Australian Hotelier June 2019

AUSTRALIAN

AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL HOTEL INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

VOL. 36 no. 5 – JUNE 2019

IN THIS ISSUE: NEW SPIN ON GAMING | SCREENS & SOUNDS | HEATING & EATING

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CONTENTS | ED’S NOTE

Editor’s Note

H

aving just hosted nearly 250 delegates and 26 speakers and panellists at our Pub Leaders Summit, it’s clear the industry is in rude health. We will always face regulatory issues around operations, renovations and gaming in particular, but now is clearly the time to be buoyed with optimism. Read our summit round up from page 8 and look out for upcoming features around staff – sourcing, cultivating and retaining. The summit made clear this is an area we need to explore in great depth.

Elsewhere this issue we have our Pub Dining foodservice focus – from page 22 we look at venues making their own cheese in-house and the value patrons see in house-made products. We also highlight venues making the most of their outside spaces for dining in our ‘heating and eating’ feature from page 20.

Ahead of the AGE in August, we have a focus on gaming from page 10, while our Design & Build look at The Ambarvale Hotel almost rivals the AGE for scale and complexity from page 26.

We also look at new screen and sound technology to enliven your entertainment offering on page 16.

In our Tales From The Top interview on page 30, we speak with Merivale Executive Chef Jordan Toft about catering at scale across The Newport, The Collaroy and Coogee Pavillion – no mean feat.

There’s also your top sport picks on page 29 and the latest news shaping the industry from page 6.

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

NEXT MONTH POS & Op Tech • Beer • Spirits

8 10

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

26

Contents | June Special Features 8 Pub Leaders Summit 2019: All ED’S PICK the highlights from this key annual conference.

10 Game time: All the gaming news you need to know.

16 Screen and sound: The latest entertainment technology unveiled.

20 Heating and eating: Venues making the most of the outdoors for Winter.

22 In-house cheese matures: Two spots taking house-made seriously.

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

22

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

30 Tales From The Top: Merivale’s Executive Chef Jordan Toft talks catering at scale.

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

26 Design and Build: Unambiguously large, discover the totally renovated – and enlarged – Ambarvale Hotel in western Sydney.

29 Sports Calendar: June’s ICC LIVE! Cricket World Cup and more.

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

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NEWS

John Singleton and business partners sell Manly’s Hotel Steyne to Iris Capital for $60m-plus

AUSTRALIAN VENUE CO’S NEW QUEENSLAND ARM BUYS RIVERLAND BRISBANE HOTEL STEYNE SELLS TO IRIS CAPITAL; CEO EXPLAINS STRATEGY Specialist pub sales agents Andrew Jolliffe and Dan Dragicevich of HTL Property have confirmed the sale of the iconic Hotel Steyne in Sydney’s Manly.

Hotel Steyne was purchased back in 2010 by the current owners, a group of investors including hotelier Arthur Laundy, businessman John Singleton and investors Mark Carnegie and Robert Whyte. The group put the Hotel Steyne up for sale in February when they were looking to exit from their one-off investment at a time of buoyant sales.

The group have sold to Iris Capital for a “record price” according to a spokesperson for HTL Property, who was unable to disclose the price paid. However several sources have suggested to Australian Hotelier a price of around $62.5m would be likely and represent a record.

“We are delighted to have acquired what is, on any fair test, Australia’s leading hotel property in the form of Manly’s iconic Hotel Steyne,” said Iris Capital founder Sam Arnaout.

It is believed the Singleton group paid around $27m for the 160-year-old hotel back in 2010, when they purchased it from Bruce McHugh.

The Hotel Steyne sale takes place just weeks after John Singleton bought the Elanora Hotel in East Gosford for around $25m.

Explaining the group’s buying rationale, Arnaout told Australian Hotelier, “The acquisition of the [Hotel] Steyne is obviously a strategic one for the group.

It now crowns the portfolio and gives us economies of scale across the group.

Obviously from this, it gives us a good opportunity to leverage out from the wider portfolio, be it suppliers, giving us good benefits across the wider group.”

The landmark and multi-level waterfront Hotel Steyne, spread across approximately 2,000sqm, was brought to market by high profile vendors John

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

Singleton, Robert Whyte, Arthur Laundy and Mark Carnegie.

“This positions our company, Iris Capital, as a genuine hospitality leader in this part of the world, and complements our macro coastal investment strategy in respect of similar landmark projects such as Newcastle’s $700m East End development,” said Arnaout.

Iris Capital’s pubs portfolio already totals around 20 venues, including the Gaslight Inn, Darlinghurst, Empire Hotel, King’s Cross and the Grand Hotel, Bondi Junction.

“When considering the sale of the Hotel Steyne in the context of our recent key transactions concluded in multiple states nationally this year, it remains our considered view that market strength and depth are not only positive, but also currently serve to embolden an already robust asset class,” said HTL Property National Director Dan Dragicevich.

Arnaout confirms the group’s immediate plans are to maintain the status quo: “We don’t intend to disrupt the business, we intend to take the reins and maintain the status quo for the foreseeable future. For more than three or six months, probably the next 12 months.”

Instead, the intention is, for the next 12 months, Arnaout says: “We look towards enacting that DA [for a] 48-room hotel. Generally a bit of TLC, bringing the joint back to its former glories is pretty much where our focus will be.”

Arnaout is clearly not discounting the idea of expanding the group either.

“We’re well positioned to take advantage of further acquisitions within the group,” he says. “This asset is certainly going to be given the attention it deserves, there’s no doubt about it.

But our group is well positioned for scalability and we will be looking at further opportunities when they present themselves and that meet the group’s criteria.”

Queensland Venue Co (QVC) is to buy Brisbane venue Riverland from Craig Shearer’s Open Arms Hospitality.

A Queensland Venue Co (QVC) spokesperson has confirmed its first acquisition. This from the recently announced joint venture between Australian Venue Co and Coles Liquor that now owns and manages the former Spirit Hotels portfolio and its associated retail liquor stores.

Australian Venue Co CEO Paul Waterson said Riverland was an exciting addition to the Queensland Venue Co joint venture.

“Riverland is a great business with a premier location.

This acquisition allows us to grow our pub footprint in the Brisbane market while also giving Coles Liquor the opportunity to expand their retail liquor presence in Queensland as part of our joint venture,” he said.

“We very much appreciate the current owners’ support in the transition phase, we are looking forward to working alongside the current team at Riverland to continue to deliver locals with great food, drinks and entertainment.”

Open Arms Hospitality Director Craig Shearer said the Open Arms team would miss Riverland, which they had developed from a greenfield site.

“Whenever you put that much time, effort and resources into a project over a number of years it is hard to not become attached, however the sale will allow us to seek more potential development or acquisition sites to complement our current portfolio consisting of the Plough Inn Brisbane and Public House Albury”.

Riverland opened in 2017 and boasts a solid location on the Brisbane River, along with a food and drink offering and entertainment.

Decor features an industrial fit-out, an open-air beer garden, a 24-metre long bar and converted shipping containers serving street food from Brisbane food vendors.

Under the terms of the QVC joint venture, which was finalised in late April, Australian Venue Co now manages the day-to-day operations of all hotels in the QVC portfolio in addition to its own venues.

Riverland will be managed by Australian Venue Co alongside their other Brisbane venues, including The Regatta, Darling & Co., Kingsleys, Buffalo Bar and Fridays.

Riverland Brisbane. (c) Facebook/RiverlandBrisbane 2019

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NEWS

MERIVALE AGAIN THREATENS COMPETITION WITH JUNE DRINKS DISCOUNT Justin Hemmes’ Merivale group is offering just-less-than half price drinks again ahead of Dry July.

Merivale have confirmed the return of their 49% off deal across all their bars and pubs, across all drinks, every day in June, between 5pm and 7pm.

The same offer ran in June 2018 and will this year return covering all cocktails, spirits, beer, wine and champagne.

The just-less-than half price discount deal comes at an important time for the pub trade, ahead of the financial year-end and before Dry July.

Competitors will likely be concerned about the potential impact on their own hospitality business.

Launching this year’s June discount, Justin Hemmes, CEO of Merivale said: “Last year, we launched 49% off to say thank you to Sydney and give our guests even more reason to enjoy everything the city has to offer. Sydney loved it and so did we, so much that this year we’re doing it again.”

The 49% off deal is available at 39 Merivale destinations and applies to all drinks up to the value of $200.

Merivale venue, Queens Hotel, Enmore, Sydney

NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS BRAND LYRE’S SEES DRY JULY OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLICANS “Dry July is an interesting month,” says Mark Livings of Zero Proof, the company behind non-alcoholic spirits brand Lyre’s. “The trade shows a demonstrable drop in foot traffic across almost all venues across the month. It’s really important that the trade starts thinking about it and looking at ways to reinforce their clientele coming through the door. We’ll have a few things prepared to help them.”

Non-alcoholic spirits maker Lyre’s launched in March with 13 SKUs seeking to revolutionise the alcohol-free cocktail market with their replacement take on bourbon, rum, gin and others.

Pioneered by Mark Livings of Kinetic Marketing and his business partners Mick Hall and Carl Hartmann, the trio founded Zero Proof and spent two years working on developing the range.

“Our distributor Swift & Moore will have a number of programs in the trade” ahead of Dry July, says Livings.

“First of which will be offering to reprint and replace menus and also to craft a non-alcoholic beverage menu for interested venues.

“Clearly for pubs the cocktail is less important than it is for bars, but for pubs the mixer is highly important. We’ll be focusing our efforts on helping the hotel trade understand that Lyre’s has a range of products that can help them with fast service, high profitability mixers – alternatives to bourbon and coke, rum and coke, gin and tonic,” says Livings.

After barely a week of full availability in the Australian market, Livings reflects on the initial feedback.

“The number one question we’re getting is ‘is your product vegan?’

Which is a sign of the times. I’m pleased to say we are. The other we’re getting is how our product is made. Swift & Moore has a full document on exactly how the product comes together… that venues can request.

“The thing that [hoteliers] are probably not seeing, is just how mature this category is with consumers and there’s a real gap between consumers wanting it and the trade stocking it.”

LYRE’S DISTRIBUTOR SWIFT & MOORE REVEALS WHOLESALERS: • ALM (across NSW, NT, QLD, SA, VIC and WA).

• NSW: ALM, Paramount, Gateway, Capital Liquor, Independent Liquor Group and Global Brands Liquor.

• QLD: Liquid Speciality Beverages and Independent Liquor Group.

• SA/NT: Bid Food and Paramount.

• VIC/TAS: Paramount.

• WA: Liquid Mix.

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER JUNE 2019 | 7

From left to right: Craig Hawtin-Butcher (Australian Hotelier), John Musca (JLL), Stewart McCallum (EY), Stephen Hunt (multi-venue owner), Craig Shearer (Open Arms Hospitality) and Paul Waterson (Australian Venue Co)

PUB LEADERS SUMMIT

PUB LEADERS SUMMIT 2019 HAILED A SUCCESS FROM GAMING AND PROPERTY TO FOOD AND BEVERAGE, CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER REVEALS THE KEY POINTS FROM OUR KEY ONE-DAY SUMMIT IN MELBOURNE. PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK AVELLINO

Keynote speaker Chris Helder

P

ub Leaders Summit 2019 drew to a successful close on Monday 20 May at the MCEC in Melbourne.

Over 200 attendees heard from 26 different speakers, ranging from AHA Vic President David Canny and VCGLR regulator John Curran to the CEOs of Sand Hill Road and Australian Venue Co along with food and beverage specialists including wine expert Matt Skinner and expert single-site operators from across Australia, including those from the Rose and Crown, WA and Carringbush Hotel, Melbourne.

The program of the one-day event curated and hosted by Australian Hotelier, was fit to bursting with speakers and panelists worth listening to, across an array of complex subject areas.

During the day, our audience heard from motivational speaker Chris Helder about the power of holding a ‘useful belief’ - providing a powerful motivation from outside the hotel industry to encourage delegates to celebrate the now and think in the present to make positive changes.

Getting behind the key stories affecting hoteliers right now, Paul Waterson of Australian Venue Co sat on the same panel as Craig Shearer of Open Arms Hospitality, having only recently transacted the Riverland in Brisbane between one another. Steve Jeffares of Stomping Ground discussed the rise of fruit sours drawing more women into the beer market – timely given his GABS beer festival had just taken place in Melbourne the day before.

We looked at the vital importance of supporting pub success through live sport, music and entertainment, along with the supportive role that state government and arts organisations can play, including Music Victoria who were represented on a panel by their CEO Patrick Donovan.

We also took the time to look back at the past year through the eyes of a number of operators, particularly those celebrating their first

8 | JUNE 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

(Left) Jackie Booth (Zagame's) (Left) Paul Waterson (Australian Venue Co) and MC Kent Anderson and Lawrence Dowd (Colonial Leisure Group) AHA Vic president David Canny

Dan Viney, CEO Sand Hill Road

PUB LEADERS SUMMIT anniversaries – including Lawrence Dowd of Colonial Leisure Group, one year on from renovating the Portsea Hotel in the Mornington Peninsula. Tim McLernon of the Three Pound Group, who had just had 56,000 fans descend on the Optus Stadium in Perth alongside his one-year-old Camfield venue for the Hyundai A-League Final the day before, explained precisely how to manage venues at scale.

Delegates also heard from successful Victorian outfits about the key role beverage continues to play, delving into the rise of wine on tap and the importance of beer-line cleanliness. We heard a compelling overview of the pub landscape from AHA Vic president – and AHA National vicepresident – David Canny.

We explored the important contribution of gaming while navigating the regulatory framework. We delved into the important role of fast casual – and affordable – food, the challenges posed by other forms of entertainment and the home-delivery upsurge, countering these challenges by discussing how to excel with a food proposition.

Sand Hill Road CEO Dan Viney took questions from the audience and shared his answers in a quick-fire session, since we all grow when we share our knowledge and insights. We discussed how to respond when hoteliers reach a crossroads – whether to stay, go or grow. Supported by our knowledge property experts and operators. All followed by our ‘put it to the panel’ session with some of the industry’s leading lights.

We’re delighted our Keynote Speaker Chris Helder could join us to share a point of view from outside the industry, while our everreliable Master of Ceremonies Kent Anderson guided us through the day aided by his hotel insider knowledge. There were numerous opportunities to network, particularly during networking drinks with Gage Roads and afterwards at Richard Chadfield’s nearby venue, Melbourne Public.

Lastly, Australian Hotelier would like to sincerely thank all of our sponsors for their continued support, without whom this event would simply not be possible.

(Centre) Ashly Hicks (Sand Hill Road)

From left: Shaun Adams (Hotel Esplanada / Karova Lounge), Patrick Donovan (Music Victoria) and Alistair Flower (The Setlters Inn)

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GAMING

FOCUS ON GAMING

WITH THE AGE AHEAD IN AUGUST, CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER REVEALS SOME OF THE KEY GAMING NEWS STORIES BEING REVEALED IN THE RUN-UP.

THE VIEW FROM VICTORIA CONSULTANT TIM STILLWELL OF SHINEWING AUSTRALIA ROUNDS UP HIS PERSPECTIVE ON THE STATE OF GAMING IN VICTORIA. Victoria is in our humble opinion a very highly regulated gaming industry, compared to the other states. That creates opportunities but also creates protection for operators. By that I mean… we have a much lower available gaming machine count in terms of state-wide gaming machines that are legitimately available versus what the northern states, NSW and QLD have.

So on a per capita basis, we are much lower in terms of our footprint in gaming.

In Victoria we have lower maximum bet per spin rules – $5. With our venues (other than very limited exceptions), we have a restriction of having ATMs in venues. In terms of the operating entity itself, we are a very highly regulated environment, which does provide the consumer greater clarity around the choices they make in-venue.

The government has also implemented some rules down here to further limit cash withdrawals that can be made at venues. We have a multi-faceted withdrawal protocol whereby there needs to be human interaction, as opposed to an ATM. You can withdraw cash in-venue, but it has to be through a point-of-sale withdrawal facility or equivalent.

Late last year, they reduced the amount of cash to $500 that could be taken out per card per venue.

Down here, generally speaking promoting gaming activities is prohibited. The only thing you can really do is have one sign with the

10 | JUNE 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

“There’s only been one new gaming venue – and it was actually a club – that’s been constructed in the last five years” – Tim Stillwell word pokies written on it on the façade of your building.

What this has meant – as these regulations steadily came in over the last 10 years – is it has required the Victorian operator to become very sophisticated, very strategic about how they ensure their gaming operations remain viable, whilst still being able to co-exist with their food and beverage and broader hotel offering.

Given it’s still viewed as a gaming venue even though it’s only one part of the offering these regulations do still have an impact on the broader operation of the hotel.

It means if you have patrons with no interest in the gaming aspect, it is a much different experience. Take for example the cash withdrawal experience, though you have more card-based transactions, which in my experience are over 80% for food and beverage… This means operators down here have to again find ways to strategically

ensure that patrons have an uninterrupted and seamless experience in their venue.

The one thing we see coming as a positive, which the northern states have had access to for a while, is ‘TITO’, or ‘Ticket In, Ticket Out’. That is effectively a mechanism whereby rather than players only utilising machinebased winnings, it allows them to transition between machines with these TITO… That will have a beneficial impact not only in venues but also their customers’ ability to experience different products within a gaming venue in a more seamless manner. That’s coming into effect, we believe, later this calendar year.

A lot of people ask me ‘how do you get into the industry?’ We have a much lower number of gaming machines in Victoria on a per capita basis… We have a fairly robust approval process for new venues via the VCGLR regulator. It is very difficult to get a new venue approved out here by virtue of getting those approvals approved at that level.

Our industry is heavily regulated in terms of barriers to entry for new entrants. There’s only been one new gaming venue – and it was actually a club – that’s been constructed in the last five years, in a town or city that’s growing rapidly.

It’s very difficult to obtain the entitlements and to be granted approval for a new venue. But that’s where firms like us come in to identify where those better opportunities are.

Some of the reasons why there’s been little development is clearly not just the regulatory matters around the gaming industry, but it’s more to do with finance and access to funding in the current environment.

I still believe firmly that there will be opportunities, albeit limited, for green-field sites and existing gaming hotels will continue to retain or grow their values.

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GAMING The AGE takes place in the Sydney ICC 13-15 August

30TH AGE ON THE HORIZON The Australasian Gaming Expo (AGE) takes place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney, marking the expo’s 30th anniversary. Taking place across 13–15 August, the AGE is one of the world’s largest hospitality and gaming tradeshows.

This year’s iteration has a stated focus on education and development, not to mention an opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary milestone. Organisers are promising key product reveals along with industry insights across gaming equipment, the latest support technology, design and fit-out to paging and communication.

Organisers point to survey results showing 95% of the visitors rated AGE exhibitors good or excellent. Associated results suggest the event is also performing in the top 15% of trade shows globally.

For more information, visit www.austgamingexpo.com or call the Gaming Expo helpline on 02 9211 7430.

LEASED COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTION BRINGS LARGE-SCALE TECH TO SMALLER VENUES Advanced pagers more often seen at largerscale clubs and casinos may now be in reach for pubs across Australia. That’s according to communications solution provider, BTG. BTG currently have over 4,000 customers globally and supply 78 of the top 100 NSW Clubs with their Connect Gaming software, along with casino venues including The Star Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane plus Wrestpoint, Reef Casino and Townsville Casino.

“Larger hotels and traditional pub owners have only used simple paging from the button on the machine to a pager,” says BTG CEO Darren Brighton, “with no other real features, as offered to larger clubs.”

12 | JUNE 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Brighton explains the software, BTG Connect Lite for PUBS, is available on a month-to-month subscription without outright purchase and includes: “PC hardware, software and all equipment required for better service, customer experience and overall better on-site communications.”

Paging for larger venues makes sense due to their size and customer service expectations, says Brighton.

“Whereas pubs could get away with either ‘over-servicing’ the players with an ‘are you ok?’ or ‘Would you like a drink?’ In many situations, when players are asked, an overwhelming

amount of them would prefer the ability to simply push a button for service.”

“The use of a service button is really simple,” says Brighton, “to give the power to the player that if and when they want service they simply press the button and keep playing until assistance arrives. This is usually 60 to 90 seconds in our experience.”

BTG’s Connect Gaming software offers one such solution, says Brighton, noting: “The balance to provide good service vs over-servicing is the real key. The cost to implement a Connect Solution into a venue with 30 x machines starts from $50 per week with no long-term contracts to sign.”

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GAMING

IGT’s Multistar Champion Series cabinet

IGT STRATEGY FOCUSES ON MULTI-GAME, MULTI-DENOMINATION OFFERING IGT’s Nigel Turner has suggested variety is key to maximising gaming entitlements and boosting associated revenues.

Offering games with different volatilities, game mechanics and entertainment can cater for the variety of players that frequent gaming lounges throughout the day.

IGT’s revitalised game development strategy is, they say, focused on delivering flexibility and choice for different hotel players.

Nigel Turner, IGT’s head of marketing explains: “Multi-game, multidenomination games are a strong performing category in our hotel portfolio – demonstrated by the longevity of IGT’s Multistar Champion Series – released in 2015 and still delivering good performance.

“Now, our latest multi-games are taking it to the next level. Multistar Hot Diamonds has a traditional six-game pack but includes a variety of volatility options and, importantly, a hold n’ spin feature that players love.

“Multistar Super 3G plays homage to classic games but with a modern twist. With no jackpot liability, this three-game pack heralds the return of an IGT hotel classic poker game – Wild Card II. The poker game provides a quick poker-style experience and thanks to the resurgence of interest in poker, it’s a great fit for a broad demographic.

“This is just the start of the new hotel games planned for our portfolio, with planning and development currently underway for some exciting new concepts for hotels.”

14 | JUNE 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

SG GAMING’S SUPERSIZED DUALOS REVEALED AT AHGE IN BRISBANE SG Gaming’s latest cabinet the DualosX was unveiled earlier this year at the Australasian Hospitality & Gaming Expo (AHGE) in Brisbane. The second generation Dualos claims larger higherdefinition screens, an LCD iDeck that combines dynamic full colour display with mechanical play button and a faster processor for enhanced gameplay.

An SG Gaming spokesperson revealed a new company-wide game development platform known as ArgOS should create operational efficiencies from its games and seamlessly roll out content across its multiple hardware platforms globally, aligning multi-jurisdictional releases in Australia.

SG Gaming’s Senior Vice President Adrian Halpenny said, “We have successfully developed games that players love locally and more importantly for the company, have proven they travel well by entertaining players globally. Our latest cabinet is undoubtedly our most spectacular to date for this market and the customer feedback has been very encouraging. To support the rollout of DualosX we are very excited to bring back one of our most successful themes using the Monopoly brand.

Monopoly Hotel Tycoon has been designed to take advantage of the big 27” screens and brings the classic board game to life in new and exciting ways.”

The DualosX features seven new games that will be released in the lead-up to the AGE. SG Gaming’s Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Bob Parente said, “The transition to our ArgOS platform is revolutionary for our organisation. When I was in Australia last August it was not lost on me how diverse the market is and also how important our Australian team is to our overall business. Australian game teams have created content that has solidified our position in Asia and given us a lot of traction in the US.” SG Gaming have confirmed the DualosX was approved for use in New South Wales in late April and is now rolling out around the state. It should hit gaming floors in Queensland and Victoria in June.

SG Gaming’s new DualosX cabinet

Where gaming technology meets hospitality.

Australasian Gaming Expo 2019

The Australasian Gaming Expo truly connects you. This August come and experience the very latest in gaming technology and discover the best in hospitality equipment and supplies.

2019 celebrates AGE’s 30th year so you know it’s going to be bigger than ever.

Visitor registration is now open at www.austgamingexpo.com 13-15 August 2019 Tue-Wed 10am-5pm ,Thu 10am-3pm ICC Sydney Darling Harbour NSW

SCREEN & SOUND

TOP TECHNOLOGY TEMPTS PATRONS FROM STREAMING TO PICTURE QUALITY, TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES IN THE HOME ARE DRIVING INNOVATION IN VENUE ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY. CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER REVEALS HOW HOTELIERS CAN STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE.

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he Balmain Hotel in Sydney’s Inner West drew some unwanted attention in the press earlier in May when Foxtel blocked the pub’s Game of Thrones screenings to the public. The pay-tv broadcaster reminded the venue that its residential subscription did not allow for the pub’s commercial setup and rapidly killed off the screenings.

The incident is a reminder both of ensuring your entertainment packages are legitimately used, but also of the enduring power of screened entertainment to attract major crowds to pubs.

Big-draw series with star names do have the pulling power to get patrons off their sofas and into their local, while screened live sport is an enduring attraction powering the great Aussie pub. While much has been made of the streaming services Netflix and Stan keeping Australians at home, arguably these services simply show the power of great entertainment to connect with an audience.

While the latest (and most expensive) technology is often the preserve of larger groups or those with deeper pockets, you can fully expect this technology to come down in price over time to become more accessible.

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3 KEY ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY TRENDS Appliance Retailer magazine’s deputy editor Emily Bencic highlights the top three trends relevant to hoteliers that she’s seeing across entertainment technology right now. From increased picture size to picture quality and modular screen setups.

1. EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGHER THAN EVER As the in-home entertainment experience continues to improve with better picture quality, better sound and easier access to content with integrated artificial intelligence (AI), Australian consumers need a good reason to enjoy a premium viewing experience outside of the home. There has been substantial growth in the purchase of 75-inch TVs, which didn’t exist a couple of years ago, so when it comes to entertainment at your venue, aside from a large screen, what else can you provide your customers to ensure they keep coming back?

2. PICTURE QUALITY KEEPS GETTING BETTER Without a doubt, the first thing we notice

when watching TV is picture quality. A few years ago, Ultra High Definition (Ultra HD) set the bar for picture quality, more recently, 4K resolution entered the market and now the next evolution coming to a screen near you is 8K – offering never-seen-before depth and detail. Despite limited 8K content being available, when 4K was first launched there was only a small pool of content to choose from. A key difference with the introduction of 8K TV is sophisticated upscaling technology that can recognise and upscale content whether through a streaming service, set-top box, HDMI, USB or mobile mirroring.

3. MODULAR SCREENS – THE FUTURE OF TV? Samsung Electronics has been making some noise about Micro LED as a major project in its television roadmap, first commercially, then more broadly for the everyday consumer. Micro LED is modular, meaning it is not defined by set screen sizes and it can fit into a wide array of room layouts and designs. It is also selfemissive technology with each pixel being its own light source that can be turned on and off to achieve truly perfect blacks. As an inorganic material, its colour, brightness and contrast will not degrade over time.

Serve them live sport and they will come

With over 50 sports across 12 dedicated channels, Foxtel gives your customers the live action they love – all year round.

Over 1,000 matches, 47 finals, 20 tests, 55 races and 3,000 laps in 2019.

Call 1300 361 507 foxtelbusiness.com.au to find out more The minimum term of an eligible Foxtel Business Venues subscription is date of sign-up to 29 February 2020. Availability of pay-per-view events subject to change. The F1 FORMULA 1 logo and related marks are trademarks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula One group company. All rights reserved. BUS0298

SCREEN & SOUND

CASE STUDY: COURT HOUSE HOTEL, PORT DOUGLAS Located in the enviable paradise of far north Queensland, Port Douglas’ Court House Hotel has a big focus on screened entertainment.

We had a chat with their General Manager Robert De Carlo.

Q TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE VENUE’S HISTORY AND HOW IT SERVES THE LOCAL COMMUNITY? The Courty, as it has become affectionately known, is the oldest pub in Port Douglas and one of the most iconic pubs in Australia.

Behind the magnificent heritage Queenslander façade and wide open verandas is a muchloved full-offering local pub. It is a destination for a casual dinner, significant celebration, a quick catch up bevvy or to settle in for a night of beers, banter and footy. The Courty is known for its welcoming and relaxed atmosphere, a meeting place where locals can come to wind down and catch up with friends.

Q WHY IS LIVE SPORT IMPORTANT TO THE VENUE? Live sport is an essential part of our offering.

It drives locals and tourists into the venue and creates a unique and exciting atmosphere that can’t be rivalled by other entertainment.

It creates an amazing buzz in the venue when you hear vocal supporters cheering at the telly. We believe sport is still a huge part of what makes a pub great and is a significant reason that people continue to come through our doors.

Q HOW DO YOU MAXIMISE THE IMPACT OF LIVE SPORT? Variety is key. Our locals and tourists enjoy a range of local and international sports so having the ability to show multiple events at one time means we are appealing to more customers. We have just invested in an amazing new big screen for our beer garden which has literally knocked the socks off our locals. They are chuffed with the new experience.

Q WHICH SPORTS ARE KEY TO YOUR PATRONS? AFL and NRL are top of mind at the moment but the tennis and Test cricket are great events for us and help bring people into the venue during Summer which is our quieter season. We also accommodate requests every day from overseas visitors who seem to be particularly interested in the NBA and other American sports.

Credit: Details and imagery courtesy of Foxtel Venues magazine, June 2019.

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PUB DINING AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Image credit: Merivale venue The Collaroy

HEATING & EATING MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR OUTDOOR DINING SPACES

IN-HOUSE CHEESE MATURES VENUES TAKING HOME-MADE TO WONDERFUL EXTREMES

Foodservice Inspiration For Your Pub

The White Cockatoo in Sydney’s Petersham now incorporates mushroom heaters. The space also closes up at the front and the roof covers a large portion of the courtyard. Credit: Alana Dimou

HEATING AND EATING CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER REVEALS THE HOTELS LURING IN DINERS WHATEVER THE WEATHER, WITH COMFORTABLE, COVERED AND HEATED SPACES WITH FOOD FIT FOR WINTER.

W

ith many venues relying on their outside spaces to accommodate large numbers of patrons, it is critical to ensure these spaces remain comfortable, attractive and functional whatever the weather.

Commercial heating providers, including Supagas, can offer venues a range of heaters for purchase or hire, along with LPG fuel arrangements, and may also offer additional complimentary and complementary services including Summer storage facilities and maintenance, so it’s worth exploring your options. With energy efficiency improving all the time – and environmental concerns in mind – a whole range of options are available.

Credit: Tim da-Rin

THE WHITE COCKATOO, PETERSHAM Reilly Group’s The White Cockatoo Hotel in Sydney’s Petersham offers a cosy indoor/outdoor feel with a courtyard space to soak up the autumn rays during the day and heaters and blankets provided for when the sun goes down.

“The courtyard is prime real estate,” says Group Executive Chef, Megan McCulloch, “especially for those that want to bring their pooch along. As the leaves start to fall our menu starts to heat up with low and slow hearty flavours, comfort food and a big, warm hug. Think 12-hour lamb shoulders with root vegetable sofrito, baked jap pumpkin, black garlic and kale, Berkshire pork and fennel sausages with Dutch cream mash, date and orange bread and butter pudding with cinnamon gelato.”

THE STABLES, PERTH Across in Perth, WA, is an inner-city venue focusing on innovative modern Australian food, housed in one of Perth’s original horse stables. Three Pound Group’s The Stables’ General Manager, Tim McLernon, says: “The Courtyard is a great inner city space for casual socialising. In the cooler months we light up the fire and theme our menu with warm, easy-to-share bar favourites such as mac and cheese croquettes and crispy chicken wings.”

THE BANK, NEWTOWN Venues including Sydney’s The Bank (a Solotel venue) embrace the cooler weather by confronting it head-on – with an annual ‘chillifest’. As The Bank’s General Manager & Licensee, Amanda Verratti, explains: “Our spacious courtyard transitions beautifully into the chilly months.

We put on the hottest festival in winter with Newtown Chillifest, now in its third year, which takes place Sunday 9 June.”

“For the rest of the season, we’ve got fantastic beef and vegan roasts every Sunday,” says Verratti, “soups and stews on special and mulled wine available every day.

“The courtyard is outfitted with electric heaters in the ceilings of the covered areas and plenty of mushroom-style gas heaters for the open-air area. That area is also able to be covered by a retractable roof for when the wind and rain kicks up.”

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Three Pound Group’s The Stables courtyard in Perth

The Kent’s impressive verandah with classic patio heaters

HEATING & EATING

THE HENSON, MARRICKVILLE The Henson has a large outdoor, ‘backyard’-style beer garden, partially covered but still enough for the sun to shine through with multiple windbreaks and shelter. As the sun goes down, the venue fires up the heaters for those wanting to stargaze, bring their dogs and keep an eye on their kids using the attached playroom.

Group Executive Chef Megan McCullough says, “Our Autumn eats have arrived with steaming bowls of ramen [pictured below], truffled cauliflower mac n cheese, Japanese katsu curries, Granny Smith apple Anzac crumble and vanilla bean gelato.”

THE KENT, HAMILTON Up in coastal NSW, The Kent food and space meets Autumnal needs, they say.

“The Kent Hotel’s ‘Verandah Bar’ is a household name in Newcastle and The Hunter region,” says a spokesperson for The Kent. “Like any venue we have had to adapt when the Summer nights fade. In Autumn, The Kent’s ‘Verandah Bar’ is lined with rustic free-standing heaters in the open air. We use our inner city location and panoramic view of glistening street lights to create individualistic charm.

“The street-level bistro allows patrons to enjoy the metropolitan surrounds with high seating against open windows, which spill onto the sidewalk. During the cooler months the fireplace is set to ‘crackle’ and The Kent serves rustic pot pie and a seafood linguine to the windowsills, matched with Hunter Valley wines.”

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER JUNE 2019 | 21

CHEESE

VENUE-MADE CHEESE CHURNS INTEREST FROM BURRATA CURDS TO BLUE VEIN, MAKING CHEESE IN-HOUSE HELPS VENUES SUPPORT PROVENANCE AND ARTISANAL CREDENTIALS, AS MADELINE WOOLWAY DISCOVERS.

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rtisan ingredients are now the norm in residential and commercial kitchens around the country. For venues looking to heighten their provenance credentials, and generally up their foodservice game, there’s a renewed commitment to making much more of what ends up on the plate, in-house.

As supply chains get shorter, and relationships between chefs and suppliers become more tightly-knit, whole kitchen teams are exposed to processes that were once completed long before delivery — think whole animal butchery and ageing, breadbaking, and preserving and pickling.

While it might seem like an obvious addition to the list, cheese-making has yet to experience the same explosion. There is, however, a dedicated few who are forging forward. Among them is Jo Barrett, co-head chef at Yarra Valley’s Oakridge Winery. The team is known for their quest to create a menu inspired by ingredients found around the region. Taking the farm-to-fork ethos seriously means doing whatever they can to utilise whatever goods are thrown their way. And that’s exactly how they got started on the venue’s cheese program.

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“We’ve been making cheese at Oakridge for probably about three years,” says Barrett.

“We got an allocation of amazing milk we didn’t want to turn down. Colin Wood was working here at the time, and he was really interested in making cheese, so he started the program for us.”

Fast forward to 2019 and Oakridge is now making two soft cheeses — a washed rind and a brie — as well as a semi-hard Swiss variety, a provolone and burrata curds. The cheese program at Oakridge is very much about honouring the venue’s relationship with their dairy supplier.

“We use the same milk for all varieties during the year, but how the cows are going depends on the season,” says Barrett.

“In winter, it drops down a bit and there can be a bit of a lull if it’s dry in summer because the pastures dry up and the cows just don’t produce as much milk. In spring, we get quite a glut. The dairy we work with supplies a lot of families who are the first people to get the milk, so if there’s not much to go around, we’re kind of at the end of the list, which I love.”

Over in Western Australia, Shadow Wine Bar’s former head chef Sue Hutchins tells a

similar story. Before opening the venue, situated within the Alex Hotel in Perth, Hutchins found herself with a little spare time, which led to her participation in workshops.

KEEPING IT FRESH “I met Tanya Barretto who runs The Cheese Maker in the Swan Valley,” she says.

“At her workshops, we learnt how to make fresh cheeses.”

It was these workshops that inspired Hutchins to add house-made cheeses to the menu, and the venue now offers a range of free varieties including ricotta, mozzarella, stracciatella, haloumi, crème fraîche and mascarpone.

“The list is endless and we keep experimenting and adding to our program,” says Hutchins. Like Barrett, however, Hutchins says the availability of ingredients can alter the program.

“Sometimes the market dictates which cheeses we buy and make,” she says.

“We can’t buy any buffalo milk in Western Australia at the moment, so we buy that from Shaw River in Victoria.”

Just like a good cheese board, any pub’s in-house cheese program requires careful

CHEESE

“I get asked about it by other chefs all the time.

Everyone should have a go, it’s really rewarding.”

– Jo Barrett curation. Although the availability of different milks can have an effect on which cheeses are on offer, the varieties that are included largely depend on three things: time, space and experience.

Fresh cheeses, including the ones produced at Shadow Wine Bar, tend to be the best fit for most restaurants – they require less time and space than aged varieties and are often more approachable for beginners.

“We tend to make more fresh cheeses than aged due to time and space,” says Hutchins, adding the team is looking into more options.

“We try to allow for only two or three fresh cheeses on the menu at one time to ensure consistency as there can be many variables.”

Oakridge started out making burrata curds before moving on to bries and semi-hard cheeses as their confidence grew. For Barrett, the biggest hurdle has been time.

“The hard cheeses are the most difficult because you have to let them mature for so long,” she says. “You don’t know if you’ve stuffed it up. You could be making one per

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week and then you find when you crack into the first one two or three months later, you’ve stuffed it and they’re all wrong.

“There’s quite a lot of trial and error. It probably took us about a year until we got really good results, and this year we’ve started turning out the best cheeses we’ve done.”

On top of trial and error, there’s the question of how much to invest in resources and equipment.

“As you become more experienced, you can do a few things at once,” says Barrett. “Because it is quite detailed with temperature, you do have to focus.”

SIMPLE EQUIPMENT When it comes to equipment, kitchens looking to build a large program of cheeses might find it worthwhile to invest in some hoops, and if semi-hard and hard cheeses are on the cards, proper maturing conditions are a must.

“We’re lucky because we’re a winery with a museum room with back vintages and it sits at a constant temp of 13–15 degrees Celsius, which is ideal for maturing cheeses,” says Barrett.

“It’s something you need to put time and effort into. From 10 litres of milk, we yield about 15 cheeses.”

One must-have is a sterilising pot and enough space to keep bacteria from spreading.

Process is everything, from keeping hands clean to flipping the cheeses every day.

With the current roster under control, Barrett is looking to the next challenge – blue cheese.

“We’ve tried a couple of styles,” she says.

“It’s hard though because once you get the blue cheese bacteria, it’s really hard to get rid of, so you really need to keep everything separate. I’m a massive fan though, so I’d love to do more of that, but we need to make sure we’re completely in control.”

Ultimately all varieties offer plenty of room for experimenting. Both Barrett and Hutchins extol the virtues of giving staff a challenge.

“There are so many benefits to making fresh cheeses – [it’s] very rewarding,” says Hutchins. “[It] can seem basic but also creative as you can adjust the recipe to suit your own tastes.”

Regardless of what varieties make the cut and how they’re incorporated into the menu, successfully producing house-made cheese is a matter of consistently reassessing and testing reliable recipes, which is all part of the upskilling process.

“At Shadow, we rely on recipes that have been tried and tested,” says Hutchins. “It’s important for our team to document any variances between the recipes, as there can be challenges with using different types of milk.

“Our training is ongoing as we are always adjusting recipes and ingredients.”

Barrett agrees that it’s best to follow a recipe when starting out and attributes her team’s success to the guidance of local Yarra Valley Dairy cheesemaker Jack Holman.

“We’re lucky to be really close with Jack,” she says. “If I have any doubts I’ll ask him and send photos.”

BEYOND THE BOARD At Oakridge, Barrett encourages the team to try out different coatings.

“We’ve got a few with flavours on the outside, which is really fun because you can draw out the different characteristics.”

An added virtue has been the opportunity to play with unusual uses. At Oakridge, the team was inspired by a visit from Japanese chef Shinobu Namae, creating a dessert that takes the washed rind cheese and combines it with lees from the pinot tank.

“Shinobu does a version with sake lees, so ours is a play on that,” says Barrett.

“Together, the washed rind cheese and the lees taste like cheesecake.”

Another dish encapsulates that famous farmto-fork Oakridge ethos.

“We’ve got a really cool dish that uses polenta made from corn we grew and milled with a cheese we made grated into it,” says Barrett.

“That’s our ultimate goal — to be making everything. We’re pretty close.”

While a select few are currently tackling the challenge of cheesemaking in-house head on, the process is something both chefs would encourage others to give a go.

“I get asked about it by other chefs all the time,” says Barrett. “Everyone should have a go, it’s really rewarding.”

The Ambarvale Hotel.

At PKD we believe every element of a project is crucial.

This philosophy has seen us grow over 22 years into a company of 20, currently designing and delivering $60 million worth of projects.

Main bar wiith four-tank brewhouse behind

DESIGN & BUILD

BIG

IS BEST

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early three years in the planning and making, Colin Parras Hospitality reopened The Ambarvale Hotel in Campbelltown, NSW towards the end of April 2019. Having purchased the property for $21.2m in December 2016 from the Lantern Hotel Group, Parras admits the huge renovations have cost “many millions and there’s probably a few more to go with stage four. We’re three-quarters of the way there,” but he won’t be drawn on the actual bottom line.

Following hot on the heels of Arthur Laundy’s The Marsden – an opening Parras and his project designer Paul Kelly, of Paul Kelly Design – says is entirely coincidental, The Ambarvale represents another supremely largeformat renovation, innovative in concept and a game-changer in execution. The intent, both Parras and Kelly say, is as huge as the venue: essentially to be all things to all people.

ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE “We have everything from sports theatres to cafés to function spaces,” says Parras. “We have The Greenhouse, which is more of a day style of venue. We have a brewery [Ambarvale Brewing Co] for the craft beer lovers, and we have a really fantastic bistro. Not to forget we also have a children’s area for the younger ages from, say, eight [years] to zero. Something for everyone.

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PARRAS HOSPITALITY’S AMBARVALE HOTEL HAS OPENED IN WESTERN SYDNEY AIMING TO BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PATRONS. CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER REVEALS EXACTLY HOW THEY PLAN TO DO IT.

“In those spaces there are fireplaces, the craft beer area, lounge areas, etc. We have an outdoor public bar at the back of the terrace, a TAB with a big video wall, it goes on and on!” says Parras.

“Essentially what we’re doing is we’re splitting up the whole business into separate markets,” says Kelly, “and trying to provide a large aperture – not only because of the numbers but because of the diversity of the demographic. So we’re really trying to get something for everyone.”

That sense of being an entertainment centre suitable for all, at all times of the day and night, indoors and outdoors, is palpable.

“It’s probably the first time we’ve done it,” says Kelly, “but we’ve managed to blend the major markets, as far as demographics are concerned. We’ve been able to blend everyone into the one venue without saying ‘this is a particular market we’re going for’.

“We’ve got kids, older people, young people, families, tradies, gaming patrons, mums, nondrinkers – not everything in this venue is about alcohol. A lot of it is about food and coffee and cakes and spending time. A lot of people use this venue as a destination to spend time in. Because it’s so big, we have the opportunity to do that. It’s the first time we’ve been able to pull it off properly,” says Kelly.

DESTINATION: AMBARVALE Creating a destination venue was, Kelly says, the entire focus of the initial brief.

“The original brief for the project was to create something like Gregory Hills [Hotel].

To create a destination that would rival some of the larger formats – Macarthur Tavern, Gregory Hills, The Marsden.

“We weren’t aware of The Marsden when we were building this thing, but what the intention is, is that in the suburb of Campbelltown there are a lot of feeder suburbs. Because of the vast size of the suburbs out there, people don’t mind driving. So if we provide a destination, in a large format, with something that was over and above the competition. That was the strategy: to blow everyone else out of the water,” says Kelly.

Parras was, he says, immediately drawn to the location and the hotel’s scale, which provided the potential to execute his strategy: “It overlooks lovely rolling hills and I always thought that would create a great backdrop to do a nice outdoor space,” says Parras.

“The hotel itself was on a very large footprint, 7,000sqm, and the dwelling in itself was a large footprint. We thought it had the bones to become something really special.”

The south-west Sydney location was also a massive draw, says Parras, given the extensive developments taking place in the

DESIGN & BUILD

TAB sports betting area Kitchen with extensive day / night offering

surrounding areas of Badgerys Creek and the Macarthur region.

“I thought there was a lot of future and progress in the area so that’s why we’ve come here,” says Parras.

Reflecting on the original hotel Parras had bought, Kelly says: “What it was before was a suburban, large-scale pub that had a standard sized bistro that served typical pub food. It had a normal bar with Toohey’s on tap, there really wasn’t anything that special about it. Previously the bottle shop was gargantuan, it would have rivalled most Dan Murphy’s.”

“It’s nothing like what was there before,” says Kelly.

Parras and Kelly have been working together for over 20 years, says Kelly, who met his wife at Parras’ Leopard Lounge.

As a second-generation publican, Colin Parras has been an integral part of several family-owned and award-winning Sydney pubs for more than 40 years.

While the project’s sheer scale could have proved a headache, Parras and Kelly split the project into four phases, with no subsequent phase guaranteed until the prior phase was deemed a success.

PHASE BY PHASE “Initially we wanted to renovate the gaming room,” says Parras. “We had so much space internally that stage one: we moved the gaming room to a better location, [to] make it much more spacious and have a very nice interior design. That was the first stage, but we did design the whole hotel to be completely rebuilt.

As each stage came around we made a decision

The Greenhouse courtyard area

whether to continue with it. So we ended up rebuilding the whole hotel.

“There is a further stage, four, which hasn’t been commenced yet, but which is the whole of the back beer garden area. It’s a very large space, all open air. That’s all been approved as well. To create a function space and more activities for children as well, in the outdoors,” says Parras.

Kelly says phase four envisages “huge” outdoor functions, a family-focused kids area, beer garden, facility with “quite elaborate Disney-style landscaping that at weekends and for special events will be able to house a significantly higher volume of people with its own bars,” says Kelly.

“There’s talk about some signature entertainment options that can go out there,” says Kelly.

In terms of stage four timing, “Once we’re comfortable with the business model of those [first] three stages, we would look to do stage four,” says Parras. “I would love to see it ready for summer 2019/20. If the timing’s right for us, we’ll go for it. Otherwise we’ll wait for [summer] 2020/21.”

Parras is clearly delighted wtih the early results proving out their proposition, particularly during the daytime.

DAYTIME WINNERS “The market we’ve seen straight up is young mothers with two or three children going straight to the play area,” says Parras, “and mothers having a cappuccino and a piece of cake and meeting her friends.”

Parras also highlights those patrons enjoying the space, without alcohol.

PAUL KELLY DESCRIBES THE PROJECT ELEMENTS AND PHASES: The pub is split into two. Stage one, the gaming precinct with the sports bar, gaming room and the TAB sports betting area.

This side has the brewery, the bistro, the Greenhouse and a children’s area called the Playhouse.

The main bar has four large brewery tanks behind the bar, where we have our own brewery concept. On tap at all times there’s at least four different beers that are brewed on-site.

The area to the rear of that is the kitchen area, which is one of the biggest kitchens I’ve ever done. It’s probably twice the size of the kitchen at the Oaks [check]. It’s got a lot of firepower for future phases. It’s using a lot of charcoal cooking using imported parilla grills. So we’ve got a lot of protein-based meat dishes, a real focus on fire, charcoal and meat.

There’s a completely separate kitchen, which does short order for burgers and fries, fish and bits and pieces. We’ve also then got a pizza kitchen, a bulk prep kitchen for functions.

At the front we have the café, coffee machine, desserts. So really, you come to this place for something to eat – you’ve got every single base covered.

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER JUNE 2019 | 27

DESIGN & BUILD

“Some parties come and they don’t have alcoholic beverages, they have soft drinks and cakes, and that’s where that café aspect comes into it. The child play areas have become very attractive for that demographic. Where we’re situated in these outer suburbs, there’s a lot of families… We need to react to that and offer what they’re looking for,” says Parras.

“I would definitely say the bistro trade has surprised me,” says Parras. “We have Danny Russo our Executive Chef, heading up the kitchen team. I think the bistro menu and the offerings, very fresh, pub classic food, done really, really well, is what people want and they’ve reacted to that offering. That’s been the most successful part of the opening to date – that reaction to the bistro and food.”

SIX SEPARATE APPROVALS Was it all plain-sailing with planning and licensing?

“Of course not,” says Kelly. “The trickiest thing with anything like this is trying to tiptoe around legislation and trying to maintain a political stance in regards to licensed areas. Every single corner you turn when you’re developing a pub, someone sticks their hand up for money, in regards to compliance, the use of charcoal fuel, the brewery, brewing on-site, licensing hours – there’s so many different hurdles to go through… There’s six separate approvals for this building because of the way the laws are structured. It’s quite a complex little development.”

Kelly says his key learning is that you always need more time than you think and that knowing a building’s limitations beforehand – and the specific regulations it must operate within – is important.

“In some cases, you just can’t move the goalposts – you have to keep them,” says Kelly. “Trying to bend the rules, get around things, legally and properly, just takes a lot of time. We didn’t have to give up on any of our plans, because we were diligent and pushed.”

MORE THAN GAMING

Four beers are brewed on site at any one time

Bistro dining area

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What does this development tell us about the wider industry?

“I think there is definitely a trend towards these larger footprint hotels,” says Parras, “especially out west [of Sydney]. They’ve always had larger footprints as opposed to being closer to the CBD. I think a lot of hoteliers are moving out to the suburbs because the city has changed.”

“The reason I started this business 22 years ago,” says Kelly, “is because I wanted to create these entertainment precincts, entertainment centres for adults and families… If anybody wants to have a night out – because you can’t bar-hop in these suburban areas, you’ve got to stay there. In these larger venues you can move from one section to another. When you come back the next night, you don’t want the same experience. It’s giving people the ‘city opportunities’ but within one venue.”

“The one thing I’ve taken from all of this,” says Parras, “is we’re moving away from just gaming-orientated hotels and going for a multi-facet style of a venue. That’s where I believe a lot of hoteliers are moving towards.

“I think it’s all changing to that model where you’re seeing breweries and bistros, kids play areas and cafés and outdoor spaces, function spaces. I think that’s where it’s all moving to now, which is very healthy for the industry,” says Parras.

Kelly agrees. “I think that this is probably a venue that has eight heads as opposed to two – it will show people that to get revenue out of a venue isn’t necessarily about making an immediate sale, and that the market you can get in, because you have the space to do it, the markets grow if there isn’t the push to constantly feed them one particular product like alcohol.”

CALENDAR

SPORTS FIXTURES PACK IN THE PATRONS WITH THE SPORT ON LIVE AND LOUD. HERE ARE YOUR JUNE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE MONTH AHEAD, INCLUDING THE ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP AND SUPER RUGBY FINAL ROUNDS.

CRICKET

TENNIS

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is underway, featuring a round-robin format and massive clashes against hosts England. Australia play: When: All times 7:30pm except where shown. Wed 12 Jun v Pakistan; Sat 15 Jun v Sri Lanka; Thu 20 Jun v Bangladesh; Tue 25 Jun v England; Sat 29 Jun v New Zealand 10:30pm; and Sat 6 Jul v South Africa 10:30pm. Concludes in July.

Channel: Fox Cricket. Australia games, semi-finals and final, Fox Cricket and Channel 9

Grass court action gets underway at England’s home of tennis. The countdown to 2019 Wimbledon begins with qualifying from Mon 24 June with the main tournament underway from Mon 1 July.

When: Qualifying (all 8pm) 24–27 June Channel: Fox Sports (plus Channel 7 for Wimbledon 2019)

AFL

UNION

There are Thursday night thrillers throughout June including a tripletreat over consecutive weeks along with packed schedules each Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

When: (All 7:50pm), Thu 13 June Adelaide v Richmond; Thu 20 June West Coast v Essendon; and Thu 27 June Essendon v GWS Giants Channel: Fox Footy, Channel 7 and 7mate

Super Rugby’s three remaining regular season rounds play out this month before the Finals Series kicks off Fri 21 June. Expect the Final on Sat 6 July or Sun 7 July. All Finals times TBC. When: Sat 15 Jun Brumbies v Reds 7:45pm; Fri 21 Jun – Sun 23 Jun Quarter-Finals; Fri 28 – Sun 30 Jun Semi-Finals; Sat 6 or Sun 7 Jul The Final Channel: Fox Sports

NEXT MONTH

Catch the culmination of the ICC Cricket World Cup Finals in July when the knockout phase gets underway on 9 July.

When: Tue 9 Jul Semi-Final 1 (1st v 4th) 7:30pm; Thu 11 Jul Semi-Final 2 (2nd v 3rd) 7:30pm; Sun 14 Jul The Final 7:30pm Channel: Fox Cricket. Australia games, semi-finals and final, Fox Cricket and Channel 9 *All times are AEST

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER JUNE 2019 | 29

Pub classics at Merivale venue, The Collaroy

TALES FROM THE TOP

TOO BIG TO FAIL

Jordan Toft, Executive Chef of Merivale’s The Newport, Coogee Pavillion and The Collaroy

EXECUTIVE CHEF FOR THREE OF MERIVALE’S LARGEST VENUES (AND EX CHEF TO THE PRINCE OF SAUDI ARABIA), JORDAN TOFT TELLS CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER HOW THE GROUP APPROACHES THE CRUCIAL BUSINESS OF FOODSERVICE.

P

ubs have dramatically changed. Sure there are still pubs that trade in the old ways but like anything, I think they’ve had a renaissance in the last five years in Sydney where we’re trying to bring the families back.

So how can we encourage what they were originally for as a public place? Especially on the larger scale that I look after, the philosophy is around the public space that we provide the food and beverage service. They’re about offering a greater experience than just offering a beer. That’s not to say there isn’t a time and place for pubs that have a very simple food offering and provide the service of sitting around the U-shaped bar, having a chat and meeting your mates for a beer or two. Encouraging the entire family to come in, they’re definitely wanting a better, more holistic experience.

I’m talking about specific models to make it that meeting place. That has the added value of food and beverage, whether with your girlfriend during the day or a work meeting.

Places that are easier, more fluid and easier to meet up. Daytime is getting really important, while evening dictates dinner and drinks.

There’s no doubt that the business itself, depending on what your model is, is a hard graft. Albeit there are people making a good business out of it, it’s no easy feat to incorporate the price of fresh produce that’s moving north at a rapid rate, wages being pushed to pay people more. Like any business, you have wages, overheads and the cost of goods, and all

30 | JUNE 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

those things are moving up. But that’s what our job is – to make a sensory experience and the commerce part is right as well.

There’s a bit of this consumer index that says consumers are willing to pay certain amounts for certain things. … Even though it’s our job, we have to be even more ingenious with how to give the customer what they want and what they expect while heightening the experience… and staying within that right price point.

Look at the price of meat – we’re getting e-mails from suppliers and overall the price of meat is going up… Can you imagine if I sent an e-mail to our [customer] database… saying all of our pricing is going up? We can’t do that.

My big job is thinking like a guest – where are they willing to splurge? Or that price has to stay at that because it’s the marker of what bracket you’re in. How do we counter that?

We do what we always do and that’s balance.

Offering menu items with a higher margin for the business offsetting some of your other margins. I’ve got things on the menu that lose me money, that in theory if it’s all I had on the menu, would lose me money. But it’s also there as part of the offering.

Staff training is a massive part of it – trying to increase our guest experience by guiding them to what we believe our best experience looks like, tastes like and drinks like. Call a spade a spade – we’re trying to improve the guest experience. That may be misconstrued as ‘you’re just trying to sell me more’, but we’re in the job to make people have a really good time.

Guest experience is paramount for us.

“We have to be even more ingenious with how to give the customer what they want”