Australian Hotelier October 2022

GAMING

GLOBAL

MADE

VENUES,

EASY

EVERY GAME LIVE

Get your venue ready for the Australian summer of cricket with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup being held in Australia during prime time viewing, Men’s Test Series, Dettol ODI series, Dettol T20 International Series, KFC BBL, Weber WBBL and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, your venue will have every game live and ad-break free during play.

A Foxtel Business subscription delivers the magic of cricket to venues – bringing fans together, entertaining them and contributing to a boost in trade. Don’t miss out on serving your customers the best of the summer cricket season with Foxtel.

THE BEST VOICES OF THE GAME Kerry O’Keeffe

Isa Guha Adam Gilchrist

Mark Waugh

Event availability correct at time of publishing and may be subject to change. Available for Foxtel Business subscribers only. Foxtel marks are used under licence by Foxtel Management Pty Ltd.

Contents P34

SPECIAL

Cover story:

Global.”

Preparing for Summer: Strategies to contend with the busiest part of the year, with fewer staff than ever.

Ed’s Pick

Venue Profile: No detail is overlooked when it comes to ensuring Watervale Hotel creates as little waste as possible.

Op Tech: How to handle last-minute bookings and ghostings.

Menu Strategy: The retro revival at Armadale’s Orrong Hotel.

Editor’s

LAST MONTH I said that it felt like the onpremise was picking up again and that more people were returning to pubs. Now we have the data to back that up. CGA’s On Premise Consumer Pulse found that in the last month the proportion of consumers visiting venues has increased, largely driven by food-led visits. Those participants who are visiting venues more frequently stated they have been doing so in order to treat themselves, wanting to try new places, or because they are becoming less concerned about covid.

More people visiting pubs is great news, and with a general upswing as the weather gets warmer, venues are bound to see more trade through their doors. But with less

30 Local Syndicates: Locals across the country have been banding together to save their country pubs.

REGULARS

6 News: What’s happening in pubs across Australia.

34 Design & Build: Plough & Ale is the latest greenfield build by Laundy Hotels.

38 Tales from the Top: Why ALH Group turned a booming nightclub back into a corner pub.

WE ENCOURAGE

RESPONSIBLE DRINKING

Get the facts DrinkWise.org.au

personnel available this year, a packed venue could be tricky to manage without some good strategies in place. We’ve got you covered with how operators all across the country are preparing for summer from p 14. Have you been waylaid by last-minute booking cancellations and ghostings? Check out the latest data and strategies on p 26. And don’t forget to grab your last-minute tickets to ALIA 2022 – more details on p 10. It’s going to be the party of the year!

Cavasinni, Editor

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In the news

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN PUBS ACROSS AUSTRALIA

Gaming crackdown begins across Australia

Within days of each other a few states and territories began introducing new legislation changes, penalties and moratoriums that will have a big impact on gaming in pubs.

TASMANIA

Tasmanian pubs and clubs were left blindsided by an announcement made by the Rockliff government that a cashless card pre-commitment scheme will be introduced for all of the state’s EGMs by the end of 2024.

Deputy Premier and Treasurer Michael Ferguson announced the pre-commitment scheme would “lead the nation” and was in response to the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission’s report into harm minimisation.

“We support the Commission’s recommendation to implement a statewide player card gaming system with pre-commitment and cashless gaming. The Government also supports the Commission’s view that facial recognition technology is not an effective tool for wider prevention of harm in gaming venues.”

Ferguson continued: “Routine default pre-commitment that applies Statewide in Tasmania is the gold standard of harm minimisation measures. Tasmania is the first State to announce a scheme of this kind.

“It will provide those most at risk of gambling harm with protection while having no impact on recreational gamblers.”

The Rockliff government expects the precommitment scheme to be implemented by December 2024. As part of the scheme gaming machine players will have to

register for a cashless gaming card. The cards will have pre-set default limits, that can be lowered by players at any time; or increased within certain parameters. The default limits are $100 per day; $500 per month; and $5,000 per year.

The ABC has reported that anyone wanting to spend more than $5000 annually on playing EGMs will have to prove that they have the financial capability to do so.

In terms of cost, the state government has stated it will work with the new Monitoring Operator MAX to provide venues with card-based gaming technology as a fee-based service. It has also stated that to further assist the transition during 2022-23, it will grant the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) $268,000 in funding to deliver industry support and training.

The THA – who supported the Rockcliff Government’s election campaign in 2018 against Labor’s campaign to ban EGMs – have been left livid with the precommitment scheme announcement, and the repercussions of such a scheme for the pub and club industry in Tasmania.

In a statement, the THA laid out how the Liberal Government has in recent years supported the right of Tasmanians to make their own choices when it comes to gambling, both before and after the election.

“On any objective measure, today’s

backflip is a slap in the face to hotel and pub customers and hardworking small and family businesses in Tasmania –many who are only just recovering after the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic,” reads the statement.

“Tasmanians entrusted the Liberal Government at the 2018 election with their vote because they supported freedom and choice. Freedom and choice have been sacrificed by the Rockliff Liberal Cabinet at the expense of a fair go,” stated THA CEO Steve Old.

“The Liberal Government has declared it will decide how Tasmanians spend their money and how Tasmanians consume their entertainment.”

THA president Ben Carpenter argued that the pre-commitment scheme punishes the overwhelming majority to address the small amount of problem gamblers in the state, according to Liberal Party research.

“To enforce a mandatory precommitment system – which essentially means Tasmanians need to get permission from their financial advisor to say what they’re allowed to spend their money on with no consultation – has completely blindsided industry.

“We are still in shock by the announcement today. As an industry, we will digest the announcement and consult with our operators who are affected by this decision.”

VICTORIA

Just days after the Tasmanian Government’s announcent, the Andrews Government in Victoria passed the Casino Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Implementation and Other Matters) Bill 2022 through Parliament, which it said is “aimed at strengthening harm minimisation measures, combating financial crime, and boosting governance and oversight of Crown”.

To prevent money laundering through the casino, the legislation introduces mandatory identification checks before a person can participate in gambling activities or claim winnings of more than $1000. Cash usage will also be limited to $1000 per 24 hours.

Patrons of the casino will be able to set time and money limits on their gaming activities through a mandatory precommitment system for electronic gaming machines for Australian residents in the venue. The mandatory pre-commitment system will need to be in place for the casino’s pokies by the end of 2023.

Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Melissa Horne said: “We are holding Crown Melbourne to account and delivering on an additional

12 recommendations – targeting money laundering and harm minimisation –to implement every one of the Royal Commission’s recommendations.

“This legislation implements worldleading reforms to make sure the failures uncovered by the Royal Commission can never happen again.”

While the legislation targets Crown Melbourne specifically, public pressure builds to increase the purview of such legislation to any venue that operates EGMs.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Further north, the Northern Territory Government has placed a moratorium on gaming machines in hotels and taverns across Alice Springs for nine months.

The move comes after residents of Alice petitioned the Government after applications were lodged for 60 new gaming machines for hotels and taverns in the town.

The moratorium means applications currently lodged for Uncles Tavern, Mercure Alice Springs Resort, Todd Tavern, and Gap View Hotel will not be considered until June 2023. The venues were bought earlier this year by Iris Capital, who declined to comment at this stage.

Minister for Racing, Gaming and Licensing

Chansey Paech, said: “The Territory Labor Government knows that problem gambling creates a significant public health risk to communities across the NT, especially for our most vulnerable Territorians.

“People in Alice Springs have voiced their concerns loudly and clearly, and we are now taking the time to make the application process more robust and in line with community expectations.

“This move is part of our Government’s wider policy reform to minimise gamblingrelated harm because it is in the best interests of Territorians; and it is what Territorians want.”

Alex Bruce, CEO of Hospitality NT, lamented the decision, suggesting it would curtail investment in the Territory.

“We are disappointed in this politically driven intervention. The current process was robust enough to deal with the pending applications and should’ve run its course. Every time a government changes the goal posts to claim a quick win, business risk increases and we become a less attractive place for further investment and the associated local jobs that flow decrease.”

The Government said it will consider further harm minimisation policies and practices during this moratorium.

Riverbar + Kitchen to reopen

Solotel have announced that Riverbar + Kitchen in Brisbane will re-open this month, after being completely inundated during the floods earlier in the year.

Set on the banks of the Brisbane River, Riverbar + Kitchen was completely submerged and destroyed within hours during the devastating floods of late February/early March this year. The building suffered quite a bit of damage, from the ruining of food to the destruction of furninshings.

“To see such a beautiful venue go under water was absolutely horrible. When the floods came, it wasn’t just about losing the venue but you have all your staff and customers to worry about too,” stated co-owner Matt Moran.

Since the flooding, the Solotel team has had the opportunity to reinvigorate and elevate the venue, a decade after the original opening. The group has spent the last eight months rebuilding and replacing everything that was lost at the venue.

“To rebuild from a completely blank canvas has been amazing – it’s going to be a great refresh, a reinvigoration of what it used to be with a newer design, new branding and an elevated concept,” stated Moran.

With the new fit-out will also come a brand new menu. Venue manager Wesley Smith and head chef Bambi Chanpen have been working alongside Moran to elevate the food and beverage lineup to include breakfast, lunch, dinner. The menu will have a strong focus on fresh local produce, including a selction of raw seafood sourced locally along with a shared cocktail menu.

Riverbar + Kitchen is set to reopen in the middle of the month.

(l-r) Head chef Bambi Chenpen, Solotel’s Matt Moran, and VM Wesley Smith.

Riverbar was completely submerged during the floods

Pub finalists announced for ALIA 2022

After a two-year hiatus, the Australian Liquor Industry Awards are back and will be held at Sydney Town Hall on Wednesday 19 October. A whole heap of pubs across the country are in the running for a wide variety of on-premise awards.

Pubs big and small have been nominated in a wide range of awards. Old favourites like Best Food Menu, Best Beer List and Best Sports Venue will be hotly contested, while new categories have also been added to reflect the dynamism of the industry. New awards include Best On-Premise NOLO Product and Best Brand Ambassador.

A few hotels have been named finalists in numerous categories, such as Sandstone Point Hotel in Queensland’s Moreton Bay region. The large-format hotel is a finalist for Best Food Menu and Best Live Music Venue, and the major awards of Hotel of the Year and Publican of the Year for its recent GM Brad Harding. Sandstone Point Hotel’s parent company Comiskey Group is also up for Hotel Group Operator of the Year. Fairly new operator Odd Culture

Group has also stacked up numerous nominations, including Best New Venue for Odd Culture Newtown, Best Food Menu for The Old Fitz, as well as Hotel Group Operator of the Year.

Other large pub group operations are up for several awards, including Australian Venue Co, Laundy Hotels, Lewis Land Group, Merivale, Sand Hill Road and The Sydney Collective.

Smaller pub operations are also represented as ALIA finalists, with Watervale Hotel in South Australia’s Clare Valley up for Best Food Menu; Huntlee Tavern in the Hunter Valley up for Best New Venue; and Silverlake Social in Melbourne up for Best Sports Venue, among others.

Finalists for the 2022 Hotel of the Year are: Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Camden Valley Inn Coogee Pavilion

Forrester’s Hotel, Surry Hills Golden Sheaf Hotel

Harbord Hotel Hotel Esplanade

Marsden Brewhouse

Sandstone Point Hotel

The Prince Consort

The Terminus Hotel, North Fitzroy Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel

You can view the full list of on-premise finalists at www.liquorawards.com.au

Full details on the voting and judging process are also available on the website.

Book your tickets to the liquor industry’s night of nights now. It’s going to be one hell of a party! Details for the events can be found on the next page.

Subscribe now to our fortnightly newsletter: www.theshout.com.au/subscribe-australian-hotelier

The Australian Liquor Industry Awards were last held in 2019

Publicans declare: “I love my Global”

Publicans have been singing the praises of Global’s new CCU6 gaming system, driving parent company UTOPIA Gaming Systems to launch the ‘I Love My Global’ campaign.

MANAGING THE gaming operations of any venue is challenging both in terms of driving efficiencies, delivering great customer service and meeting compliance requirements. The right gaming system is key to helping get all of this right.

When it comes to gaming systems it seems the top of the wish list in features is simple, easy-to-read reporting, that it can easily evolve with new technologies and offers a reliable and responsive help desk.

The Global Gaming System can offer all of this and more, and is the reason why so many venue managers love their Global Gaming System.

‘I love my Global’ is the catch cry from the hundreds of venues that use the Global Gaming System. So loved is the system by NSW pubs and clubs that many of the industry’s greats have been shouting it from the rooftops.

Angela Gallagher of Gallagher Hotels is a big fan of Global’s reporting features.

“I love my Global because it’s so easy to use, [has] comprehensive reporting and importantly when we need help the support is instantly there for us, it’s that simple,” said Angela.

The easy access to the Help Desk and the overall support that comes as a Global customer is a common thread of what is important to the end users of the system. With a 24/7 helpdesk, venues can get the support they need when they need it.

Richie Baggaley, GM of Laundy Hotels’ Woolly Bay Hotel, is also a fan of the system and its widespread use.

“The Global system is just so easy to use and reliable,” said Baggaley.

“Importantly, because it is so widely used in the industry, we find the big advantage is that new staff that join us from other venues are also familiar with how Global works and so can hit the ground running.”

UTOPIA Gaming Systems, the home of the Global system, has a dedicated team of inhouse developers working fulltime on new enhancements and important technological advancements. The latest version of Global, the CCU6, has been built to provide a platform allowing venues to easily adopt the latest in gaming technology such as card-based MIMO, UTOPIA Loyalty and further down the road, digital cashless gaming.

“We’ve built this new gaming system on technology that will allow for whatever happens next, be it new products, legislation change or the digital technology that we’re all expecting,” states Scott Dawson, head of sales for UTOPIA Gaming Systems.

Delivering a gaming system that meets the needs of today’s managers and can take them on the journey into the future will be the key feature of the Global system and will continue to give venues more reasons to love their Global.

Contact UTOPIA Gaming Systems today on 1800 200 201.

Woolly Bay Hotel GM Richie Baggaley is a big fan of the Global gaming system

Angela Gallagher of Gallagher Hotels

Terrigal Hotel

White Cane

Managing the summer madness

With the busy season rapidly approaching, and staffing issues still high on the agenda, Seamus May spoke to operators around the country to hear how they’re adapting their offers.

IT’S NO secret that the hospitality sector is feeling the strain when it comes to staffing, with recent research from jobs listing firm, Seek, suggesting that applicants are at a twoyear low, while job ads are at a two-year high.

The situation is doubtless to be compounded by the upcoming busy season – the first summer in Australia without restrictions since 2019. Venues with diversified outdoor space, bar, entertainment, and events and function operations will be looking to capitalise on the most important time of year for pubs, but in many cases, will be forced to do more with less staff.

BEHIND THE BAR

A cornerstone of any successful pub is its bar and drinks offering, and as the temperatures begin to climb, operators will be looking to ensure their menus are summer-friendly.

Natasha Leembruggen of the Three Pound Group, which operates Perth venues The Camfield, The Reveley, The Stables and The Elford, said that the group would alter their menu to match the season.

“All venues will have seasonal changes for summer on both food and beverage,” Leembruggen says.

In general, the group’s venues will undergo a full audit of

AVC’s Provincial Hotel

furniture, equipment, lighting and menu to ensure they are ready for the busy season.

Leembruggen highlights several beverage trends she expects to take hold this summer.

“Cocktails just keep getting more popular, [with] spins on classics like Margaritas, Pina Coladas, Caprioskas.”

Also in fashion, Leembruggen explains, are skin-contact wines and chilled reds, while the group is “finding a huge resurgence in textural white wines (Chardy, Verdelho).”

“Beer wise it’s all hazy and bolder hoppy flavours but in an approachable ABV per centage,” she adds.

Brands too are adapting their offering to meet the demands of the on-premise visitor in the warmer months. One such company is Archie Rose, which has added two new light spirits, Straight Dry Gin and True Cut Vodka to its new range of

approachable products, Fundamental Spirits. A Double Malt Whisky will also join the collection in Winter 2023, once it has finished ageing.

“This range was created to give more people access to higher quality Australian spirits that hero sustainably sourced local and native ingredients versus international brands - at a similar price point,” says Archie Rose’s master distiller, Dave Withers.

These spirits are designed to be accessible for both consumers and bartenders alike, and are certain to make an impact behind the bar this summer.

“The Fundamental Spirits range bottle has also been adapted from Archie Rose’s signature bottle shape, including a longer neck and lighter weight, built for the rail and easy usage.

“Straight Dry Gin has a juniper-forward profile enhanced then by native lemon myrtle along with reclaimed orange peel

and pink peppercorn, to enhance a gin and tonic or a gin cocktail,” Withers adds.

While the True Cut Vodka is described by Withers as possessing “a neutral palate [that] will then serve as a great introduction to our Native Botanical Vodka,” which sits in the more premium Archie Rose range.

“We were really keen to launch these ahead of summer - for use in bars and at outdoor events,” Withers continues.

“We know that Australians love drinking Australian spirits, but the artisanal nature of craft distilling means that to date our products, along with others local spirits, have been reserved for the top shelf, with international brands still dominating the market.

“The intention of this range is to therefore redefine people’s access to Australian spirits at a more accessible price point.

White Cane Gold Medal Winner

Archie Rose will be supporting its on-premise partners this summer with the introduction of the Fundamentals range.

“We will be working with some of Australia’s most well-recognised bartenders and venues to bring these great spirits to life in some of the finest drinks going around.”

Scott Armstrong, managing director of Sunshine Coast Hotels is predicting a bumper summer period after the reopening of the borders and the loosening of COVID restrictions.

“This summer, our drinks lists will reflect refreshing local craft lagers and ales, cool aromatic white wines as well ginger beers and seltzers served over ice.”

HOLISTIC HIRING

Besides menu changes, the workforce behind the bar is a clear pressure point where venues will feel the impact of staff shortages.

“We will be hiring pretty much any staff we can attract with the right attitude. The labour market is tighter than we have ever seen it so we will be redeploying existing workers wherever we need to as well,” Armstrong says.

“For the first time we have started to engage with chef migration to support our existing kitchen brigades and have eight chefs now on the books.”

Tom Allan, sales and marketing

director for the Kickon Group states that retention has been just as important for his group as recruitment.

“We have been quite fortunate in that we’ve been able to retain our staff post-covid. Kickon Group has a strong focus on team engagement, and we’ve found that regularly checking in with our staff and quickly actioning feedback has created a great culture and a workplace that is enjoyable to work in,” Allan adds.

“Like any other pub, we’re always in a state of recruitment, however seeing the number of friends and family that have now joined our team after being recommended by current staff is really great to see.”

Adjustments to operations can ensure things run smoothly, as Leembruggen illustrates.

“We are finding we have to be more dynamic and flexible when it comes to our operations to accommodate staffing issues. In some instances [this means] making menus easier to produce for staff, ie. batching cocktails.”

“Operationally we have less separation between floor and bar teams, therefore allowing us to work a service with less people – creating more all-rounders.”

Training will be a crucial tool for operators looking to see out the summer successfully, both with new hires and existing team members, as Craig Ellison, CEO of Australian Venue Co (AVC) illustrates.

“Whilst it’s not easy, we are finding there are many willing young kids keen to enter the industry, if you are happy to invest the time in training,” Ellison says.

AVC has put in place incentives to both attract and retain staff.

“We’re running a major hiring drive, and welcoming lots of new people to the industry with paid training designed for beginners.

The Bribie Island Hotel

White Cane Gold Medal Winner

Rum and Cachaça Masters

We’re also offering new starters a $1000 voucher if they stay with us ‘til New Year’s Day,” Ellison adds.

This message is echoed by Leembruggen, who says Three Pound Group are “hiring younger, less experienced staff and relying on stronger training policies and procedure to get them up to speed.”

The company is also sharing staff across its various venues, when increased demand can be predicted in a particular area, such as game days at The Camfield, which is located at the base of Optus Stadium.

OUT IN THE OPEN

As the warmer months take hold, drinkers will be keen to head to their local beer garden or rooftop bar to soak up the sun. Australian Hotelier asked operators what preparations they had in place for this increased outdoor trade, and how this might impact their staff arrangements.

“We have some major renovations with a huge investment in outdoor spaces underway, which are due to open this summer, including The Wickham and Riverland in Brisbane, Claremont Hotel in WA and Burleigh Town Hotel on the Gold Coast,” Ellison says.

Riverland is based at Brisbane’s popular Eagle Street Pier, with renovations running to $3.5m, while the Claremont is receiving

At-table ordering eases staffing pain

In looking for solutions, AVC’s Ellison has pointed to technology as a means of reducing the strain on staff and operators.

“We jumped onto order-at-table technology early, which eases the pressure on needing lots of staff to take orders. This frees up our staff to focus on high value tasks and engaging with our customers,” Ellison says.

Ellison also stated that the group “make sure the outdoors areas have order-at-table options to make it easy for customers to get served quickly, without needing to find an inside bar.”

The Plough Inn, a high-volume pub located on prime real estate in Brisbane’s South Bank, has also looked to use this technology to ease staffing demands. Tom Allan, from the operating Kickon Group, explains that this approach also requires its own tailored training.

“After introducing Mr Yum as our at-table ordering service in late 2021, we have spent a lot of time developing efficiencies around the delivery of food and beverage and training designated runners [or] dispense bartenders,” Allan says.

“As a result, we’ve been able to service more customers to a higher standard whilst minimising long lines at the physical bars.”

a $9m total venue refurbishment, including a new rooftop space.

“There’s nothing better than a cold beer in the sun in a beer garden – they’re extremely important spaces for us.”

Similarly, Leembruggen describes the outdoor spaces in the Three Pound portfolio as “imperative”.

“It’s Perth - we love to sit out in the sun or get amongst the fresh air in the warmer months so the more aesthetically pleasing, the more inviting and the more operational the better for business.”

“For a few of our venues, the outdoor spaces are made for changes in season. The Camfield erects a marquee in its beer garden, The Reveley has a retractable roof and misters.”

Armstrong expects outdoor spaces at Sunshine Coast Hotels to attract significant trade over the coming months, but also states that the group has taken steps to ensure they will be comfortable under the sometimes fierce Queensland sun.

“Most of our customers love the outdoor spaces to drink and dine. On some days, it is simply too hot to do so, but for the majority of the summer this is where most of our patrons will enjoy their experience with us.

“We are refreshing some of the outdoor furniture across the group. We have also updated our range of shade umbrellas.”

The Boundary Hotel, West End

The Plough Inn is a high-volume venue

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Around Australia, operators will be confidently welcoming bookings, events, functions and entertainment for a celebration season free from social distancing restrictions.

Elliot Solomon, CEO of Solotel, believes the appetite for entertainment amongst drinkers is high.

“We’re seeing people looking for more late-night offerings and so we’re catering for that. The Bank, Marly, Albion, and Kings Cross Hotel already have a solid late-night offering,” Solomon says.

“Paddo Inn recently launched ‘Night Cap’ on Fridays and Saturdays from 10pm – 1am for those looking for somewhere chilled to go with music after a local dinner.”

“We have 20 pubs and bars in our venue portfolio, and all have a jam-packed calendar of activity for summer. Live music, DJs and entertainment is always central to the experiences we create at Solotel,” Solomon continues.

“We have a solid roster of performances planned across our pubs and bars, from the Golden Sheaf to Waywards at Bank, Albion Parramatta to Kings Cross Hotel. Each venue’s summer program is unique to its crowd and location, even when it’s part of a group-wide initiative.”

This expansion of late-night events has been matched by investment in Solotel’s entertainment and function spaces, as Solomon explains.

“We recently transformed the underutilised upstairs level of the Edinburgh Castle Hotel into Dusk Club, an intimate 1920s-inspired late night cocktail bar with live jazz,” the CEO explains.

“The intention was to create a space that welcomed a completely different guest who perhaps would never have come to the Eddy.”

A SEASON OF OPPORTUNITY

Evidently, operators in Australia will face certain challenges this summer, with most returning to pre-pandemic operations, albeit with stretched or shortened workforces.

Moreover, many venues will be offering an expanded service as consumers flock to the pubs, and they look to capitalise on the alignment of warm weather and major holidays.

This said, Australian Hotelier has found that venues who are able to tread this tightrope, through additional training, altered practices or the embrace of new technology, will be richly rewarded by the time autumn rolls around. And those operators who cannily offer season appropriate food and beverage options are likely to enjoy even better outcomes.

Solotel’s Golden Sheaf

The Camfield, Perth

From (our) farm to (our) table

FATE HAS played a huge part in the career trajectory of Nicola Palmer and her husband Warrick Duthy in the last few years. In 2018 they purchased the Penobscot Farm and it’s nine acres in South Australia’s Clare Valley as a homestead. When checking out the Watervale Hotel for dinner one night – their new local – they got chatting to the long-term owner who suggested they should have bought the pub instead. Two days later, they were exchanging contracts for the hotel. Palmer had helmed her family business of Skillogalee Restaurant as head chef, while Duthy is a part owner and director of Kilikanoon Wines, so taking on the pub played to their strengths.

Duthy suggested they start growing produce on Penobscot Farm for the hotel. A chance conversation with their yoga teacher led them to hiring her husband, a permaculture expert, who would advise them on how to set up the farm to grow food sustainably and biodynamically.

“My husband Warrick loves to talk and see what comes out of those seeds of

conversation, and it’s amazing what does sometimes,” states Palmer.

Since those chance conversations four years ago, the farm now produces anywhere between 500-800kg of produce for the pub each week. The pub, in turn, attracts ‘locals’ from up to two hours away, while becoming a Clare Valley must-visit destination for tourists from all over the country. It’s only been operating under the Palmer-Duthy duo for two years but it already has won over 20 awards from a host of associations, as it’s recognised for its overwhelmingly accomplished menu and its sustainability practices.

Abundance and variety

Penobscot Farm has undergone a huge transformation in the last few years with the help of permaculture expert Jared Murray. The farm grows vegetables, fruits and nuts. Still in its infancy, the farm has two major garden beds for vegetables, with a third on the way. Over 250 fruit, nut and berry trees have been planted that are just starting to bear fruit. With minimal waste being a major principle of the hotel,

the issues that Palmer and her kitchen team have to contend with constantly is an abundance of produce, and then a lack of variety of produce at any one time.

“At the moment we’ve got lots of fennel and lots of leaves. So when we harvest we’ve got hundreds of kilos of one product and the challenge is not just how do we use it on the menu in a dish, it’s how do we get it into a jar, how do we ferment it, how do we dry it, how do we pickle it, how do we poach it, how can we make it usable at other times of the year?”

Storing produce and extending its lifespan throughout the year is a consideration that Palmer has to contend with constantly, so that she’s minimising the need to purchase produce from outside the farm.

“Everything we do is really about how can we use this product now, but also have it in the future. Because you know when all we’re getting is eggplant and more eggplant, the jarred, fermented or pickled product plays a big role in the menu at harder times of the year.”

For Palmer, it’s a way of getting back

Nicola Palmer and Warrick Duthy are espousing a more ethically sustainable way of feeding people between Penobscot Farm and Watervale Hotel – and gaining a lot of fans in the process.

to how the Silent Generation cooked and ate – ensuring that no food went to waste. It’s also an approach that she wishes more chefs would implement in their kitchens.

“It’s certainly a different way of thinking to what chefs are trained in, where they might be trained seasonally but they still ring up a supplier and say I’ll have three kilos this week and three kilos next week until I choose not have that on the menu anymore.

“We might have a cauliflower dish on, and I think we’re going to have cauliflowers for the next eight weeks but then we get some really hot weather and they all go to flower and need to be harvested this week. So you may not have a dish on for as long as you think you’re going to just through weather. It’s challenging, but very exciting.”

Skills and menus

Taking a no-waste approach seriously means implementing a lot of different cooking techniques and skills within the kitchen. Besides pickling, jarring and fermenting, Palmer and her team also create things like tomato powders, and make all their own dairy products from cheese to crème fraiche to ice cream. In terms of animal protein, Palmer orders in whole cows, pigs and lambs from neighbouring farms, and thus the team have had to learn butchery and how to use every part of the animal. This has led to making such varied products as lamb bacon, lamb liver parfait, pork prosciutto and pig’s head terrine.

Getting back to all of these skills that have

either become specialised or phased out by equipment has been another big focus for Palmer, who wanted to encourage learning within the Watervale Hotel team, even if it is more labour intensive.

“We’ve created a place of learning, that’s always been quite important in our design of the kitchen and the hotel. It is hard though. It’s harder to get people to scrape the plates into four different containers and teach young chefs to look at what they’re putting into compost buckets.

“But we’ve also been able to develop a great kitchen of learning. I want my young chefs to learn how to make yoghurt, churn butter and make crème fraiche, and butcher animals and all of those things. I’m a strong believer that we should be making everything from scratch, by hand and in-house, and relearning those skills from what we’ve all forgotten.”

This level of ambition requires a fair amount of staff, particularly as the hotel is open seven days a week. Watervale Hotel employs 8-10 chefs and a couple more kitchen hands.

“It’s taken a lot more hands than we expected to process 500-800kg of product a week, plus butchery. It is labour-intensive work and that makes it difficult at times but it’s something that we choose to move forward with and work on,” states Palmer.

As part of the kitchen team, the hotel is also supporting five young women at different stages of their skills assessment on the pathway to permanent residency.

“We’ve got a lot of different nationalities which is wonderful, it brings a lot of

Sustainable practices

Sustainability has been carefully considered throughout every part of the hotel. Here are just some of the products and initiatives implemented throughout the pub:

• Compostable rye straws are provided instead of plastic.

• The hotel uses the only certified home compostable cup in Australia from ‘Compostable Alternatives’, for takeaway coffee.

• The kitchen has changed to using Great Wrap, a fully biodegradable plastic wrap alternative, made from the by-product of potato chips. Watervale buys this at retail price while it waits for the wholesale product to become available.

• In the bathrooms, toilet paper is made from recycled paper. Recycled paper is also used for menus, wine lists, and all other stationery needs. The team have also demanded that all their suppliers move to pdf invoices otherwise they will not use them.

• Pure linen napkins are used on every table including the beer garden. These are washed and ironed in-house.

• A combination of vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice is used for a lot of cleaning in the kitchen followed by soaking and hot soapy water before stronger chemicals are introduced.

• Used cooking oil is used to produce soap using botanicals ie lemon verbena from the farm.

• Meat, bones and some carbohydrate scraps are blended and dehydrated for dog food. A new ‘Canine Canapes’ Dog Menu has been introduced which includes fish scraps and jerky.

Penobscot Farm yields 600-800kg of produce a week

different ideas into the space. We call it organic learning as well as organic food!”

To add another level of intensity to the kitchen, the hotel also offers several different menus to provide different experiences. Besides a la carte, it also offers a farm tour and degustation menu, as well as a feast menu for larger groups. There is also the Feed Me menu, which is a multi-course offering where the chefs will pick what they think are the most interesting dishes that diners may be less likely to pick themselves.

“It’s really about servicing different markets, different customers, because we do have a huge array of different types of customers. From the very locals to the local community that we underestimated from about two hours away. So over to the coast, the farming areas that will drive an hour and a half to come for dinner. That was a market that we really underestimated over the last few years. And then the tourist market, which is smaller groups looking for more experience-based things,” explains Palmer.

And then to add one more thing into the mix, an Argentinean-style asado barbecue has been installed into the barbecue. Because why not?

Philosophy and reputation

The Watervale Hotel has now been operating for two years, with most of that time under covid restrictions and half of the time with state borders closed. Even with such an introduction into the market the hotel is already garnering quite the reputation and following. Palmer estimates that 60 per cent of its clientele are tourists, and that many interstate visitors say that they’ve been told they must visit the Watervale Hotel if they go to the Clare Valley. Building that reputation and increasing the word of mouth is the reason why Palmer and Duthy have entered so many awards through different associations. The pair were not expecting so many wins however, with several Best Restaurant triumphs under their belt, as well as a couple of Best Chef wins for Palmer herself.

And while Palmer admits the business is probably not economically sustainable just yet, projections suggest it will be in a few years. She doesn’t expect other pub operators to upend their business models to take on an operation like theirs, she hopes readers take some smaller lessons from what they’re doing.

“Hopefully it gives them the inspiration to look at some of the things they do, some of the products they’re using, some of the waste that’s going out of their kitchen and look at better methods. Maybe look to change some of their habits, because so much of the industry is built on quick, easy habits.”

As all-consuming as the running of both Penobscot Farm and Watervale Hotel is, Palmer says that the philosophies underpinning them are now lifelong for both herself and Duthy.

“It is hard and it is tiring, but we believe so strongly in regenerative farming and healing the earth through what we’re doing and putting more nutritious food on the table that there’s no other way of running a business for us anymore.”

Nicola Palmer

food

The business of bookings

Cancellations and the ghostings of bookings has been the bane of hospitality for a long time. But new data shows patrons are being more conscientious, and there are strategies to combat outliers.

LAST-MINUTE CANCELLATIONS are the bane of venue managers, only outdone by ghostings of bookings with no warning whatsoever. In the uncertainty of the last two years, every cancellation has been felt more keenly, but data shows that the tide may be turning with people cancelling their bookings less frequently or with more notice.

It does still happen though, and there’s one surefire way to minimise the risk of financial loss to your venue: securing a per-person deposit at the time of booking. Tally Konstas is the owner of the Emerald Peacock rooftop bar in Melbourne’s CBD, as well as Seamstress, a three-level venue that comprises restaurant, cocktail bar and basement bar.

Konstas found that in the last two-year period there was a trend of booking at several venues and then at the last-minute cancelling on all but one, severely impeding business. In response, Konstas implemented a policy that at time of booking credit card details would be taken, and if a booking was cancelled close to the time of the reservation – or ghosted completely – then a $50 per person fee would be charged to the credit card for the loss of business.

While initially patrons did not take too well to the new policy, Konstas says clear wording about when the fee would be charged has put most people at ease, including the exception that if you have covid and cancel on the day, you won’t be charged.

“It’s there to safeguard us against people who

decide not to turn up because it doesn’t suit them,” explains Konstas.

Thankfully, in an industry-wide trend, fewer bookings are being cancelled, or with far more notice.

“I think people are genuinely mindful of the hospitality industry and the impact that the pandemic has had on us. So people are extremely apologetic even when they cancel a week out. Some people who call up and cancel on the day asked to be charged the fee,” states Konstas.

“And to be honest with you, we don’t like charging the fee and I can’t even recall when we have charged the fee. I think it’s just one of those safeguards.”

In hugely positive news, ResDiary data suggests that since the advent of the pandemic, the 5pm dinner booking has become more popular, something Konstas can attest to personally. Prepandemic sittings at his two venues would begin at 5:30pm, but after numerous lockdowns they began sittings at 5pm. Now a 5pm booking accounts for 30 per cent of all reservations at Seamstress. It’s also meant that the venue can get three sittings out of a table instead of the usual two.

“This allows us to do a 5-6:45pm sitting, and then a 7-8:45pm and then an 8:45pm until close. Where we would very rarely get three sittings out of a table it’s possible now.”

While you can never say goodbye to last-minute cancellations, hopefully it will become more of a rarity rather than part of the day’s trade.

ResDiary data

Booking platform ResDiary analysed its Australian booking data to confirm that the Aussie diner’s attitude to reservations has become far more conscientious. Five big trends have emerged to cheer any publican:

• Cancellation notice has increased. In January the average cancellation time before booking was 5.9 days – already decent – but by June it was up to 10.5 days.

• Cancellations are on the decline. Cancellations have declined dramatically in the first half of the year, by almost two thirds as compared to the same period last year.

• Booking lead times increased. It may have started with capacity restrictions, but venues are filling up quicker so patrons need to get in early to make a booking. On average patrons are having to make their bookings ten days in advance to secure their seats.

• Early dinner bookings are gaining popularity. Early dinner bookings have accounted for 39 per cent of all bookings in 2022 so far: the 5pm seating time now makes up 13.5 per cent of all bookings, with 6pm hosting a quarter of all bookings.

• Deposits the new norm. Nearly a threefold increase (2.9x) of venues now either require credit card details or an actual deposit in 2022 compared to the beginning of 2020. ResDiary predicts that the number of venues looking to secure revenue as part of the booking process will steadily increase in the lead up to Christmas.

The Emerald Peacock rooftop

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The 70s inspired platter is a big hit

Orrong Hotel goes back to the future

The new menu of Armadale favourite, the Orrong Hotel, takes inspiration from 70s classics, the local area and the venue itself. By Seamus May.

BANGERS AND mash, mini pies, and a cornichon and Kabana platter – you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a house party in the 70s, not Melbourne in 2022.

Operating partner of the Orrong Hotel, Scott Connolly, explains that the new menu responds to a perceived local need.

“It really comes down to the pub and the neighbourhood. We identified when we went into the pub that, first and foremost, our area was lacking a traditional retro sort of pub. There’s some great offers in the area, but we thought there was a little bit of

a gap in the market there,” Connolly says.

The menu also speaks to a sense of traditionalism within both the hotel, and the operators –Connolly and his business partner Matt Vero.

“Secondly, the pub itself is just a beautiful old Art Deco hotel, and when we renovated it (it was really more of a restoration than a renovation) we brought it back to where it was traditionally. Thirdly, it just suits us as who are – we all came up in pubs in the previous generation and we love it.”

Connolly also owns Moore Street Tavern in the Latrobe Valley, while Vero operates the Marquis of Lorne, Union House and the Mount Erica Hotel.

The new menu at the Orrong Hotel has been overseen by chef Phillip Latta (formerly of Wolfe & Molone).

“He’s taken to it like a duck to water,” Connolly says.

“We like to mix some of the older style things and the retro stuff with some newer items. With each new menu, we tweak it as we go, and in some cases we’ve leaned a little bit further into the retro, and in other cases we’ve got something a bit newer.”

The Orrong Hotel changes its menu every season, with the spring rendition looking ahead to sharing meals with loved ones as the warmer weather kicks in. Indeed, two of Connolly’s favourite dishes can be shared.

“I’m a sucker for lamb, and we’ve got a beautiful shared lamb dish,” the operator says.

“And some of our bar snacky stuff –like we’ve got this great 70s-inspired platter, that’s cornichons, pickled onions and Kabana – exactly what

you’d expect to be served if you went to your nana’s house. Honestly it’s great for people having a casual drink after work, it’s a great little snack,” Connolly continues.

“So much of what we do is about community and sharing, so we absolutely could be looking more towards that direction.”

The seasonal menu has been a veritable hit with guests too, as Connolly illustrates, saying: “From Wednesday through to Sunday, [the venue] is normally totally booked.”

While Connolly says there has been some difficulty securing front of house staff, the kitchen team is settled.

“Our head chef, Phillip Latta, runs a great team and they seem to be at the moment very stable.”

And in general, Connolly feels a sense of optimism about the future of Melbourne’s hospitality scene.

“It’s a great time to be a publican in Melbourne. People are back and raring to go, and everyone’s missed that sense of community – we’re excited for what’s coming next year, and beyond.”

The retro fit-out of the Orrong Hotel

Leave it to the locals

The past year has shown that when a regional pub needs saving, locals can band together not only to keep a venue afloat, but to help it thrive. By Cat Woods.

IN 2020 and 2021, many Australians shifted their lives from capital cities to the regions seeking more affordable homes, more space for their dollars, the sanctity of nature, a sense of community, and perhaps less restrictive measures than in the urban centres. For example, the average age of Victorians moving from urban to regional areas was 34, and the trend has largely been for millennials – aged 24 to 40 - to seek a new home outside the major cities.

According to a Regional Movers Index report released this year (a partnership between Regional Australia Institute and the Commonwealth Bank), 61 per cent of total net outflows were from Sydney, while 45 per cent flowed from Melbourne in the 12 months to March of this year.

The influx of millennials accustomed to city leaving into regional towns where there is scope for development is leading to, and will likely continue to result in, development and improvement of facilities. According to the Regional Australia Institute, millennials and Gen-Xers often bring business skills to regional areas. Where urban dwellers are used to a plethora of bars, clubs, fine dining, local takeaways and the café lifestyle, regional townships are not quite as fast as their capital city counterparts in offering a range of dining experiences. What regional towns do brilliantly, and have for centuries, is pubs.

Syndicate saviours

Regional pubs are a social hub for the local community, a place where families go for meals, celebrations and mourning and a place where local sports teams, friends and community groups collect and commune. Over the last year or so, there have been several instances of pubs facing closure throughout the country, and being saved by a group of locals forming a syndicate, buying the pub and keeping it operating.

In many cases, the local investment results in a pub that reflects the history of the venue and renovates with respect to the people and community who know and love it. Locally owned and managed venues also result in jobs for local tradespeople during renovations: plumbers, builders, electricians, furniture-makers, and jobs for locals once the pub opens: managers, bartenders, wait staff, cleaners, administrators and chefs.

Victoria’s Woodside Beach Hotel in Gippsland underwent an extensive series of renovations and refurbishment care of the syndicate of 10 that formed to save the historic venue. In June this year, mostly local investors purchased the 150-yearold pub, reinventing it as a modern dining and bar attraction through the support and help of local labourers. The new Woodside Beach Hotel boasts a commercial kitchen twice the size of the original, a dining hall, two outdoor spaces, and a 16-metre bar.

The Criterion Hotel in Gundagai was bought by three old school friends that live in the area

The hotel had closed in 2016. It was the combined investment and energy of locals that enabled the pub to reopen in 2021. A group of fishermen, farmers and a high-profile ex-AFL player (Josh Dunkley) formed a syndicate, which successfully bought and renovated the pub. It has reopened with a 70-seat dining room, public bar, wood-fire enhanced lounge, two beer gardens and three luxury accommodation ‘pods’.

In March, Gundagai’s The Criterion sold to a syndicate for approximately $6 million. Popular in the local community, it averages a profit of $60,000 per week proportionately derived from food and beverage, gaming, accommodation and a drive-thru bottle shop. Criterion was bought by a syndicate, ‘Lancer Group’ lead by Buena Vista Hotel (Mosman) freehold owner Tim Fallon and two other locals Steven Allan and David Tozer, which had also purchased the Royal Hotel in Tumut in 2021.

Significantly less pricey, but just as valuable to the community, The Royal Hotel in Grong Grong, in southern New South Wales, was purchased for just over $1 million by a group of locals who pooled their resources to buy the pub, built in 1875. Gemma Purcell, one of the syndicate members, told ABC News, “We knew that no-one was going to walk in a with a quarter of a million dollars to

purchase a little country pub,” she said.

“We felt there was a chance to spread that risk in a cooperative, a unit trust, or a whole lot of shareholders and have enough interest at a low level to spread the risk and buy the pub.”

Ultimately, 169 shareholders invested in the pub, enabling both the purchase and the subsequent renovations and refurbishments.

A booming operation

In Western Australia, Bolgart’s 104-year-old pub faced an uncertain future. The community, about 140 kilometres from Perth, rallied, with 16 families - mostly comprising locals - investing to buy the Bolgart Hotel and give it a much-needed makeover.

Licensee and syndicate member Craig Wilkins told Australian Hotelier, “Mother’s Day was our second anniversary, so we bought it in May 2020.”

Mother’s Day this year saw the hotel booked out, with over 100 guests at lunch. The same happened again on Father’s Day.

“It’s very popular, extremely popular. I didn’t believe we’d be able to do these numbers,” Wilkins says.

The hotel is open six days, though it’s a sevenday operation.

“We don’t open for lunches Monday, and we just do cooking for house guests on a Monday night.”Since re-opening two years ago, Bolgart gets travellers visiting from all over WA

We get people from all over the state, from Perth, other local towns within a 120km radius. Craig Wilkins, Bolgart Hotel

The hotel has proven popular beyond the Bolgart township, Wilkins attests.

“You have to book on weekends nowadays. We get people from all over the state, from Perth, other local towns within a 120km radius. It’s been overwhelming actually.”

The attraction, Wilkins believes, is the gourmet menu, a comprehensive beer menu of craft and mainstream standards, and his own acumen as a long-time, five-star chef.

From purchase to current day, the Bolgart Hotel team are still renovating. Upstairs, they’ve added split cycle air-conditioning and heating, repainted, installed new electricals, renovated the bathrooms (“beautiful! Wilkins exclaims), re-timbered the balconies and put in new balustrades, and done up the dining room downstairs. They’re about to start work on renovating the wrap-around verandah.

“We try to use as much local skill where we can, even though it’s not always possible with times of COVID. Local plumbers, local electricians, local builders,” Wilkins says.

Back to country roots

Tim Fallon and two school friends make up the newly formed Lancer Group. When Fallon sold his Cremorne home last year for an eyewatering price, it gave him the financial freedom to invest in some passion projects that returned him to his rural roots.

“Me and my family were country kids,” Tim

Fallon says. “We have two family farms between Gundagai and Tumut, so we’ve been going up every school holidays for the last eight years so I’ve gotten to know the people and the towns.

He was not new to investing in pubs, having invested along with his brothers in Mosman’s Buena Vista Hotel in 2015. Fallon’s enthusiasm for rural pubs wasn’t shared as adamantly by his brothers though, and hence he formed the Lancer Group trio.

“Some old school friends and I started with the Royal in Tumut 18 months ago. Our farm is up the road, so we knew people. We thought the town deserved a really good, traditional Aussie pub. We started with the food and brought back live entertainment. So, we’ve worked hard to make it the best pub in town. Then, we went on to buy the Criterion in Gundagai in June, so it’s really new. It’s really fun to buy these old pubs, look after the staff, improve the food, and see everyone flooding back in and excited to be back. We put the chook raffles back on.”

The Royal “cost about a million all up”, since the building had fallen into a decrepit state, Fallon explains. But, when it went “gangbusters”, he took on the Criterion, knowing that previous management had really invested in its upkeep, and it therefore didn’t require much renovation.

“The previous owners David and Jedda [Hindmarsh] had built and maintained the magnificent hotel, so there’s less renovating to

Criterion Hotel co-owner Tim Fallon (left) with GM Nathan Stelter

We thought the town deserved a really good, traditional Aussie pub. We started with the food and brought back live entertainment.

Tim Fallon, Lancer Group

do. Our focus is on great food and entertainment and a great staff culture,” says Fallon. “Our general manager Nathan is doing a fantastic job. And we have been really well-received as new owners by the community.”

Great pubs form the centre of Australian towns and their social life, Fallon believes.

“Renovating thoughtfully and carefully respecting the heritage is important. We asked the locals what would and wouldn’t work, and then we set about design and construction to the tune of $1 million.”

A pub with no beer was Slim Dusty’s greatest nightmare, but a town with no pub is surely much more devastating.

Thanks to passionate communities, friendships forged through a shared love of communal dining, entertainment and socialising, and skilled hospitality professionals keen to live and work in the regional areas of Australia, the tradition of great Aussie outback pubs reigns on.

The Lancer Group syndicate spent $1 million renovating the Royal Hotel, Tumut

Woodside Beach Hotel now boasts a 16-metre long bar

Where the country meets the suburbs

Laundy Hotels has opened its greenfields pub Plough & Ale in a new residential development in the Shellharbour region of New South Wales.

IN EARLY 2020, Lendlease approached Laundy Hotels in the hopes that they would consider building pubs in a couple of their new residential developments around New South Wales, having been impressed with the recent builds by the pub group in the Marsden Brewhouse in Sydney’s north-west, and The Locker Room at Sydney Olympic Park.

“They talked about Jordan Springs and Calderwood as two new suburbs that needed social infrastructure, and they thought a hotel would be a great addition to their town centres as both developments had town centres planned,” explains Craig Laundy.

After some consideration, Laundy Hotels bought land in both new developments in early 2020 and set to work creating pubs for these new communities from scratch. The first to open is Plough & Ale in Calderwood, a new development that sits in a valley nestled between the escarpment and the sea in the Shellharbour region.

From the beginning, Plough & Ale was a project overseen by Craig and his wife Suzie, as well as his sister Danielle and her husband Shane. Before beginning work on the concept of the pub, it was important to get an idea of the community they would be catering to, particularly as the development was new. The group went about this in two ways: Shane and Danielle spoke to their suppliers who did business in the area to get demographic data, while Craig visited the area, speaking to residents and asking them what they would look for in a tavern.

“It was a bit of gut feeling and understanding pubs and markets having done it for a long time, and then Shane and Danielle took a more formal approach in getting demographic data off suppliers that we could have a look it, and it became clear pretty clear that it would be a worthwhile venture to be involved in,” states Laundy.

Paying homage

When building the concept for the hotel, Laundy Hotels engaged branding company Made By Mustard which did research on the local area. Its history included a lot of migration from the UK, and has for a long time been an area favoured by dairy farmers. Hence the Plough & Ale was born. Dairy farming elements have been used throughout the space to honour its history, while the building itself is modern – just like the Calderwood development itself.

A photographer was commissioned to take shots of the farms in the surrounding areas, and the entry hallway of the pub is filled with black-and-white photography of both dilapidated and modern farm buildings. Outside at the front entry from the carpark a rusted-out plough that was found from an old farm in the area has been installed as a feature. Several small details linking back to dairy farms can be found throughout the pub, from imagery of cows, to plough spokes used as wall hangings.

“We’ve tried to be very clever in paying homage to the history of the area. It’s a modern play on a traditional English pub. That’s what we’ve gone for,” suggests Laundy.

Back to front

The main challenge with the Plough & Ale site was that behind the pub is a man-made lake along with a landscaped garden area created by Lendlease. With such a pleasant view at the back of the pub, the group wanted to ensure this was the focus, rather than the street frontage.

“Even though that’s technically the back of the pub because the street frontage is on the other side to the lake, it was the aesthetically pleasing part. So what we basically did is flip the pub,” explains Laundy.

“So the front of the pub is really the back of the pub where we’ve got all of

PAST THE POST

The Plough & Ale got some surprise visitors recently, when six farmers rode down to the pub on horseback.

“Some local farm owners had jumped on their horses and ridden down the back streets to the Plough & Ale, and they’ve tethered up the horses against the paling fence and headed in for a bite to eat,” says Laundy.

“We didn’t expect that obviously, but it shows you that the agricultural element of that fence would’ve historically been used for exactly that purpose. It’s really quite something to see, something you wouldn’t expect to see nowadays at a modern pub.”

the back of house and the toilets. And the back of the pub is this big pavilion style with two really nice indoor-outdoor areas opening off it and a big beer garden fronting the lake and the walkway around it.”

Laundy Hotels engaged Team 2 Architects to design the hotel, and Design Madgwick for the interiors. The hotel offer is based around food and families, with a small gaming room that is separated from much of the pub. The main areas are the bistro and dining area, and then the sports bar and TAB. Both areas each then have the glass encased indoor-outdoor pavilions that can be climate controlled or opened up depending on the weather. On the bistro side there is also a beer garden overlooking the lake, as well as a large kids’ playground.

For Laundy, the building they’ve created is an architectural feat, especially when viewed from the other side of the lake. It’s also surrounded by quintessential Australian coastline geography.

“When you stand on the other side of the lake and you look at what is technically the back of the pub, which is the glass pavilion structure, it is architecturally a really special building. It’s north-facing, that pavilion, which is clearly the best angle for light.

“When you sit in that beer garden to your immediate west is the Macquarie Pass Escarpment, which is spectacular Australian geography and topography. It’s just a really decent place to have a beer and a bite to eat.”

Plenty of locals agree. The hotel quietly opened at the beginning of August with plans to do a soft open with no promotion as the hotel group dealt with training up new and fairly green staff.

“We attempted to open softly, but we haven’t been able to because we’ve been swamped right out of the gates! And if we make mistakes, people have been really understanding. We’re apologetic, we explain that we’re brand new and that we’ve got new staff and we’re learning.

“But people can see that we’re trying to do something different. It’s been very well received, above expectations.”

Having opened over a wet winter, Laundy Hotels are gearing up for a massive summer at the Plough & Ale.

Nightclub no more

NORTHBRIDGE IS known as a cultural and entertainment hub of Perth with plenty of nightclubs, bars and galleries. One of the most famous and rowdy nightclubs for some time has been the Brass Monkey Hotel that you could always find pumping with DJs in the early hours of the morning over the weekends.

Owned by ALH Group, the nightclub offer has been doing extremely well, but Australia’s largest pub group wanted to return the venue to its classic pub roots, and the pandemic prevented the right time do so.

“It was a bit hard [to justify] when it’s booming and it’s going great. It was working well before, but when covid hit, the natural thing that happened there was that the first thing to go was nightclubs,” states venue manager Bianca Rudolph-O’Hara, who was brought in from another ALH venue to handle the transition in offer.

“And then, we thought now more than ever is a great opportunity to bring back a classic pub to Northbridge, as we don’t really have one here.”

The hotel got rid of the DJs that would

play on Friday and Saturday nights, and no longer operates until 2am closing at midnight instead.

“We want to be the place you go to before the nightclub. But we’re still a pub that operates on a Friday and Saturday night in Northbridge, so we have the right tunes on to set the right vibe,” explains Rudolph-O’Hara.

The change also means that instead of being overwhelmingly busy for two nights and then a ghost-town for the rest of the week, the pub now has an even spread of trade seven days a week. As most places in Northbridge are shut on a Monday, it does a particularly good Monday dinner trade, and it also holds mid-week trivia which has been well-received.

To attract a new clientele that had an established idea of what was on offer at the Brass Monkey Hotel, Rudolph-O’Hara and her team worked with local website Perth Is Ok to covery the change, as well as pumping the message through their own social media. With their old clientele, it was about informing regulars about the change, and ending their collaborations

with party bus companies that would bring big groups to the hotel on the weekends for the nightclub.

“We don’t like to say no to anyone, but we had to forfeit that to be the kind of pub where everyone can come.”

The local community has welcomed the change, with everyone from office workers to families now frequenting the Brass Monkey Hotel since the venue changed its offer in February. The police and local council have also been big supporters of the change, as serious incidents that have to eb attended to have stopped with the closure of the nightclub.

It has also meant several income drivers at the pub that were underutilised are now being capitalised upon, and the business is more profitable because its saving on costly overheads like an DJ fees and the need for extra security. All up, Rudolph-O’Hara says the change in offer has been a success.

“At the end of the day it’s better for our customers and for our staff. It’s much safer. It’s more approachable for people to come in, and it’s been going quite well.”

The Brass Monkey Hotel has been a Northbridge nightclub mainstay for some time, but ALH Group decided to return it to its classic pub roots.

The Brass Monkey Hotel in Northbridge, Perth

Right: Bianca Rudolph-O’Hara Venue Manager, Brass Monkey Hotel