Australian Hotelier July 2017

Hotelier AUSTRALIAN

AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL HOTEL INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

vol. 34 no. 6 - JULY 2017

IN THIS ISSUE: COFFEE | FOODSERVICE | DRAUGHT BEER

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CONTENTS | ED’S NOTE

Vanessa Cavasinni

Editor’s Note

F

ood and beverage are the main focus of this issue, and while the profit margins may not be as high in F&B as they are in other pub revenue streams, good F&B is in most cases the determining factor that makes people choose one venue over the other – so it’s important to get your menu offerings right to get people in the door. Then you can get them to spend elsewhere in the venue.

Specifically in this issue, we look at good kitchen set-up, the most valued pub kitchen equipment and the food trends that remain popular in pubs across the country. That’s from page 18. We also look at coffee, one product that is increasingly being used to drive sales in pubs – whether in hot beverage or cocktail form (from page 14). Draught beer, the heart of any hotel, is also featured. We take a look at the latest beers that have people talking on page 24.

Cheers,

14 18

Vanessa Cavasinni, Editor P: 02 8586 6201 | E: vcavasinni@intermedia.com.au

NEXT MONTH

The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd 41 Bridge Road GLEBE NSW Australia 2037 Tel: 02 9660 2113 Fax: 02 9660 4419

12

Contents | July Special Features

Regulars

12

6

14 18

ED’S PICK

24

AGE Preview • Cider • Property and Investment

PUBLISHED BY:

26

Census: Use your local demographics to shape your offering.

Coffee: Some like it hot (or cold).

Foodservice: Head chefs discuss their kitchen set-up and food trends.

Draught Beer: Stay on top of tap news.

MANAGING DIRECTOR: Simon Grover PUBLISHER: Paul Wootton EDITOR: Vanessa Cavasinni

GROUP ART DIRECTOR – LIQUOR AND HOSPITALITY:

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER:

HEAD OF CIRCULATION:

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

Chris Blacklock cblacklock@intermedia.com.au

GENERAL MANAGER SALES – LIQUOR & HOSPITALITY GROUP:

PRODUCTION MANAGER:

vcavasinni@intermedia.com.au

Shane T. Williams

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Kea Thorburn kthorburn@intermedia.com.au

Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au

LIVE!

News: The latest happenings around the country.

Design and Build: Brisbane’s West End goes the full Monty.

Sports Calendar: We bring you sporting highlights for July.

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Average Total Distribution: 5,523 AMAA/CAB Yearly Audit Period ending 31 March 2017.

NEWS

Fritzenberger will shorten it’s trading hours in light of mandatory ID scanning

QUEENSLAND’S MANDATORY ID SCANNING: PUBLICANS REACT Mandatory ID scanning was implemented on July 1 by the Queensland Government for licensed premises in Safe Night Precincts (SNPs) that traded after 12am. In the weeks leading up to the significant change for venues, Australian Hotelier spoke to some operators to find out what the implications are of this new policy.

There were some very real concerns from hoteliers, and other stakeholders involved, with many operations having to rethink their trading hours our fork out significant amounts of money for a mandated technology that many believe brings its own sets of problems with it.

SNP PUBS AT NEW DISADVANTAGE Nick Kalaf, owner of the Criterion Tavern in the Brisbane CBD SNP, has some real misgivings about the new mandatory ID scanning policy. His first concern is how it will affect his trading hours, which were normally fluid mid-week.

“The Criterion Tavern is licensed until 3am Monday to Saturday, with a midnight close on Sunday. We now qualify for ID scanners to be used Monday to Saturday if we trade past 10pm on those nights. Monday to Thursday we can close just before 10pm or just after, depending on activity or events that take place around the CBD. Most of the time we don’t pre-determine what time we shut on those nights – we allow the business and turnover to make that conclusion on any given night.

“Now we need to factor in the possibility of 10.30pm closes and the potential of having a security guard present in the venue to man the ID scanner. Security companies charge a minimum of 4 hrs and only licensed security are to man or supervise ID scanners. These are also nights that we don’t need security as we are a low-risk venue.”

Kalaf also views the new mandate – for SNPs only – as a slap in the face for venues in these

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areas who have already made concessions to the government in an effort to crack down on alcohol-related violence.

“Safe Night Precincts were announced some time ago, which means collectively as the liquor licence holders of venues in these areas, we had to decide to all keep 3am closures – which means ID scanners to be used – or we could choose to close at 2am which is the same as any venue outside of the safe night precincts. As an Accord we voted to keep the 3am closure, as should any capital city that is branding itself as a 'new age city'”.

“The problem we now face is non-SNP venues will be able to trade to 2am without ID scanners. Some of these busy venues are located on the fringe of SNPs and will escape having to use ID scanners. Treasury Casino is located in the CBD SNP and will not have to use ID scanners because they fall under a different Act. The Casino would have to be one of the busiest places in Brisbane and is open 24 hours a day,” Kalaf stated.

The other issue Kalaf raises is the storage of patron data. Venues are held liable for any data breaches or identity theft that may occur – a potentially serious problem for operators to contend with thanks to the implementation of ID scanners.

“I could go on and on, this is a poorly planned initiative from the government right from the start. Simply if the government were to impose ID scanners on high-risk venues or venues that are non-compliant with the Liquor Act, this would be a better measure rather than tarring low-risk venues with the same brush as those that are high-risk.”

LATE NIGHT NO MORE For many of the smaller venues, this new policy is a real blow. Many venues have decided that reducing their trading hours will be less of a financial blow than staying open late and

having to implement the scanning technology and additional labour costs.

Fritzenberger, the micro-brewery pub on Caxton St, is one such venue. Director Andrew Jeffreys has decided to shut the venue a little earlier in response to a mandate that he believes makes no sense for his venue and many others.

“To avoid the unaffordable operational costs of ID scanning we will be surrendering our late-night trading license and scaling back to midnight from 1 July. With over half of our sales in food we are by no means a high-risk venue. For us and our customers it makes no sense to scan the ID of someone coming in for a burger and a craft beer at 10:15pm.”

Jeffreys also rues what the new policy will mean for Brisbane’s nightlife.

“As a corner site on Caxton St we are the gateway to one of the state’s premier entertainment precincts, and unfortunately we will now be closed at 12am. We have a restaurant in Kings Cross, Sydney and have seen how mandatory scanning and lockouts have decimated the economy and vibrancy of an area and it is really sad that Caxton Street and other late night precincts across Queensland will suffer a similar fate.”

A NIGHTMARE POLICY As one of the biggest pubs in any of the SNPs, The Caxton will not be changing its trading hours, but has grave concerns about mandatory ID scanning. General manager Alex Farquhar spoke to Australian Hotelier in early June, right after attending an OLGR seminar on the ID scanners. The session did not leave him reassured about the policy.

“The state-wide implementation of ID scanners will be nothing short of a nightmare.

It is an ill-conceived policy that has been hastily rushed through by ill-motivated bureaucrats, at the detriment of the entire hospitality industry of Queensland. As my Dad said in this

NEWS morning’s meeting with OLGR, ‘I have never been so worried about any policy in the 20 years I have been at The Caxton Hotel, than I am about this.’”

Farquhar has pointed out many flaws in the legislation, which he has set out in the points below: • Venues must choose between only two approved scanning companies, both of which contain flawed and inadequate technology. One supports WiFi, one does not. One scans fairly quickly, one does not. Both scanners, in trials, performed poorly regarding accuracy. Yet venue operators are expected to run their businesses with sub-standard equipment, costing time and money.

• Venues are expected to cough up, in some cases, astronomical amounts to install data cabling and networking capabilities in their venues, to accommodate these machines which uphold abysmally low-tech specs at best. We are personally looking at approximately $10-$15,000 to get our venue ‘scanner-ready’. I shudder for the small bars of Brisbane.

• At this point in time, OLGR are still attempting to perfect the data trail with the scanning software, raising further trepidation and worry around information privacy and the possibility of hacking, which is a very real threat these days. Both contracts from both scanning companies state that the liability rests on the venue.

• As the legislation currently states, only a licensed crowd controller has the ability to operate the scanner, rendering certified and trained professional venue managers unfit to allow who comes into their own venues themselves and unable to operate the scanner at their own venue.

• The extreme lack of understanding of OLGR, of their own legislation and their culpability regarding any sort of guidance in terms of implementation of said legislation is astounding and laughable at best.

With so many concerns raised by operators, Australian Hotelier will check in with venues in the coming months to see the effects this policy has had on trade.

A RESPONSE FROM OLGR Australian Hotelier reached out to the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) about the issue, raising publican’s concerns about the two scanners available, the increased opportunities for data hacking and the cost and disruption to their businesses. An OLGR spokesperson replied with the following statement: “In 2014 the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) developed a set of minimum technical requirements for ID scanning systems in consultation with the ID scanning industry.

Two approved operators subsequently developed their systems against these standards and their respective products were assessed by an independent third party evaluator prior to approval by the Commissioner for Liquor and Gaming Regulation.

“Both Approved Operators were existing ID scanner suppliers prior to their authorisation by OLGR. “Of the ID scanning systems currently approved, one has both Wi-Fi and ethernet capability and the other has ethernet only. Field trials have established both systems work as designed. It is a licensee’s responsibility to arrange access to an internet connection to operate their ID scanning system.

“There are strict and robust measures that have been developed across government that are used by both Queensland Police Service and the Department of Justice and Attorney-General to prevent any unauthorised access to the data held in the ID scanning system. The ID scanning system has also been tested to ensure that personal information is stored in a way that protects it from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. This is managed through a combination of encryption of data, limited retention periods and controlling the access of users to the ID scanning system.”

The spokesperson also noted the one-off $4000 grant the government provided to licensees for installation of the ID scanners before 1 July.

Criterion Tavern

NEWS

FIVE MINUTES WITH PETER GUNNING Newly appointed as COO of Sydney’s Merivale, Peter Gunning spoke to Australian Hotelier about joining the stellar hospitality group, and what’s next for the business.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO MERIVALE? I think the brand is so well known and so well regarded, that as I started making enquiries around the market, people’s response were ‘What a great company to work for,’ and ‘I just love all of their venues’. There were just a lot of positive thoughts around Merivale and what it’s done for the Sydney hospitality landscape. They’ve done a wonderful job for tourism and putting Sydney on the map.

WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE BUSINESS? It’s a fantastic business, no doubt. We’ve got a lot of entrepreneurial spirit, the way that Justin has led and grown the business. There’s a culture of putting the guest experience and the guest first. Plus right across the business you can see that there’s been a lot of care taken in the way that we’ve brought people into the business, even though we’re growing very fast – nearly 2500 people now.

Almost everybody I’ve met are bright and shiny sort of people. They are empathic, good personalities, service-orientated, and they just enjoy being around other people and providing a brilliant customer experience. So that’s what got us to where we are but with the ambition that we have we have been acquisitive in building a big business over the last five or ten years, and Justin recognises that the skills and capabilities to then double the business again over say the next five years, requires a different skill set.

We may need to bring in more expertise, maybe people from outside the hospitality industry, to bring us some insights and ways of approaching how we do things. So that’ll encompass things like strategy, a more financially-driven focus on economics, business development, opportunities in how we build out existing venues, disciplines around revenue management and risk, how we build talent and people’s capabilities. It ultimately all leads towards how you build a rhythm of performance in the business so that people know what they’re supposed to be doing and they know why they’re doing it.

IS THAT YOUR AIM, TO ESSENTIALLY DOUBLE THE BUSINESS IN THE NEXT 5-10 YEARS? I wouldn’t want to put any constraints on it, because I think there’s a strategy here for organic, double-digit growth. The existing venues obviously have good support from the capital markets and from the bank environment that provides debt funding to us, and a runway of really good projects in front of us for the next two years. So there’s that component through existing venues and organic growth and expansion; there is growth through further acquisition and while the market looks fully priced at the moment in terms of what’s out there, we’ll be mindful about identifying opportunities and keeping an open mind, so there’s ability for us to build on that growth.

I think just making a more sophisticated approach to how we deal with our revenue.

IS THERE ANY WANT TO GROW IN MARKETS OUTSIDE OF SYDNEY? We see huge growth potential still in Sydney and that the focus is definitely in playing where our core is – our entire business is platformed in Sydney and that’s been very successful

to date. So I think that’s where the majority, if not all our focus will go. And it’s still to be determined whether we decide to move more regionally, just outside of Sydney or whether we move interstate. But there are no major plans to do that at the moment. And then of course there’s the international question – do we want to take Merivale to the world? At the moment there’s no feeling of an urgent need to do that, given what we’ve got in front of us already.

WHAT ARE YOUR GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF THE SYDNEY HOSPITALITY SCENE? I’m still learning, and as part of this role I will continue to meet more people and learn more things, and you connect more and more data points and get more insights, but initial impressions are we’ve got a really vibrant, energetic hospitality industry. We are still positive about Merivale setting the standard. I think a lot of people that I spoke to talked about owing a debt of gratitude to Justin and the Hemmes family for raising the bar, going back twenty years ago, when people recognised that pub food was badly made hamburgers and spring rolls and hot chips, and that was it; and people weren’t willing to pay what we are today. And it’s been very much Justin and his family who have raised that bar for everyone. By raising that standard it bought everybody up.

I think there’s a lot of good hospitality businesses out there that are our competition so we need to respect them and the work that they’re doing and try and keep pace, which is the great challenge for us to rise to. I’m just looking forward to meeting everybody and getting out there, and working cohesively first of all in our own business but as part of the industry, as the leader of the industry, to create this great environment for people to come visit Sydney or for Sydney residents to enjoy the city they live in.

AHA NSW AWARD NOMINATIONS CLOSING SOON AHA NSW is calling all publicans from the state to nominate their venues for categories within the Awards for Excellence, with CEO John Whelan urging all venues to get involved.

“The Awards for Excellence are all about rewarding innovation, quality and excellence of service at hotels across NSW – I would like to encourage all hotels to nominate and go up against the best in the business.”

There are a number of venue and staff awards to be handed out, as varied as best family-friendly pub, best burger, best hotel operator and rising star. There will also be new initiatives introduced to the awards this year.

“We have some great new additions to the Awards in 2017, including two brand new categories – best bush pub and best steak sandwich, as well as a new live music competition – Rockin’ the Puburbs – which will see one lucky artist or band perform on Awards night,” said Whelan.

Nominations and written submissions are due by Friday 14 July to awards@ahansw.com.au

8 | JULY 2017 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

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NEWS

HEMMES AND PERRY SPEAK OUT ON 457 VISA CHANGES

CONTRIBUTOR’S

PANEL

The venue has been rebranded Paddo Inn Bar and Grill

LISTENING TO YOUR LOCALS This year marks 31 years since Solotel and Bruce Solomon first purchased the Paddington Inn. It was back then that upand-coming chefs like Steve Manfredi, Paul Merrony and Matt Moran were given their first big chance in a commercial kitchen and it’s only recently that things have come full circle with Moran now back over-seeing the grill and a co-owner of Solotel.

The venue has undergone a huge transformation over the past 12 months. Towards the end of last year we closed the venue for three months, gutted the whole thing and re-opened in September 2016 with a new look, new offering, and new branding – The Paddington Inn Bar & Dining.

We thought we had it all spot on, we assumed we knew what the locals and the community were after and that was what we delivered. We kept the casual pub vibe up the front of the venue and added the Dining Room out the back plus the private dining space

upstairs. However it wasn’t quite right. The feedback we were getting was that the offering was too ‘fine dining’ for the community, and our regulars weren’t impressed. The pub has had many transformations over the years and plenty of our locals have seen it all and they aren’t afraid to tell us about it.

They were the integral part of informing the direction we had to move in, and fast!

We kept hearing that our guests wanted an approachable menu with accessible, everyday dining options and simple food, cooked well. They wanted a sense of community – we’ve been a staple in a suburb that’s seen a lot of changes over the years and we’re still here. We’re not going anywhere and we want to give back to the people that have helped us to maintain our position.

As a team, we identified our key strengths and weaknesses and we admitted that somewhere along the way, we got it wrong.

It was really important for us to ensure we were giving our locals

10 | JULY 2017 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

the opportunity to voice their opinions and genuine concerns so that they felt like a pivotal part of the change and would take ownership over that and comfort in the fact that we listened. They may be tough conversations to have, however they are imperative in this industry if we are to all learn and grow together.

That’s one of the best things about the honest culture of Solotel, the ability to admit when something is not working and to change it. The support network of experienced and passionate people helped bring the changes to life and hopefully what we have created now is a result of all of that.

The venue was recently rebranded as Paddo Inn Bar and Grill, and Matt Moran is overseeing a more approachable menu that showcases Australian beef and seafood.

Chelsea Carter GENERAL MANAGER, Paddo Inn Bar and Grill

At the recent AFR Business of Food Forum, Justin Hemmes, CEO of Merivale, and Neil Perry, chief brand and culinary officer of Rockpool Dining Group, discussed the replacement of the 457 visa program.

Joining them in the discussion was Angela Chan, former national president of the Migration Institute of Australia, who while outlining the major changes to the new TSS visas, also pointed out that with the new visas, chefs would need formal qualifications, which Perry pointed out he did not have.

Perry, whose business employs roughly 1000 people on visas, railed against the new program and its motives.

“We would employ Australians every single time if we could.

You’ve got a situation where unemployment is the lowest it’s been, our industry is growing exponentially, tourism is growing massively, and the Australian taxpayer dollar is funding that through Tourism Australia, and yet we have this situation where all of a sudden we’re throwing up borders.”

“What’s really interesting, is for the government to say that service isn’t a skill and then to invite people from around the world to come to Australia and have a great restaurant experience, in which service is probably more than 50 per cent, I just want to beat my head against a brick wall.”

Hemmes agreed, arguing that employing talent on 457 visas has encouraged Australian employment.

“We have 300 people on 457s at the moment. The 457 process is a way that we bring in excellent talent from overseas, to teach our people how to do things better.

And to take the tool away from us is so counterproductive, I can’t understand the concept behind it.

I even thought the old 457 process was too difficult, and now we’re going backwards.”

Chan encouraged all hospitality businesses to continue writing to their local MPs and have their voices heard on the subject.

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CENSUS

Know your locals THE AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS HAS RELEASED THE PROVISIONAL DATA FROM THE 2016 CENSUS OF HOUSING AND POPULATION, WHICH AFFORDS OPERATORS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASSESS THEIR LOCAL DEMOGRAPHIC, SEE WHAT HAS CHANGED AND WHAT HAS REMAINED THE SAME IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, AND ADJUST THEIR OFFERINGS ACCORDINGLY. Let’s take a look at the breakdown of the typical Australian in each state and territory.

This is a good starting point for operators, but you can delve into the specifics of your suburb to get an even clearer picture of your locals.

NEW SOUTH WALES GENDER: Female AGE: 38 ANCESTRY: Born in Australia of English ancestry.

MARITAL STATUS: Married with two children.

EDUCATION: Completed Year 12.

RESIDENTIAL STATUS: Three-bedroom home owned outright with two cars.

CHANGES: Ten years ago the typical migrant was a 45-year-old English female, now it is a 44-year-old Chinese female.

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VICTORIA

GENDER: Female AGE: 37 ANCESTRY: Born in Australia of English ancestry.

MARITAL STATUS: Married with two children.

RESIDENTIAL STATUS: Three-bedroom mortgaged home with two cars.

EDUCATION: Completed Year 12.

CHANGES: Ten years ago both of the typical Victorian’s parents were born in Australia. Now at least one parent was born overseas. Also the typical Victorian migrant is now of an Indian background, rather than an English one.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

CENSUS GENDER: Female AGE: 40 ANCESTRY: Australian born of English ancestry.

MARITAL STATUS: Married with two children.

RESIDENTIAL STATUS: Mortgaged three bedroom home with two cars.

EDUCATION: Completed Year 12.

CHANGES: Ten years ago the typical South Australian owned their home outright.

QUEENSLAND GENDER: Female AGE: 38 ANCESTRY: Born in Australia of English ancestry.

MARITAL STATUS: Married with two children.

RESIDENTIAL STATUS: Three bedroom home with two cars.

EDUCATION: Completed Year 12.

CHANGES: Houses now as likely to be rented as they are mortgaged. Typical migrants are now from New Zealand, rather than the UK.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

GENDER: Male AGE: 37 ANCESTRY: Born in Australia of English ancestry.

MARITAL STATUS: Married with two children.

RESIDENTIAL STATUS: Mortgaged four-bedroom home with two cars.

EDUCATION: Completed Year 12.

CHANGES: The typical Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in Western Australia is male, whereas in 2011 and 2006, they were female.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

GENDER: Male AGE: 34 ANCESTRY: Born in Australia of English ancestry.

MARITAL STATUS: Single, in a couple family with two children.

RESIDENTIAL STATUS: Rented three-bedroom home with two cars.

EDUCATION: Completed Year 12.

CHANGES: The typical Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person is male, whereas in 2011 and 2006, they were female.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, ‘Census reveals the “typical” Australian’.

(subheading)

TASMANIA GENDER: Female AGE: 42 ANCESTRY: Born in Australia of English ancestry.

MARITAL STATUS: Married with two children.

RESIDENTIAL STATUS: Three bedroom home owned outright with two cars.

EDUCATION: Completed Year 12.

CHANGES: The typical Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person is 23 years old. The median ages in 2006 and 2011 were 20 and 21, respectively.

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY GENDER: Female AGE: 35 ANCESTRY: Born in Australia of English ancestry.

MARITAL STATUS: Married with two children.

RESIDENTIAL STATUS: Mortgaged three-bedroom home with two cars.

EDUCATION: Completed Year 12.

CHANGES: The typical migrant to the ACT is 41-yearsold, two years younger than in 2011, and five years younger than in 2006.

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER JULY 2017 | 13

COFFEE

Black

gold COFFEE IN ALL OF ITS FORMS IS BECOMING AN INCREASINGLY PROFITABLE PRODUCT FOR PUBS TO SELL.

14 | JULY 2017 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

COFFEE MARTINIS, EVERYONE? It’s no secret that coffee in cocktail form is the biggest seller in pubs right now. The popularity of the espresso martini has been on an exponential rise in Australia; starting in Melbourne, the coffee capital of the country.

Their fame has now spread to all other metropolitan areas, where they are now considered a cocktail staple.

Brendon Rogers, premium spirits brand ambassador Vic/ Tas for The Exchange, pointed out that the cocktail is even gaining traction in regional areas, suggesting that the espresso martini is here to stay.

But the actual espresso portion of the cocktail has long created headaches for bartenders, in taking up time to brew the coffee and allowing it to cool down, or to create a consistent drink. But with its increasing popularity, venues have found a variety of ways to overcome these problems.

At the Dolphin Hotel in Sydney, the Al Caffe cocktails are pre-batched before the day’s trade to not only save time, but to ensure that the product is consistent, as bar manager Robbie Dodds explains.

“How many times have you had two cocktails in a venue taste different? Within the Dolphin there are five bars in operation on a busy night. By pre-batching our Al Caffe I have faith that every customer dining or drinking with us will have the same cocktail.

“There are also benefits such as minimal wait times for the customer, stock control and for bartenders to pump through numerous cocktails at a time with less clean-up.”

At Woollahra Hotel, where more than 500 espresso martinis are sold on average on a Saturday, Kurtis Bosley and his bar crew have partnered with Mr Black to use cold-brew coffee solutions in their martinis, to cut down prep time. In the venue’s Terrace Bar, where espresso martinis are ordered quite often, the cocktail has been installed on tap so that it can be served less than a minute after ordering.

As an alternative solution to the problems of preparation time and consistency, Grinders Coffee X-tract, a pure coffee extract specifically to be used as an espresso martini mixer, was launched on Monday 3 July.

Rogers says that X-tract addresses the problems associated with espresso martinis with ease.

“The espresso martini is Australia’s number one selling cocktail by sales and volume, but with this success it is also the most inconsistent. This variance is due to many challenges over the bar, including that most bartenders are not baristas, therefore the fresh espresso is different every time.”

He continues: “Some bars pull shots in the afternoon ready for service that night, unfortunately the espresso can become more bitter as time goes on and coffee crema dissipates leading to less favourable flavours. Or if the venue pours fresh espresso, time becomes a major factor and speed of service is affected.

Rogers says none of those problems are an issue with X-tract, which is a consistent extract of 100 per cent Colombian coffee, is shelf stable and an efficient alternative to brewing espresso.

“No more jumping behind a coffee machine while ten people deep at the bar are waiting on their next drink.

X-tract can be slotted in your speed rail ready to pour next to the vodka and coffee liquor, ready for the perfect espresso martini every time.”

CONTRIBUTOR’S

PANEL

The Nespressp Professional series saves time in making a flat white or espresso martini

BARISTA-STYLE COFFEE AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON After a long day, pubs are usually a place to retreat and relax, indulging in life’s little pleasures. And together with increasing competition and a rise in the overall standards of establishments, pubs are delivering a higher quality offering across the board. Many pubs are increasingly turning their attention to interior design, new entertainment offerings, unique menus and quality beverages to help distinguish themselves from their competitors.

Nespresso has provided some of the world’s most renowned establishments with coffee service for over 20 years. Establishments choose to serve Nespresso not only because it’s an exceptional coffee, but also because the quality and consistency of each cup appeals to their discerning guests. At Nespresso, we are committed to providing our coffee lovers with an exceptional experience. Similarly, this experience is why pubs put emphasis on high quality food and beverage.

Nespresso makes it possible for pubs to deliver a high quality coffee with just the press of a button. Regardless of who makes it, and especially during busy periods like lunchtime and in the evening, Nespresso Professional machines help publicans consistently achieve excellent coffee without the need for a barista. The Aguila 220 machine, for example, gives staff convenient access to 12 pre-programmed coffee recipes at the touch of a button, to deliver the perfect cup of coffee every time and provide variety to customers. In an industry with a high staff turnover rate, Nespresso’s commercial machines provide the ability to manage the volume demands required, with minimal cleaning and maintenance.

In the last few years, pubs have increasingly focused on adding variety to their range of food and beverage menus. In particular, we’ve seen menus expand to serve a broader range of quality produce and begin experimenting with new flavour combinations, including coffee. Pubs around the country have caught onto the trend by serving variations on the popular espresso martini. And with Australians being sophisticated coffee drinkers, there is an increasing demand for high quality coffee in restaurants and pubs as well as cafes. With its commitment to sourcing the highest quality green coffee, Nespresso is leading by example in coffee quality in restaurants, hotels, pubs and at home. Nespresso only selects from among the world's top 1-2 per cent of quality coffee to ensure it delivers the best coffee experiences to all coffee lovers.

Nespresso is also able to cater to many coffee tastes and preferences with a range of 13 Grand Cru coffees for its Professional machines. Hermetically sealed with aluminium to ensure a high quality taste and freshness, Nespresso capsules offer a variety of aromatic profiles which have been created to suit any taste palate. Aluminium is also an infinitely recyclable material, making Nespresso an everyday sustainable luxury to suit the preferences of all coffee lovers. Publicans can use our range of Professional Nespresso machines with the guarantee that they will create a consistent high quality coffee for their guests, at the touch of a button.

STEFAN VERMEULEN Nespresso Business Solutions Commercial Manager Australia

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER JULY 2017 | 15

COFFEE

DIY FUN

At the Guildford Hotel in Perth, DIY espresso martini kits for two have been introduced in the last month.

While putting the kits together involves some prep work, they have proven popular by adding some interactivity for patrons. $28 gets you a kit with all the ingredients and instructions to make two espresso martinis – right at your table.

DON’T OVER PREP As groups bar manager for eight venues of different sizes, Kurtis Bosley, oversees eight different styles of prepping for and making espresso martinis. While the right way is dependant on the size of your venue and how popular the cocktail is at said venue, Bosley has one golden rule for all: don’t over prepare.

“The key thing to remember is that if you do pre-batch or prep during the day for service, ensure you are tasting everything and never keeping anything longer than a day as the coffee will oxidise and the final product won’t be what you or your guests are after.”

Woollahra Hotel sells over 500 espresso martinis on Saturdays

The pre-batched Al Caffe at Dolphin Hotel Venues that have been trialling X-tract have given great feedback about the product, and believe it will streamline their service operations considerably in the future.

Of course for fans of the espresso martini and for patrons looking for something a little different, many venues with a substantial cocktail list are now including the drink with a twist on their menus. The Woollahra Hotel, for example offers three extra interpretations besides the classic.

“Saturdays is centred around the classic, while the other days of the week see twisted versions get more interest,” says Bosley. “So far the sticky-date version with Bacardi Fuego, Irish cream, toffee nut, date and espresso has been the drink of choice.”

With the classic becoming a staple drink at any location that serves alcohol, having versions with a twist offers patrons a point of difference. At Bridge Hotel in Melbourne, four espresso martinis with a twist are on offer, and are doing quite well for the venue.

“The twisted versions are an easy sell I find. Most people are keen to try something new,” states duty manager Hayley Morgan.

“My favourite is the coconut tequila; I just love the flavours of coffee and coconut together. Strangely enough one of the most popular ones is the soy chai latte which doesn’t actually have any coffee in it. It’s a great alternative for vegans and noncoffee drinkers.”

Morgan says these interpretations are good to have, but only if you have nailed the original.

“There are still so many venues that don’t do a classic espresso martini properly.”

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Make the

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FOODSERVICE

A

chef’s kitchen

WE ASKED THE HEAD CHEFS OF PUBS FROM ACROSS AUSTRALIA ABOUT THEIR MOST POPULAR DISHES, THEIR MOST VALUED EQUIPMENT AND THEIR TIPS FOR KITCHEN EFFICIENCY.

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FOODSERVICE THE KARALEE ON PRESTON

Prince Hotel's meat cabinet

THE PRINCE HOTEL HEAD CHEF: Justin Wood WHERE: Sydney, New South Wales Latest food trend you’ve adopted: At The Prince we have adopted a range of current food trends to have a diverse offer of menu items for all types of customers with our burger range, fresh salad offerings and an amazing meat cabinet with six different cuts of great quality meat. But I think our strongest attempt at adopting a food trend is our brand new poke salad cart that sits right at the entrance of the venue. It has taken off in the last year worldwide and we have been inundated with customers coming to try it out at our salad cart.

Most popular dish at your venue: We have so many big sellers it is hard to keep track of. We have a rolled porchetta (pork belly) that flies out the door, and the same for our Cone Bay barramundi. But I think our strongest seller would definitely be from the grill – we sell over 400 hundred grain-fed 300 gm scotch fillets each week, with the rumps coming in close behind. I think these are pushed by our display of meats and the amazing pirella grill we use that adds an awesome flavour and keeps the locals coming back.

Most used or valued piece of kitchen equipment: With The Prince being a brand new venue we have the luxury of using all the best pieces of equipment that are in great shape. I think I have to go with our Convotherm combination oven. It’s used all day and night. It steams, roasts and sometimes steam-roasts.

From the pork belly, to the teriyaki chicken all the way down to the steamed potatoes for mash, it is a work horse in the kitchen and without a doubt a chef’s best friend.

Favourite thing about your kitchen set-up: We have a very open and long kitchen. It’s quite large and leaves each section open for the customers to look in and see where their food is coming from and from who. It makes the kitchen very efficient and the staff are always taking that extra bit of care as they know they’re in the spotlight. It is also a nice change to be able to talk to the customers and hand their food over to them yourself.

Kitchen efficiency tip: Something I try to do in every kitchen is cross-train. It is always nice to have someone who is a master on the grill, but if they call in sick and you are left with the salad guy who has never cooked a steak before, it can all come undone very quickly. I constantly cross-train the staff – every person in the kitchen can prepare, cook and plate every dish on the menu and it makes life a lot easier on the quieter days and winter months where it’s impossible to have a full brigade in the kitchen. It’s more efficient and it also helps build better relationships within the kitchen as anyone can jump in at any time to help a colleague out if they are being hammered during service.

HEAD CHEF: Mickey Phull WHERE: Perth, Western Australia Latest trend food trend you’ve adopted: We have adopted ‘butcherto-table’ and ‘sustainable seafood’ trends. All our produce is sourced from local suppliers; farmers, butchers and fisherman. This information is passed on to our customers by our friendly staff and the details are mentioned on our menu also. We are also reviving old classics by presenting them in a restaurant style, such as slow braised beef cheeks served with white asparagus, truffle potato and leek puree. This way we preserve the essence of hearty meat dishes and add a modern touch to them.

Most popular dish at your venue: WA Black Angus steak sandwich.

In 2014 and 2017, we won WA’s best steak sandwich competition, which is held every year by AHA WA. I think our homemade barbecue sauce and thinly sliced crisp pork belly with crackling gives it an edge above others.

Most used or valued piece of kitchen equipment: In a pub setting like ours, most people come in for old-school pub grub. A char-grilled steak, slipper lobster or even a vegetable medley by itself gives that delicious smoked flavour. Therefore, I’d say our chargrill is the most used and valued piece of equipment we have.

Favourite thing about your kitchen set-up: Our kitchen looks very small from outside. However, it is a perfect size in that it allows enough space for each of us to work freely but also gives me a chance to coordinate, communicate and assist my team during a busy service. I have worked in bigger kitchens and sometimes felt they were a waste of space and precious time gets wasted in running around.

Kitchen efficiency tip: Efficiency in a kitchen is directly related to space.

Many kitchens have equipment which occupies space and doesn’t get used much because the menu doesn’t offer dishes to make use of them.

Considering this while planning the menu is very important.

Head chef Mickey Phull

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER JULY 2017 | 19

FOODSERVICE ROSSTOWN HOTEL

The Erko's Texas BBQ plate

THE ERKO HEAD CHEF: Jose Lagos WHERE: Sydney, New South Wales Latest food trend you’ve adopted: It’s still burgers. The burger scene continues to grow with new burger apps coming up and social media buzzing with all the new and interesting burgers. We are starting to see a following with our burgers. Also smoked meats is something we have done for a while and the Australian low and slow barbecue scene is also growing. Now with meat festivals and barbecue competitions going on, we are keeping up that trend and our monthly smokehouse events have been a big hit so far.

Most popular dish at your venue: The Erko cheeseburger – you can’t beat a pub classic and we do our best to nail them, also our smoked brisket is up at the top sellers which is great to see.

Most used or valued piece of kitchen equipment: Our backyard smoker is my most valued kitchen item, it’s big and different, also very diverse; it gives us an advantage other venues might not have.

Favourite thing about your kitchen set-up: It’s a relatively small kitchen which can work to our advantage, it’s small enough that we can work quickly and get food out fast.

Kitchen efficiency tip: Mise en place, no matter how big or small the job may be, mise en place! Have everything that will be needed weighed, cut, peeled, chopped, diced whatever it is, have it all ready to go. Also clean as you go, it will save you a very big headache at the end of the shift.

EATONS HILL HOTEL HEAD CHEF: John Alexander WHERE: Brisbane, Queensland Latest food trend you’ve adopted: Fresh local produce with a solid backing of quality meats and our in-house dry aged steak.

Most popular dish at your venue: Any of our steaks followed closely by our half a corn-fed chicken in peri peri seasoning.

Most used or valued piece of kitchen equipment: The char grill, as it is a focal point in the kitchen.

Steaks, lamb, chicken, pork ribs all are cooked on the char grill.

Favourite thing about your kitchen set-up: It’s an open kitchen so that the customers can see what we are doing at all times. It brings the standard of food and hygiene to a further level as it is on show 99 per cent of the time so we always try to be neat, tidy and efficient.

Kitchen efficiency tip: Ensure that your work flow is correct, take advice from other chefs in the industry and even your junior chefs, as they may have seen something different to what you have. Keep an open mind and open eyes.

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HEAD CHEF: Vic Gervasi WHERE: Melbourne, Victoria Latest food trend you’ve adopted: We’ve kept things pretty simply here at Rosstown, fresh popular dishes made from seasonal produce. Cutting our own meats, fish and greens to specific dishes, making fresh pasta. Looking for plenty of colour on the plate with generous portion sizes is really important for us. One thing that we like to do are share plates, most of our tapas and light starters are served on share plates.

Most popular dish at the venue: We’re still a pub and the basics like parma, steak and fish are always going to be great sellers.

We’re growing a great reputation for a good steak, from our smaller 250g porterhouse, to New York cuts to our 1kg Tomahawk steak served sliced with sauté squid and scallops as a share plate.

Most used or valued piece of kitchen equipment: We love both our grills at the Rossy and look after them every day – a super clean and good working grill cooks a great steak. We probably wouldn’t survive without our mixing Hobart that makes mash and churros every day as well.

Favourite thing about your kitchen set-up: After about 12 months here at Rosstown, the owner had great confidence in us, renovating the hotel to now accommodate the larger numbers we are doing. The kitchen before was very spaced out and outdated but now it’s closer together and much more manageable from a service point of view; its new and clean.

Kitchen efficiency tip: Making small quantities of specials and rotating 5-7 special dishes on a daily basis helps us rotate stock more easily. If one thing isn’t selling as much as we like we put a special on with the same cut of meat, chicken, fish, etc and create a point of difference but with the same product.

Vic Gervasi at work

Steaks are dry-aged in house

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FOODSERVICE BANKSIA HOTEL

Banksia Hotel's corned beef

HEAD CHEF: Leigh McDivitt WHERE: Sydney, New South Wales Latest food trend you’ve adopted: We aren’t adopting any new food trends per se.

We believe in sourcing good sustainable products and executing the dishes well.

Most popular dish at your venue: Our most popular dish is the chicken schnitzel. We make it in-house using free range chicken with our house crumb mix containing panko crumbs, red quinoa, aged Parmesan and parsley.

Most used or valued piece of kitchen equipment: The most used piece of kitchen equipment would be my knives. Never underestimate the use of a good knife! It is used day in and day out and must always be treated with respect and care.

Favourite thing about your kitchen set-up: My favourite thing about our set up is the mise en place fridge nearest to the pass. It allows efficient and quick plating of dishes.

Kitchen efficiency tip: Teamwork leads to an efficient kitchen.

Peter Twitchett

THE MILE END HEAD CHEF: David White WHERE: Adelaide, South Australia Latest food trend you’ve adopted: Sous Vide cooking has been on the rise at the Mile End Hotel kitchen – just purely because it keeps the integrity of the product at its best.

Most popular dish at your venue: Most recently our ‘build your burgers’ option, but we’ve seen some great success with our big share plate mains of slow-cooked cuts of meat such as the brisket (15 hours cooked).

Most used or valued piece of kitchen equipment: Combi oven, followed by the vacuum packing machine (V-pack).

Favourite thing about your kitchen set-up and why: The work flow – the kitchen has great work flow to handle big numbers. The entire team can see what everyone else is doing, which enables good communication and quality control.

Kitchen efficiency tip: Labelling, cleanliness, communication.

THE BARTLEY HOTEL

Mile Emd's slow-cooked brisket

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HEAD CHEF: Peter Twitchett WHERE: Adelaide, South Australia Latest food trend you’ve adopted: Smaller dishes, snacks, bar food, out of normal kitchen hour food offerings, including pickled food.

Fermentation and preserved food is most definitely a trend in South Australia, and it is something we’ve seen across Europe for years.

Most popular dish at your venue: It’s an even draw between the Mixed Grill and the Fish in a Bag – Paupiette.

Most used or valued piece of kitchen equipment: Vacuum sealer – versatility in aiding with portioning, stock control, and cooking techniques.

Favourite thing about your kitchen set-up: The Bartley kitchen floor layout is labour efficient; out of the many kitchens I have worked from, this layout is one of the best. It may seem like a simple thing, but bad layouts of kitchens, can cost the venue significant labour costs.

Kitchen efficiency tip: Plan, plan, plan. Organisation aids in planning out a successful and profitable kitchen.

DRAUGHT BEER

TOP TAPS

DRAUGHT BEER CONTINUES TO BE THE BIGGEST SELLER FOR PUBS, SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP ON TOP OF WHAT’S HAPPENING TO HELP DECIDE WHAT YOU HAVE ON TAP AT YOUR VENUE.

P

unters are always going to have their favourite beers – whether mainstream or craft – that you’ll almost always have in the beer lines, but for your rotating taps it’s important to keep abreast of what’s happening in the beer industry to be able to serve your curious patrons something different, new and exciting. Here’s some of the latest news coming from the brewing world.

WINNER WINNER RABBIT DINNER The team from White Rabbit Brewery have been in party mode for the last six weeks, after its White Ale (draught) was crowned Champion Australian Beer at the 2017 Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA).

White Rabbit beat out the competition in a record-breaking year, with 1890 entries into the competition across all categories.

“As always the standard of beer entered was exceptional with the gold medal and trophy winning beers representing the absolute pinnacle of beer quality from around the globe,” said head judge Brendan Varis.

White Rabbit’s head brewer, Jeremy Halse, was ecstatic about the win.

“We’re really proud to have achieved this result for White Rabbit. To be named the best beer in Australia is just fantastic and only proves that we’re doing good things at our brewery in Geelong. The team of brewers at White Rabbit work exceptionally hard to not only introduce new beers throughout the year but to carefully and consistently brew our

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The Hon Anthony Albanese MP (centre) with members of the Inner West Brewery Association favourites that are loved by beer drinkers right around the country.”

As for White Ale itself, Halse suggests that the beer’s success is due to the subtlety of its flavour, making it a hit with any level of beer fan.

“Taking its cues from the Belgian brewers of old, White Rabbit White Ale is a delicate mix of experience and imagination. A classic, cloudy white ale, the beer also delivers fresh hints of coriander, juniper berry and bitter orange.”

ALBO SUPPORTS CRAFT BREWS Five of Sydney’s inner-west breweries - Wayward Brewing Company, Young Henrys, Batch Brewing Company, Willie the Boatman and Grifter Brewing Company – announced the formation of the Inner West Brewery Association

a fortnight ago, with the hopes to grow the area into the craft beer capital of Australia.

The IWBA’s mandate includes driving beer tourism to the area, fostering beer education and working with the local community. The Honourable Anthony Albanese MP was on hand to launch the association, and to shed light on the need to support craft beer as an industry.

“What’s happening is local communities are voting with their schooner glasses.

Local communities are getting out there and supporting local breweries, they’re supporting craft beer,” Albanese said.

“This growth is a phenomenon and it shows no signs of abating. What governments need to do is keep up with it and that’s why we need action from the federal level, we need action from the state level and action locally as well.”

DRAUGHT BEER Less than a week later, Albanese put forward a motion to get the Government to support the craft beer industry through a variety of actions, including reducing the excise on craft beer.

“The craft brewing industry is a job creation powerhouse, but if we get the policy settings right it could generate even more jobs not just in our capital cities but also in our regional communities.

Albanese also noted that proper support of craft brewing could generate jobs in regional areas across the country.

“With proper support from the federal government, the potential for growth is enormous. Already, major regional centres, like Ballarat, Wagga Wagga, the Hunter, the Illawarra and in Tasmania—including Scottsdale, where I visited the brewery there—have seen growth in local jobs, with people being employed and local communities being able to gather.”

BOB’S BREWING, SKOL! Former Prime Minister and draught beer enthusiast, Bob Hawke, has helped launch Hawke’s Brewing Co., a new brewery. Helmed by Nathan Lennon and David Gibson with head brewer Justin Fox (ex Colonial Brewing Co), the brewery launched its first beer, Hawke’s Lager, with Hawke at The Clock Hotel in Sydney.

Hawke, who has been a big supporter of Landcare Australia since the late 80s, will not make any money from the brewery, instead donating any monies that he would profit from the beer to the environmental nonfor-profit.

The beer was launched in pubs in Sydney with a ‘First XI’ group of venues, including The Clock, Clovelly Hotel, Harold Park Hotel and Lord Dudley Hotel. The same concept was rolled out a month later in Melbourne.

Warren Pawsey (left) with the White Rabbit team “The Hawke’s First XI pub program has been working really well in Sydney. The support we’ve received from the venues and punters has been really encouraging,” said Gibson.

“Since the launch in April, we’ve fielded a lot of interest from venues and drinkers all over the country, asking when the beer will be available in their area, and plenty of that noise has come from Melbourne. Two of us at Hawke’s are originally from Melbourne, and we love its incredible pub culture, especially during the winter months, so the timing feels right to roll kegs down south. There’s also some ridiculously good craft beer being brewed down there, so we’re humbled to have secured tap space in some of the city’s best venues.”

Melbourne’s First XI includes The Grosvenor Hotel, The Botanical, The Penny Black and The Swan Hotel.

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER JULY 2017 | 25

DESIGN & BUILD

THE FULL MONTY A BURGEONING INNER-CITY BRISBANE SUBURB GETS A NEIGHBOURHOOD PUB OF ITS OWN WITH THE MONTAGUE HOTEL.

Copper tanks and accents add warmth to the bar

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DESIGN & BUILD

W

The pub revolves around the main bar

The outdoor space is reflective of West End culture

est End, an inner-city suburb of Brisbane situated on the banks of the Brisbane River, is currently in the middle of a residential development boom, an opportunity that the owners of the Montague Hotel identified when they purchased an office building on the corner of Montague and Kurilpa Streets.

A liquor licence was sought and the building was transformed into Montague Hotel, to capitalise on the local population growth.

“There’s about 3000 units currently operating or occupied, and there’s the potential to be between 9000-10,000,” says Steve Lee, general manager of the Montague Hotel.

“We saw a lack of commercial infrastructure and the opportunity to bring this sort of business model down here. There’s a little pub down the road but it wasn’t a userfriendly pub business model. It’s more of a restaurant.”

With an influx of new residents, there were two main demographics that the pub had to cater to: the first being the younger people that had lived in the area long-term, in the early 20s bracket – mainly students at The University of Queensland across the river – and the new demographic of people aged 40 and above buying the new units which cost up to $1.5 million.

Plus, the pub had to reflect the vibe of West End as a whole.

“We wanted to be user-friendly enough to reflect the culture of West End as well. The owner is a longterm West End resident – he’s been here for 15 years and it’s a family sort of business,” explains Lee.

HARD MATERIALS, SOFT SPACES Lee and the owners worked with Brand + Slater to create a venue that captured the brief of a contemporary industrial space. It was also important that the outside of the venue reflected its surroundings.

“While it looks really nice and it’s been fit-out well, the exterior had to tie in with looking like it had been here for a long time. We didn’t want to have a sore thumb sticking out on the street.”

An industrial look for the

interiors was chosen, and was helped along by the history of the building itself. Cameron McDonald, director of MCD Construction who built the pub, believes that before it as an office building the site had been a concrete test plant, as his team uncovered loads of very thick concrete buried on the site. Anika Greenwood, part of the design team who worked on the Montague Hotel, said the discovery was taken advantage of.

“It’s got a really nice concrete underside so we used that. The idea was to make it quite rustic and raw in its material quality.”

Inside the venue, the industrial look is evident but softened with accents to ensure that it is a welcoming space. The concretelook epoxy floors of the main bar and dining area butt up against the carpeted sports bar and timber looking tiles surrounding the actual bar. Wiring is left exposed on the ceiling, but lighting softens the look. Exposed and bagged bricks interplay with the copper beer tanks that sit as a feature above the main bar, while hanging greenery softens the facade of the building.

The layout of the pub is simple and inviting. The public bar greets visitors as soon as they walk in, with the central bar taking pride of place in the centre of the space.

It is one of Lee’s favourite features of the venue.

“It’s a bar that was designed that you want to sit at or around, and feel comfortable. People are voyeurs by default so if you’ve got a central bar, people will sit at the bar and check out what’s happening in the rest of the pub.”

To one side is the sports bar, an area which will also double as a function space in the future. At the rear is the dedicated dining space, while terraces wrap around the entire venue for patrons that prefer an al fresco experience.

“It’s got a really fantastic outdoor area. It’s really great for the south-east Queensland culture and climate,” states Greenwood.

OL OLD-SCHO G MARKETIN Lee decided not to throw an opening party for the venue, stating that “it’s generally always the same kind of people, and half of them would attend the opening of a wound”. Yet he still managed to have 400 people in the pub within 20 minutes of opening, using a smarter marketing campaign that included some old-school tactics.

“We had a really big website, social media campaign.

We also had a ‘10 per cent discount on a meal purchase’ card that was valid for the first couple of months after opening, and we distributed 3500 of those right throughout the West End area to bring people in. Then we went and did a door-knock from one end of Montague Rd to the other to every single business and introduced ourselves, gave them copies of our menus and told them what we’re all about. We wanted to do a bit of the old-school marketing, face-to-face stuff, not just all the digital. It just generated a lot of people talking, and all the hype got going pretty quickly which is why when we opened we got belted.”

LOCAL FLAVOUR In presenting the Montague Hotel – or the Monty as it’s been dubbed – as a true local offering for the

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DESIGN & BUILD

“WE’VE BRANDED THE IMAGE OF THE GIRL TO BE MONTY, QUITE AFFECTIONATELY. IT’S ACTUALLY THE FACE OF ONE OF THE OLD MADAMS OF ONE OF THE OLD BORDELLOS IN WEST END FROM YEARS AND YEARS GONE BY. WE HAVE A JOKE THAT A COUPLE OF OLDIES WALK IN AND DUCK AND WEAVE AROUND IT,” – STEVE LEE, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE MONTAGUE HOTEL. West End area, it was important to Lee and the owners that it showed support for the community. Hence Stewart Shuker, a local artist known for his street art, was commissioned to create a piece for the pub.

What looks like a painting of a woman’s face is in fact a sculpture on a brick wall that was built into the venue, and the image has been chiselled out of bagged areas of the wall. Shuker was inspired by local history when creating the talking point in the hotel.

“We’ve branded the image of the girl to be Monty, quite affectionately.

It’s actually the face of one of the old madams of one of the old bordellos in West End from years and years gone by. We have a joke that a couple of oldies walk in and duck and weave around it,” quips Lee.

Stewart Shuker's art installation is chiselled out of bagged render

INCLUSION ZONE The most important part of the Montague concept for all stakeholders involved was ensuring that it was a space that would make people from all walks of life feel comfortable there, and not out of place.

This has been thought about in every aspect of the pub, including the menu. Not only does the Monty serve pub favourites like burgers and rotisserie meats, but it also has a superfoods menu that was designed with a nutritionist, which has proven very popular.

But the menu is just one part of a greater whole that makes everyone feel welcome at Montague Hotel, as McDonald attests.

“Some of the places in the area feel somewhat limiting when you walk into them, whether they’re appealing to people at the higher end or the grungier end of the market or somewhere in between. This is the first place I know of that’s a high quality establishment doing restaurant quality food.

“The first weekend I was in there, you’ve got people dressed up to the nines in stiletto shoes and ready to go out dancing, and other people in thongs and singlets, and it was really nice to see everyone mixing really well and comfortably, and not feel like they couldn’t just drop down to the local and have a beer after work or a champagne on the way out. So it’s very inclusive.”

In fact the trade speaks for itself, with the Montague packed with West End residents of all walks of life on a daily basis. It seems the suburb has finally found its local.

Overhead wring is left exposed to add an industrial aesthetic

LONGER DWELL TIMES Lee and the crew at Montague Hotel wanted to make sure that people were spending longer periods of time in the pub then just 20 minutes for a meal before leaving again, so thought was put into the furniture and the atmosphere that would induce people to stay a while.

“We wanted to create conversation areas, with these big long tables, rather than the Coffee Club type feel where you sit down at 50 grey tables and 120 black chairs, and you sit down for 20 minutes, have lunch and take off.

“We want the 2-3 hour visit, not necessarily the 20-minute visit. And a lot of people do that, they come in and hang around for a long time. While we have a bit of soloist music, it’s kind of really low-key because people really want to engage in conversation. We’re getting a lot of people that meet here and have a few glasses of wine and have a bite to eat. Especially on the weekend afternoons, they hang around for a long of time and get settled in.”

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RAISE

The Bar Looking to refresh your range?

Tap into Australia’s finest craft brews & ciders, spirits and wines at Fine Food Australia’s new Commercial Drinks Show.

The only event dedicated to the on-premise liquor market.

REGISTER ONLINE FOR FREE ENTRY finefoodaustralia.com.au/hotel Enter promo code: HOTEL

Co-located with

AUSTRALIA

11-14 SEPTEMBER 2017 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE SYDNEY, DARLING HARBOUR There is an AU$30 door charge for those who do not register online. Visit finefoodaustralia.com.au for more information.

CALENDAR

SPORTS FIXTURES CHECK OUT THESE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – THEY’RE SURE TO BRING IN A CROWD TO YOUR VENUE!

TENNIS

FORMULA 1®

The grass courts of Wimbledon are back in action, with the most la-di-da of the four Tennis Opens set to kick off. Reigning Wimbledon champion, and home-grown hero, Andy Murray will be hoping to retain the trophy. Each day’s play will be live from 8pm, with replays throughout the day.

When: From Monday 3 July, from 8pm.

Channel: Fox Sports 4, 7 and 7TWO.

With three Grand Prix races to be won this month, July is a big month for the Formula 1® Championship. Can Lewis Hamilton catch up with Sebastien Vettel in points? Will the Mercedes team overtake Ferrari in the standings?

When: Austrian GP 7-9 July. British GP 14-16 July.

Hungarian GP 28-30 July. From 6pm.

Channel: Fox Sports 5 and Channel Ten (British GP only).

UFC

LEAGUE

Aussie Rob Whittaker is taking on Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight championship at UFC 213. It’s not even the headline match of the night, with Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko grappling again for the bantamweight title. The month ends with UFC 214, with the Cormier v Jones 2 grudge match finally happening.

When: UFC 213: Sunday 9 July. UFC 214: Sunday 30 July. From 12pm.

Channel: Main event.

It’s the third and final match of 2017, and much has been made in the first two games of Jonathan Thurston’s presence (or lack therof). Can one man really make the difference between victory and failure? It’s time to find out.

When: Wednesday 12 July, 8pm.

Channel: 9.

NEXT MONTH

August will be a big month for Union, kicking off with the final of the Super Rugby on 5 August. At the time of writing the Brumbies are Australia’s last hope of making the final, so hopefully they can make us proud. Mid-month the international Rugby Championship kicks off, with the Wallabies trying to steal the title from the All Blacks.

When: Super Rugby Final: Saturday August 5. The Rugby Championship: Starts Saturday 19 August.

Channel: Fox Sports 1. *All times are AEST

30 | JULY 2017 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER