want to scare the consumer away. But talking to Vic’s Meats, they’re copping [increases] and not passing it on to us. Everyone’s just trying to absorb something here and there,” says Lutaud.

GROW YOUR OWN

Pig ‘N’ Whistle

130 Australian beers are on offer at The Australian Heritage Hotel Open kitchen of Wickens at Royal Mail Hotel

Meanwhile over in Pullenvale, 25 minutes out of Brisbane, the Mantle Group is trying to seize some of the initiative around supply. They own 10 acres of land currently laid with citrus trees and herbs including curry leaves and rosemary, supplying some of their venues.

“It doesn’t supply all of them,” says Coskun, “obviously 10 acres isn’t enough to supply the 14 venues we have now, but we use key venues and source from there.” For the fruit and veg, that primarily goes to the two venues nearest the farm, the Pig ‘N’ Whistle Indooroopilly.

“Across 14 venues we would need probably 20 times the size of land at that property to supply us, so we run these as specials. We’ve got that flexibility purely because of logistics,” says Coskun.

Down in New South Wales in the heart of Sydney’s tourist-driven Rocks precinct, the W Short Hotel Group’s Australian Heritage Hotel is a shining example of going all-in on all-Australian. The venue’s GM Lincoln Baker says: “We offer a classic Australian dining and drinking experience. We have emu, kangaroo and crocodile on the menu and try to support Australian grown and owned producers as much as possible. Our beer and wine list is exclusively Aussie with over 130 Australianowned craft beers on offer in venue every day.

“We are also seeing growth in boutique Australian spirit producers and putting a focus on having as many Australian spirits on our back bar as possible.

“We have a long history of supporting Australian owned brewers, distillers and providers. Being the Australian Hotel I think it’s important we remain true to this. There is great quality coming out of Australia at the moment as well so we can understand why people are demanding we use home grown products,” says Baker.

ALL-AUSTRALIAN DRINKS Over at sister venue The Tudor Hotel, Redfern, the all-Australian beer list continues. GM Chris Jones says, “We only serve Australian beer. With our produce, 50% comes from our local green grocer (next door) and the rest from

26 | APRIL 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

MADE IN AUSTRALIA The Buena, Mosman

ROYAL MAIL HOTEL, DUNKELD

local suppliers. It’s all about supporting your community and keeping it local.”

The support for locally produced extends to spirits, too. “We are strong supporters of anything Australian and spirits is something Australia has blossomed in, especially in the last few years,” says Jones.

Across town at another W Short Hotel Group venue, The Buena, GM Lloyd McKerrell explains their passionate support of Australian produce.

“We are constantly on the hunt for the highest quality local and Australian produce to put on our menu. Our salmon is from Tassie, our lamb is from Cowra, kingfish is from South Australia and our beef is from the Riverina.

“By chance, we have also formed a very special relationship with our egg supplier. Our head chef, Jon Trouillet, was on a trip through the Kangaroo Valley when he stayed the night at a farm he found on AirBnB. Now we exclusively use that farm as our egg supplier,” says McKerrell.

A recent innovation at The Buena is a new gin bar showcasing the best of old British flavours and fresh Aussie herbs.

“Our most recent addition to the gin list is the Brookies ‘slow’ gin, from Cape Byron Distillery - a local and sustainable distillery up in Byron,” says McKerrell.

SOUND ECONOMICS For many, using local or Australian produce isn’t a badge of honour. It’s a sound business decision, a way of supporting their local community and a cost-effective way of sourcing the right in-season ingredients, at lower cost.

“I want to do it [use our own or local produce],” says Coskun. “But I don’t feel the

need to have it on every dish on the menu. I think some venues put it against every single dish, and I wonder if I’m reading a menu or getting an education lesson. So we do play it down a little bit. But I think the management approach and the direction we’re going in, it just shows in the food where you’re sourcing things from.

“It’s also about using things in the peak of their season. We’ll go out to fruit and veg markets and see what’s on the floor. When you see pallets and pallets of stone fruit, you think ‘righto, we’ve got to get these on the menu now’.

“We use a local trawler fisherman – Terry.

He’s 76 years old, still doing it, been doing it since he was 16 years old, his whole life. We use him and we understand when he says things are going to finish – when we should be pushing prawns more, taking them off, letting things recover and working with that,” says Coskun.

Working in tune with the seasons to reduce costs, working with knowledgeable suppliers to inform the menu, and taking control of more of the supply chain has helped the Mantle Group and others forge ahead, reduce inefficiencies and create a point of difference.

The group has its own beer label, the Spitfire, its own wine label, Jacqueline's Ridge, and roasts its own coffee having sourced the beans from around the world, and operates out of a central kitchen facility, which they built around 10 years ago.

“It enabled us to go to farms, get things direct and manage some of the quality control by producing it [at our central kitchen],” says Coskun.

Whether its in-house or simply a traceable supply chain, the movement supporting Australian food and beverage, from farm to fork, looks set to impact the industry for years to come.

Executive Chef Robin Wickens’ two-hatted fine dining restaurant in Dunkeld is not your average Australian pub. Not because their five or eight course degustation menus are served in decidedly modern surrounds (much of it Australian sourced), but because it has its own 1.2ha kitchen garden in pursuit of Wickens’ ambition to become ‘hyper-local’.

The hotel has its own farm, producing beef and lamb for the restaurant. Local produce from other nearby suppliers ranges from seafood from Port Fairy, duck from Great Ocean Road, pork from Colac and charcuterie from Ballarat.

Over 800 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, edible flowers and plants are sourced from the garden, supported by other plots including stone fruit orchards, an olive grove, citrus grove and a glasshouse for microherbs.

A full time kitchen garden specialist manages the garden working closely with the kitchen team and chefs harvest from the garden daily. Organic and some permaculture principles are practiced, while overnight guests can take a 45-minute tour.

Even the building design is intended to connect diners with their surroundings and where the produce has come from. The hotel’s architect Nicholas Byrne says “Dining at Wickens is an immersive experience. Our design focuses on the guests’ engagement with three defining elements – food, wine and place. Sitting in the dining room guests are literally immersed in these elements.”

Chef Robin Wickens of the Royal Mail Hotel

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER APRIL 2019 | 27

MADE IN AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIAN-MADE, AWARD-WINNING BEVERAGES

IT’S NOT JUST AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE DOMINATING MENUS, BUT HOME-GROWN BEVERAGES TOO. FROM TERROIRFOCUSED BEERS TO BEST-IN-WORLD SPIRITS, THE AUSSIE PUB-GOER HAS NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD.

WORLD’S BEST CLASSIC GIN – NEVER NEVER WORLD’S BEST AUSTRALIAN WHISKY – STARWARD Adelaide-based Never Never received possibly the world’s highest honour for gin – World’s Best Classic Gin at the World Gin Awards 2019.

While several Australian gins excel with native botanicals, Never Never’s range is decidedly juniper-forward in a classic gin style.

“We are here to start a juniper revolution,” says Sean Baxter, Never Never’s Brand Director.

Launched in August 2017 by three friends passionate about creating bold and distinctive Australian spirits, they are currently stocked by the Hurley Group in Adelaide, Sand Hill Road in Melbourne, Merivale in Sydney, the Rockpool Group in Sydney and the Ghanem Group in Brisbane. Nationally they’re stocked in the Lucas Group.

Melbourne-based Starward distillery won two awards at the 2019 World Whiskies Awards – Winner for Australian Blended Whisky, for their Two Fold, and Gold for Australian Single Malt Whisky for Solera.

Two-Fold is entirely matured in Australian wine barrels, primarily from Victoria wineries near the distillery, and made using Australian wheat and malted barley.

“I started Starward with a simple vision; offer the world a distinctly Australian whisky unshackled from tradition,” says founder David Vitale.

“We felt it was important for us to create a flavourful but easy-drinking and approachable whisky that talks to the place it is made, like very few whiskies can.”

ALCOHOL-FREE SPIRIT: BRUNSWICK ACES

STATE PALE ALES – ARCHER BREWERY & BAD SHEPHERD Several brewers have gone all-Australian with ingredients, from malted barley to local yeasts and hops. Two breweries went even further, using state-sourced ingredients.

All ingredients for Archer Brewery’s Queensland Pale Ale are from within 130km of the Spring Hill, Brisbane brewery – Gold Coast water, Queensland farm malts malted by Barrett Burston Malting in Pinkenba, hops from Hilltop Hops Farm in Hemmant and yeast from Mauri Yeast in Toowoomba.

The Victoria Pale Ale from Bad Shepherd Brewing Co in Cheltenham, VIC, is the first 100% Victorian made, eco-conscious and sustainable beer.

Made using Geelong malt, hops from Rostrevor Farm and Melbourne water.

Unusually, the commercial beer also uses a 100 year-old Victorian yeast.

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With alcohol volume consumption on the wane, alcohol-free drinks are on the rise. Cue alcohol-free spirits made for mixing, including Distill Ventures-supported Seedlip and Melbourne-based Brunswick Aces.

Co-founder Stephen Lawrence says, “Where we have seen our most on-prem success is with highly creative bar staff who are looking to add depth and layers to otherwise sweet, one-dimensional mocktails. Pairing these with food and drink options is a key part of this for chefs as well as bar staff.”

Brunswick Aces uses a parallel technique to produce the same flavour blend without alcohol. Now available on-prem across Melbourne, Perth and Canberra, with expansion set to follow.

The Ambarvale Hotel.

At PKD we take no chances with entertainment design — our detailed design process creates its own good fortune. Contact us and discover why all that glitters is gold.

DESIGN & BUILD

THRILLING

THREE-IN-ONE AUSTRALIAN VENUE CO HAS RELAUNCHED STATE OF GRACE IN MELBOURNE’S CBD. CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER REVEALS HOW THIS THREE-VENUES-IN-ONE SPACE IS BOUND TOGETHER OPERATIONALLY AND AESTHETICALLY.

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“T

heme venues are the future, they really are.” That’s the verdict of Australian Venue Co’s Jeremy Ferguson. Ferguson is the operator’s Divisional Area Manager and responsible for State of Grace, AVC’s relaunched venue in Melbourne’s CBD. “They attract a different type of clientele,” says Ferguson. “Particularly with social media these days, everyone posting, photographing and Tweeting everything, it makes a good thing for them to really play on.”

The venue opened in November last year, but Ferguson admits the new venue is a little outside AVC’s comfort zone.

“It’s very much a standalone venue for us,” says Ferguson. “We do have a couple of venues where these sorts of themes are touched, but we’re into traditional hotels. It is a little bit outside what we’re used to.”

“Definitely having a theme attached is a great idea,” says Ferguson. “It does give the venue a lot of hype. So having the State of Grace, which has such a theme attached to it, is a very, very strong selling point. We’re seeing

that flow on to the type of clientele we attract, the amount of money that gets spent and also the function crowd it attracts.”

CHANGE OF PACE Not only that, the venue is a very different departure from Australian Venue Co’s more traditionally-minded pub spaces, in many ways.

“The State of Grace is different from our other venues in that it has a restaurant license attached to it,” says Ferguson. “Therefore we have to offer 75% seats to our patrons. So a big part of what we offer is around food and we offer full table service throughout. Our other venues are standard pubs – walk in, grab yourself a table, order at the bar, sit down and enjoy a meal.”

The unusual venue is a result of AVC’s acquisition of the Publican Group.

“State of Grace was originally on Collins St and closed down approximately two years ago,” says Ferguson. “The owner of that was the Publican Group. We bought the Publican Group out but in the process of purchasing that group, they were already planning to relaunch the State of Grace in King Street. A part of the deal we

DESIGN & BUILD

Original 1950s music sheets complement recycled timbers and modern flourishes

Main bar area on the ground floor of State of Grace

“It’s quirky, it’s fun, but it’s not over the top,” says consultantant architect John Ahern

did with them was for them to design, build and get State of Grace up and running and we’d take ownership as soon as it was completed. It’s pretty much a turnkey solution.”

And that’s how things have turned out.

Concept planning began in late 2017, with onsite construction kicking off in early February 2018. The venue then opened in stages.

“We opened the ground floor and the basement in very late October 2018 and then the rooftop opened in very late December,” says Ferguson.

THE BRIEF, IN BRIEF AVC’s consultant architect John Ahern describes the overarching brief for the project.

“The main brief was to bring back the old State of Grace that was operating and bringing it back to life,” says Ahern. “A lot of the artwork, interior design, feel, was a replication of the previous State of Grace. The important part was it was very eclectic.”

With such diverse artwork, there is always a danger of creating a fragmented venue.

“All three levels are very different,” says Ferguson. The venue houses Fall From Grace, a speakeasy cocktail lounge at basement level with its own entrance (and, frequently, lengthy queues). There is full table service in that area, “heavily focused on cocktails, more tapas style food,” explains Ferguson. Ground level is home to the modern European cuisine restaurant with full table service throughout, with a 40-seater mezzanine and function space. Upstairs is a traditional rooftop bar housing a pizza oven, for speedy service.

What binds the three spaces together, says Ahern, is the central lift that runs, unusually, from basement to rooftop.

“The fortunate thing is there’s a lift that comes from the basement all the way to the rooftop,” says Ahern. “The theming is consistent through all the spaces. But it gives a different type of offering at every level. You’ve got your ground floor bar, mezzanine restaurant and function space, basement cocktail bar and the rooftop bar for city views.”

Equally consistent is the drinks offering.

There are taps on all three levels, with six SKUs available on each floor. Cocktails are available throughout the venue, though on the rooftop cocktails are served in individual vessels, which are pre-batched. Elsewhere cocktails are served in traditional cocktail glassware and made to order in front of patrons. This is an operational response to the speedy service demanded by patrons on that rooftop level.

VIEW FROM THE TOP “The rooftop bar is an interesting new concept to State of Grace,” says Ferguson. “The original never had [one]. We’ve got half a dozen rooftop bars around the city. We know [they’re] very successful and it’s where people want to be in Summer to enjoy that happy hour. Putting a rooftop on there was really a no-brainer.”

Ferguson is delighted at the rooftop’s success, despite the unfortunate timing.

“We’re very happy with the results,” says Ferguson. “It’s been very busy up there. Opening so late in the year we did very much miss the end of financial year, Christmas time parties and

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER APRIL 2019 | 31

DESIGN & BUILD

Rooftop bar

Basement cocktail bar, Fall of Grace functions. But in saying that, the customer response has been fantastic. Word of mouth went very, very well and we’re getting a lot of people through the door now.”

“On the rooftop bar, the number one seller is tap beer,” says Ferguson. “There’s no better place to sit and have a look at the Yarra from up there and enjoy a schooner.”

“The amount of people we get up there and turnover, it’s very much about speed,” says Ferguson. “The other levels are more about the experience of the traditional State of Grace.”

The rooftop, Ferguson says, always hits capacity a couple of times a week, with long queues forming on Friday afternoons.

TALKING POINTS Aesthetically, the eclectic venue is punctuated by one-offs and talking points.

“It was a lot of fun and that’s the enjoyable part – seeing it come to life with all the moving parts,” says Ahern. “It gives great life to the venue and is a great talking point for patrons – through the wallpaper that is old music sheets and newspapers from the 1950s and 1960s. It gives everyone an ability to remember or talk about items of history.”

The venue features lots of recycled timber for flooring, the staircase and balustrading.

The interior design is based on eclectic and old artifacts, desks and tables.

“The materials are very much from a recycled point of view,” says Ahern, “except for the main construction materials for Australian standards of buildings, like the

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main bar, stainless steel in the kitchen – there’s a fundamentally important part of the fitout that has to be brand new. The interior design is blended with the old and the new.”

Soft furnishings came from a myriad of suppliers, marrying with the design but so they weren’t mainstream. There’s a mix of the old and the new in seating and furniture.

“It’s quirky, it’s fun, but it’s not over the top,” says Ahern.

“There are a lot of items we sourced through alternative methods,” says Ahern. “Some of these items and antiques that were in the venue, they aren’t seen in mainstream shops or antique shops. A lot have been outsourced through auctions, private homes and are really quite unique. That gives a feel to the whole space of the whole eclecticness and alternative views that come across in the venue.”

“I think the entry to the basement [is my favourite part],” says Ahern. “Which is the bookcase and the mystique of how you can enter that basement area is quite different.

It creates a real point of difference for the entrance of the venue. We’ve got a very large giraffe in there, our taxidermist animals that give a warmth and point of difference to the venue. All of it comes together.”

After two years of planning, construction and, more recently, operation, the venue is in a strong position to move forward.

“It’s 100% up and running, now it’s just about reaping the rewards,” says Ferguson.

“We’re getting really good results and looking forward to the future, it’s fantastic.”

Launch night canapes

SAVE THE DATE

Wednesday 23rd October 2019

www.liquorawards.com.au Early bird tickets: Kirsten Pain - 0412 142 993 or kpain@intermedia.com.au Sponsorship opportunities: Shane T Williams - 0431 857 765 or stwilliams@intermedia.com.au

CALENDAR

SPORTS FIXTURES PACK IN THE PATRONS WITH THE SPORT ON LIVE AND LOUD. HERE ARE YOUR APRIL HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE MONTH AHEAD, INCLUDING ANZAC DAY AND EASTER BELTERS.

AFL

LEAGUE

Anzac Day heralds a massive day for the footy where Collingwood and Essendon will face off for the 24th time on our hallowed national holiday.

When: Thu 25 April, Collingwood v Essendon, 3:20pm.

Wed 24 April, Richmond v Melbourne, 7:35pm Channel: Fox Footy and Channel 7

The Storm and the Warriors deliver a fitting trans-Tasman tussle on Anzac Day plus double-headers on three consecutive days.

When: Thu 18 April, Sharks v Panthers, 7:50pm; Fri 19 Bulldogs v Rabbitohs, 4:05pm; Storm v Roosters, 7:55pm; Sat 20 Warriors v Cowboys, 5:30pm; Dragons v Sea Eagles, 7:35pm; Sun 21 Titans v Knights, 2pm; Raiders v Broncos, 4:05pm; Mon 22 Eels v Wests Tigers, 4pm Channel: Fox League and Channel Nine

NBA

UNION

The NBA heats up this month as the Conference Playoffs tip off on Sunday 14 April. The start of the post-season sees the top sides from each Conference squaring off.

When: Sun 14 April, 10:30am Channel: ESPN 2

Super Rugby continues in April with some super match-ups, including a key all-Australian head-to-head.

When: Fri 12 April, Crusaders v Highlanders, 5:35pm; Sat 20, Waratahs v Rebels, 7:45pm; Sat 27, Hurricanes v Chiefs, 5:35pm Channel: Fox Sports

NEXT MONTH

The countdown is on to the start of the 2018/19 Hyundai A-League Finals Series in May. When: Either 18 or 19 May Channel: Fox Sports

*All times are AEST

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