business profile
Applejack Hospitality
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Over seven years, Applejack Hospitality has established a portfolio of venues across Sydney. We speak to cofounder Ben Carroll about the challenges of launching new concepts and what the future holds for the group. By Brittney Levinson.
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pplejack Hospitality was born in 2011 with the opening of Bondi Hardware, a small bar and dining venue in Sydney that Ben Carroll and Hamish Watts had been dreaming of for several years. “We saw an opportunity in the market and believed we had what it took,” says Carroll. “I think we found out pretty swiftly that we didn’t have what it took, but we learnt very fast.” But it seems they were doing something right, going on to open another five venues in the space of five years and consulting on a number of other venues across Sydney. After making the difficult decision to sell Bondi Hardware earlier this year, Applejack has a renewed strategy that suggests a promising future for the group.
STARTING SMALL Carroll and Watts were working together at a pub group when the idea of Bondi Hardware came about. “We saw a big change in the hospitality industry, particularly the small bars that were coming in and the customer movement away from the big pubs,” says Carroll. Opening their first venue came with its fair share of challenges, but the pair were determined to make it work — even if it meant asking for help along the way. “I don’t think you can ever go into a new business and nail it straight away; there’s always going to be that period where you’re learning on your feet and learning constantly,” says Carroll. “I think it’s those first few months where you’ve got to drop the ego and arrogance and absorb everything you can. “Fortunately, we had a really great local customer base that we got to know well 8 Hospitality July 2018
Ben Carroll and Hamish Watts. Photo credit: Guy Davies
