5 minute read
FEATURE: REGENT ST PAVILION
Backyard barbecue feel
With an updated outdoor space and venue rebrand, Regent St Pavilion is reaching out to a broader client base.
-By Caoimhe Hanrahan-Lawrence.
FORMERLY NAMED THE Regents Park Bowling Club, the Regent St Pavilion is located in the Western Sydney suburb of Regents Park, and part of the DOOLEYS Group portfolio. The club has recently introduced a large alfresco dining area and kids play area, a renovation that the venue’s general manager Tomasz Pytraczyk said was important in responding to changing consumer needs.
“The aim was to transform the club to better cater to changing circumstances by utilising the considerable outdoor area to provide food and beverage and entertainment,” he said.
Pytraczyk has noticed an increased demand for outdoor spaces from customers in the post-covid period, with the alfresco area providing room for more customers to enjoy these spaces.
“The board recognised the need to be agile and adapt to be a more outdoor-orientated model, which became very evident when our customers started coming back to the venue [after covid] and they preferred the outdoor sections and fresh air,” he said.
The new name also distinguishes the venue from other DOOLEYS venues.
“We had a lot of people who visited Dooleys Regent St on a regular basis and a lot of new customers got confused quite often. When we talk about Dooleys, everyone thinks about Dooleys in Lidcombe, so many times we had situations with people who booked functions here and half of the family end up here and half of the family end up at Dooleys Lidcombe,” Pytraczyk said.
Family appeal
Alongside the name change, Regent St Pavilion has updated its offering, transforming an underutilised bowling green into an alfresco dining area, featuring a pop-up bar and kids play area. This new offering was introduced to draw in a broader clientele to the venue.
“Regents St Pavilion aims to target families and individuals seeking a homely atmosphere, quality food, value for money and entertainment. By utilising the outdoor space for alfresco dining and having the dedicated kids area, the goal is to attract a diverse audience,” said Pytraczyk.
Luckily, the bowling club members were understanding of the venue’s need to diversify its offering, and were supportive of the change to the bowling green.
“We had an honest conversation with [the bowlers] and said, ‘Listen, we have three bowling greens, two of which are active. So, we need to do something to help us to attract new demographics.’ They were very supportive of this idea,” said Pytraczyk.
Renovations began in early June, with the venue fully reopened to the public on 28 October. Pytraczyk is proud of the input of the Dooleys team throughout the project.
“I would say all the heavy lifting on everything was done internally by our staff, our people here, which makes this project so special,” he said.
The alfresco area has a bright and casual aesthetic.
“The aesthetic of the Regent St Pavilion is constantly evolving. It’s welcoming and rustic.
The alfresco area is designed to feel like a backyard barbecue. We’re currently just creating a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. The space is injected with life, it’s surrounded by greenery. There is a lot of greenery which brings the soul,” Pytraczyk said.
The all-weather marquee adds some interest to the space and promises to keep customers engaged with the area over the cooler months.
“We also have the marquee on the bowling green which adds a touch of the uniqueness to the venue, providing a space where the summer barbecue aesthetics meet with the winter outdoor fire pit kitchen, creating an impressive and diverse visual appeal,” Pytraczyk said.
A summer success
The updated offering has been well received by the local community, as Pytraczyk explains that it provides a style of venue that Regents Park currently lacks.
“Our members and customers absolutely, absolutely love this area. The feedback is so positive and encouraging that it’s overwhelming. […] The versatile seating options, customers love it. The diverse food, customers love it. The new bar offering, customers have absolutely embraced it. It has been very well received, and we keep receiving a lot of inquiries to hold functions in our venue, which also [proves] that this whole project is has been very successful so far,” he said.
The next step for the Regent St Pavilion is to increase the awareness of the venue’s updated offering.
“Our venue is a little bit hidden, so we are working on our exposure and promoting our venue and ensuring that people hear about it,” Pytraczyk said.
“The goal was to create a bustling and vibrant hub catering to diverse offering preferences, and from current foot traffic, we can see that we have started achieving this.”
