DESIGN & BUILD - MERMAID BEACH TAVERN

A Gold Coast Treasure

MERMAID BEACH Tavern reopened its doors to the public in August after a major project to transform the pub into a more visually striking and inclusive venue for the local community.

The pub was built on a former McDonald’s site on the Gold Coast Highway in the 1990’s and has continued to operate as a family-friendly venue that for many years retained the iconic McDonald’s style playground out front.

Mermaid Beach Tavern now has a completely new look that includes a striking new façade, large circular skylights and a retractable roof to bring the outdoors inside.

Mermaid Tavern Mermaid Beach QLD

Although its visage and ambience have changed markedly, Mermaid Beach Tavern is still a comfortable, casual and family-friendly pub for the community, according to its owner, JDA Hotels, which is owned and operated by the publican Feros family.

There’s still a spot for the kids to play with a new designated kid’s room, as well as lots more natural sunlight and an elevated food and drink offer.

“It’s been a difficult road with Covid, but we couldn’t be happier with the end result,” Mermaid Beach Tavern’s owner John Feros says.

“Our intent was to offer a great food, drink and customer service experience for everyone in the diverse and vibrant Gold Coast community. That’s what we pride ourselves on as a company and what we plan to execute at Mermaid Beach Tavern.”

According to JDA’s group marketing manager, Merinda Harris, the hotel group identified early on the need for a really well-executed pub offering in the immediate area.

“For that reason, Mermaid Beach Tavern will be a pub first and foremost, and will pride itself on doing the simple things right – great pub food, an extensive beverage offering, good entertainment and fantastic customer service,” she says.

FRONT AND CENTRE

The pub’s new look was designed by Paul Kelly Design. “The fundamental idea was to bring new life to the past, with our concept being a reinterpretation of a jewellery box,” Kelly says.

“The Mermaid Beach Tavern really is a bit of a coastal classic, with a little touch of Gold Coast hype.”

It was important that the venue stand out from the crowd, given its location on a busy and intense streetscape featuring putt-putt golf, garish Chinese restaurants, massive billboards, and other bold elements. For this reason, Kelly says, particular emphasis was given to the pub’s façade.

The facing detail on the facade creates a soft and contemporary look.

“In order to stand out, we really had to go for something quite soft and contemporary, and to do this we created a facing detail on the building. That new addition to the façade was something we worked hard on to get some differentiation.”

It was important for the pub to make a strong visual statement for another reason, Kelly says. “We had to change people’s perception, so it no longer reminded them of the old McDonald’s.”

In a nod to the pub’s heritage, however, nostalgic patrons will find some old pictures of Ronald McDonald in the kids’ playroom.

According to Kelly, building the façade was tricky and involved demolishing the front of the building and removing a castle-like turret, but he believes it was worth the extra effort.

“I really do like the façade. I love that it’s unique on the streetscape, and it’s very delicate, like a contemporary lacework.

“When you see the Mermaid Beach Tavern, it really stands out in the right way. It’s an attractive and enticing venue from the outside. It creates a lot of intrigue – the whole façade glows.

“When you go down the street, you know this pub has been reinvented.”

OUTDOOR FEELING

Walking into the Mermaid Beach Tavern from the street, you step right into the heart of the venue, says Kelly, with its skylight-lit main bar, bistro and kids’ area.

“Because of its location on a main road, the pub remains fully enclosed, yet it feels like a beer garden courtyard, and when you enter the venue, you can tell it’s not just a standard pub,” he says.

“It feels like a bit of an oasis, a place where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of six lanes of highway.”

The main bar features a retractable roof, so although the pub is fully enclosed, it feels like a beer garden courtyard.

The front section is large with four-metre ceilings and huge circular skylights. “We really wanted to create the idea that you’re outdoors but in air-conditioned comfort with lots of soft tones, natural timbers, and contemporary white terracotta for a modern feel.”

These iconic colour tones of the Gold Coast can be seen in some of the headlands in the area, Kelly says. “We really wanted to bring the outside in and make a connection between the local landscape and this internal sanctuary.”

The main bar features a retractable roof, and on a nice day, you can be literally outside while standing at the bar and ordering a beer, Kelly says.

Other features include the bistro area which has a large, fully open kitchen, to celebrate the idea of community and family.

“There’s something for everyone in this restaurant. It’s got an open-for-business feel with lots of seating options,” Kelly says.

INCLUSIVE AMBIENCE

Harris says that aesthetically, as well as in its offering, Mermaid Beach Tavern will be 100 per cent inclusive, with special effort made to ensure there is something for everyone.

“Customers should feel a sense of comfort and relaxation when visiting the hotel,” she says. “For the local area we believe it will bring a level of casual sophistication; a vibrant and diverse offering – somewhere to come as a family, on a first date, for a ladies’ long lunch, or with the boys for a punt.”

This was achieved, Kelly says, through the differentiation of different spaces throughout the venue. Prior to the renovation, he says, the Mermaid Beach Tavern’s customer base was mostly male. JDA wanted to change that and attract females and families in order to become more inclusive and serve a broader section of the local community.

The gaming area features metalwork, leather panelling, lighting details and reflection.

It also made sense from a business perspective – they wanted a true fifteenhour business with a variety of patrons coming into the same space for different reasons, Kelly says. “It’s all about the repeat customer, so it was important to make it so comfortable that people want to make it their own and really utilise it.”

For this reason, the main bar, bistro and kids’ area upstairs have more of a female focus in terms of colours and décor. The sports bar and gaming areas downstairs are different again. Although both upstairs and downstairs have the same operator, they have a very different look and feel, almost like they’re two separate venues, Kelly says.

RETRO CHIC

Downstairs in the gaming lounge, the interiors portray a high-end and sophisticated experience with a reinterpretation of the late 1950s, Kelly says. The lobby is very luxurious with lots of metalwork and leather panelling, and the ceiling has lots of lighting details and reflection.

“The gaming area is a bit more sophisticated, as we wanted to push the casino concept, and together with the sports bar downstairs it provides something of a notch above the average,” Kelly says.

The Sports Bar has also been given a fresh new lease on life with a dedicated sports viewing zone and an outdoor area. Its design cues lean towards a reminiscent Palm Springs and are intended to further enhance the external experience, while providing a subtle youthful personality.

“On the lower level we want to breathe new life into the market,” Kelly says, “whereas upstairs, we aim to bring in a whole new market.”

According to JDA’s Harris, the project has been a successful union of great design and expert construction. “Our vision has certainly come to life and perfectly encapsulates our business motto ‘the premium pub experience’.

“We could not be happier with the endproduct and look forward to sharing it with the thriving Mermaid Beach community.”