Australian Hotelier May 2017 by The Intermedia Group

Hotelier AUSTRALIAN

AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL HOTEL INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

vol. 34 no. 4 - MAY 2017

DICKSON’S MILL IS HELPING CLIENTS CREATE THEIR OWN AUTHENTIC BREW HOUSES. A NATIONAL ROLL-OUT IS HAPPENING NOW, AS WE WELCOME THE NEW BREW ON THE BLOCK, SMARTBREW. JOIN THE REVOLUTION!

IN THIS ISSUE: BAR AND CELLAR | BEERS FOR WINTER | SECURITY

SAVE THE DATE

The restaurant sector’s premier conference returns! MONDAY 31 JULY 2017 ROYAL RANDWICK RACECOURSE If you’re in the business of running restaurants or cafes, this Summit is specifically designed for you! Tickets go on sale in May.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Interested in being an event sponsor and getting in front of the industry’s key influencers? Contact Dan Shipley on 02 8586 6163 or email dshipley@intermedia.com.au

CONTENTS | ED’S NOTE

Vanessa Cavasinni

Editor’s Note

24 21

Contents | May Special Features

Regulars

10 Bar and Cellar: The design and ED’S PICK logistic strategies that increase beverage sales. 14 Beers For Winter: Dark (beer) times are ahead. 18 Potts Point Hotel: Repositioning a party pub as a local. 21 Security: Dealing with intox and violence goes further than your bouncers.

4 News: The latest happenings around the country. 24 Design and Build: The Prince – Greenfields pubs are so hot right now. 30 Sports Calendar: We bring you LIVE! sporting highlights for May.

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ith the comprehensive findings of the 2016 census to be revealed next month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has released a look at the average Australian: a 38-year-old female, born in Australia and of English ancestry. She is married with two children, and has completed Year 12. She lives in a house with three bedrooms and two cars. These profiles vary slightly by state or territory, and can be a handy starting point for demographics to target at your venue. State by state profiles can be found on the ABS website – we’ll have the exact link for you on our Facebook page. In the meantime we have plenty of great reading material for you in this issue, with a look at the subcategory of dark beer and its popularity in cooler months (p 14). On the topic of beer and other alcoholic beverages, we delve into how the function and form of your bar and cellar areas can promote sales and minimise wait times on page 10. We have a case study on reducing incidents of intoxication in your venue (p 21), and give you a tour of Sydney’s newest greenfields pub, The Prince (p 24). Check it out now! Cheers, Vanessa Cavasinni, Editor P: 02 8586 6201 | E: vcavasinni@intermedia.com.au

NEXT MONTH

POS and Op Tech • Gaming • Training

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AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER MAY 2017 | 3

NEWS

DIXON HOSPITALITY CLARIFIES IPO PAUSE

HOTELIERS WARY OF 457 VISA REPLACEMENT Hoteliers remain wary of the Federal Government’s plans to replace the 457 visa program with the Temporary Skills Shortage visa, even though not much will change for cooks and chefs on the replacement. During a press conference with Prime Minister Turnbull, the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, announced that the 457 visa will be replaced with two alternate visas, that do not foster as much agency for permanent residency. “What we propose is that under the Temporary Skills Shortage Visa short-term stream there will be a two-year visa, with the options of two-years, but there would not be permanent residency outcomes at the end of that. “In relation to the medium-term stream, which as the Prime Minister pointed out, is targeted at higher skills, a much shorter skills list, that will be for a period of four years, can be applied for onshore or offshore, and it’s a significant tightening of the way in which that programme operates.” While cooks and chefs have not been scrapped from the medium-term stream, many hoteliers already found the 457 visa process difficult, and with less chance of permanent residency to follow, may find it even harder to attract the needed international labour. “The hospitality industry is growing at unprecedented rates at the present and the demand for skilled labour is at all-time highs with this complete transformation of Australia’s hotel

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industry,” said AHA CEO, Stephen Ferguson. Indeed, the Government’s own Australian Tourism Labour Force Report estimated that the tourism and hospitality sector will require an additional 123,000 workers by 2020, including 60,000 skilled positions. Most hoteliers are withholding judgment as they grapple with the implications for their businesses, but a few were wary of the additional strain the scrapping of the 457 visa would place on finding kitchen staff. “I am still waiting to hear the finer detail about the announcement from Turnbull so as to fully understand the implications of this for the hospitality sector. But on face value, it does not seem to be founded in a sound consideration of the facts attributable to the current skills shortages being experienced in the hospitality sector,” opined Christian Denny, licensee of Hotel Harry and The Dolphin. Andy Mullins of Sand Hill Road, sang the praises of the 457 visa, and has expressed his surprise at its replacement. “The devil’s in the detail at this stage, but my first response is 457s haven’t been about overseas workers taking Australian jobs, it’s just not the case. We’ve got 457s in the kitchens where we have such a massive shortage of supply and labour, and 457s have been the perfect panacea to that. For us it’s perfect because we’ve got incredibly hardworking, passionate, loyal staff. It obviously hasn’t been designed in our interest because the 457 is working.”

The large Melbourne-based hospitality group has paused their plans for an IPO offering to consider a private equity offer. After a year of speculation regarding the plans to list the company on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), Dixon Hospitality began a serious effort to court investors for the IPO launch several weeks ago, engaging Evans & Partners and Morgans to attract the necessary $100 million investment. The IPO roadshow also took place in April, meeting potential financiers in Australia, New Zealand and in south-east Asia. However the plans to pursue an IPO were put on hold, and several media outlets were speculating as to why, with Fairfax suggesting that two private equity offers had been made, and News Corp suggesting that Dixon Hospitality was pursuing a private equity buy-out after a lack of interest during the IPO roadshow. With rumours abounding, a Dixon Hospitality spokesperson has clarified the situation for Australian Hotelier. “It’s been shelved at the moment, simply because it was a very strong result on the management roadshow, however an approach has been made by private equity; and so the board has felt that it’s most appropriate to pursue that enquiry, that offer, just to make sure that we’re maximising shareholder value.” While the firm was not disclosed, the spokesperson suggested that it was “a very firm approach” and that Dixon Hospitality will now take the next few weeks to go over the details of the offer. The Dixon Hospitality portfolio currently consists of 48 venues across the eastern seaboard, with the majority to be found in Melbourne. The company has increased its presence in Sydney in the last 12 months, and as part of their purchase of several Keystone venues at the end of 2016, has also owns a steak restaurant in Brisbane. The Duke, Melbourne

NEWS

Live music at The Bald Faced Stag. Image: Sian Sandilands Photography

LIVE MUSIC REVIVAL FOR SYDNEY PUB SCENE The Bald Faced Stag and Lansdowne Hotel, two icons of the Sydney live music scene, are both under new ownership – and music will continue to be a large focus at each venue. New owners have been announced for the Bald Faced Stag Hotel on the arterial Parramatta Road, with Kristy Clark and Scott Mackenzie taking the reins at the inner west pub. The venue has always had a robust live music program, and that will continue under their guidance. As part of their focus on live music, Clark and Mackenzie will sell the 18 EGMs and their attached licences, ridding the hotel of a gaming offering. Instead, they will focus on live entertainment and food, renovating the live music area, including a partnership in the space with Young Henry’s. A few kilometres north, the iconic Lansdowne Hotel, which has sat vacant on the cusp of the CBD since 2015, has been sold to Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham, the publicans behind the Unicorn Hotel in Paddington and Mary’s burger joint in Newtown. The duo are currently having the venue renovated, with the ground floor to house the public bar and kitchen, while the first floor will

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be a dedicated live music space, with a capacity for roughly 250 people. “It’s a standalone space, so it won’t just be that we’ve got a band on in the front bar and you need to buy a ticket to get in, which is kind of awkward when you just want to go to Lansdowne the pub, and then you say ‘Now I can’t go on a Friday night cos there’s a show on and you’ve got to buy tickets. What the fuck? I just want to go for a beer and have some food,’” states Smyth. “So what’s really great about this is we’ve got the venue upstairs separated from the actual pub, so the pub can go full steam ahead, but upstairs can be throwing its own party.” In the last six months, the live music scene in Sydney pubs has begun to have a resurrection, with the likes of The Chippo investing heavily in their basement music space, and pubs within the CBD and Kings Cross lockout areas applying for half-hour trading extensions based on their live music offerings. Smyth believes that hoteliers are responding to an evolution of the music scene brought on in part by lockout legislation. He referred to bands like Sticky Fingers, The Preatures, The Delta Riggs, and labels like IOU, who started finding alternate venues to play in

after the lockout laws, and were proactive in making sure the legislation did not halt their careers and the music scene in Sydney. “We’ve seen what these guys have done and we felt like we were missing out on our end. We want to inform Sydney culture in the same way that they have. That’s where I see our responsibilities lying and what our role is. Hopefully the young bands coming through now will have the rooms at the Lansdowne – that intermediate room that can offer live music to the punters, but also offer bands a place to form a community and get to know each other. And play to a decent sized room! Where they don’t feel like they’re an afterthought in a space in the front bar.” And with a trading licence until 3am most nights, Smyth believes the Lansdowne can capitalise on the late-night movement outside of the lockout zones. “We’ll be able to mop up the scraps from the Sydney lockouts and those on their way home like the Lansdowne of old! I’m sure that will be a part of the trade. It’ll be the music, and a place that people can come to at any stage of their night. We’re stoked to have the late-night licence, it’s the cherry on top really.”

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NEWS

GALLAGHER HOTELS MOVES INTO TERRIGAL Gallagher Hotels has expanded its operations to the coast, purchasing Terrigal Hotel. Owning ten pubs and one bar in the greater Sydney area, Gallagher Hotels has made the move into the New South Wales’ Central Coast, purchasing the waterfront pub on the main drag of one of the region’s busiest suburbs. For Patrick Gallagher, who is from the small country town of Krambach just inland of the Mid-North Coast, the expansion is a return to regional New South Wales – and he knows the area very well. “All through my youth this was a regular weekend trip. It has both a family atmosphere and a holiday one at the same time. Also a lot of other Sydney people, as indeed I do, holiday in the area. So we are well known to locals and tourists alike.” Gallagher took advantage of an opportunity to purchase the Terrigal Hotel, to combine both work and pleasure – a move that has many at Gallagher Hotels excited. ”It was not planned but I could not have hoped for a better opportunity to be given us. We have several staff who are shareholders in this business and each one of them seems to be genuinely excited at the prospect, all looking forward to making Terrigal a part of their lives.” Gallagher does intend to renovate Terrigal Hotel, with a Miami or Hamptonsstyle fit-out, apropos of the beachside locale. The purchase price was not disclosed, but Gallagher stated that it was “one of our most expensive purchases.”

SOLOTEL BUYS MARLBOROUGH HOTEL The Marlborough Hotel in Newtown has been sold by the John Singleton backed Australian Pub Fund to leading hospitality group, Solotel, for approximately $33 million. The pub group has further strengthened their presence in Newtown, with the Marlborough Hotel becoming its fifth venue in the late-night area. “Solotel is delighted to add to the Marlborough Hotel to the existing four hotels we manage in the Newtown area. Solotel will be by the end of this year operating over 30 hospitality businesses in Sydney and Brisbane,” Solomon said. Ray White’s Asia Pacific Director Andrew Jolliffe, who was the exclusive agent for the hotel, said the sale came after significant local and international interest. “Ultimately, and as we have often experienced, it was expert domestic knowledge in the form of the well-known hospitality management company Solotel,

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which prevailed above wide interest in order to secure this generational piece of hospitality property,” Jolliffe said. “However it should also be said that the level of international interest was significant; and is reflective of material off-shore equity tranches looking for a home in high yielding Australian property investments with exposure to management functions, and business operation.” Australian Pub Fund Director Matthew Beach said the sale worked with the fund’s overall strategy. “Consistent with our strategic objectives, we have divested a number of pubs where we feel the price the market has offered reflects the value of our assets. We will continue to apply this strategy where applicable. Our strategy of buying the best pub assets within each local market area has attracted experienced buyers to pursue the acquisition of our assets.”

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PUB SALES • F&B • APPOINTMENTS • REVAMPS • LEGISLATION

BAR AND CELLAR

FORM AND FUNCTION THE BAR AND CELLAR IS THE HEART OF ANY PUB, AND THE OPERATION AND DESIGN OF BOTH SPACES MATTER.

he sale of beer and other alcoholic beverages is the heart of any pub operation, and both the set-up of your bar and your cool room can affect how many beverages you sell, through issues of quality, efficiency and visual appeal. We take a look at a couple of venues that have both design and operational efficiency of these areas down-pat.

SETTING THE BAR HIGH Public in Canberra is highly-lauded for its main bar, having been nominated at the AHA national awards for its bar service and presentation. Frank Condi, owner of Public, has put a lot of thought into the layout of his bar so that it’s both aesthetically pleasing, but runs efficiently with several staff working the bar. “My background is in nightclubs, so I tend to have my bars set up so that everything is within reach. So I’ve got a central eight taps, two banks of four close together. I’ve got two speedrails either side of that. A speedrail can hold two people. That is postmix guns on either side, there’s a speedrack, there’s glassware, there’s ice, there’s juices, so everything is within reach, and there’s tills,” explains Condi. “So a staff member can work on a station, work to the middle of the bar and back to his station, and also have cross over. I try to minimise how far staff have to travel for things and I try and maximise the opportunity that staff can overlap and have everything within reach.” Leah Sloan, owner of Berry Springs Tavern in the Northern Territory – which won the

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aforementioned AHA national award last year – also prescribes to the strategy of having all elements in the proximity of staff members, and has added one other element to maximise ease of service. At Berry Springs Tavern, there is also a similar set-up at the food-ordering area, to cater to the highest-selling drinks also. “We have an ice well and duplicate beer taps and post-mix gun at the food ordering end of the bar, enabling our wait staff/food team to attend to common beverage requests without having to head into the main bar service area or require the customers to head to a different area to order drinks. This area also has the coffee-making facilities along with the iced coffee/milkshake facilities, enabling us to utilise floor staff to assist with these beverages where required – resulting in effective cross utilisation of staff and a more efficient and streamlined service experience.” At both bars, the design of the main bar allows several members of staff to sell and serve drinks in peak periods, while it can be manned by just one person in slower stages of trade.

COOL RUNNINGS While not a visible part of a venue, the cool room also requires good design and strategy to maximise efficiency, and the quality of the beer coming from it. At Berry Springs Tavern, Sloan has adapted the arrangement of the cool-room to also support the hotel’s bottle shop. “The original design of the cool room was to support only a bar operation. Halfway through the building process we acquired a bottle shop licence, which set us new challenges in the way

Smartbrew kegs sit behind the bar at Bankstown Brewhousee

in which we used the cool room space. There is a corridor area which houses the kegs and glycol system – in the design of this we ensured enough space to move freely in this area while negotiating the movement of the heavy kegs,” states Sloan. “The bar area has glass front fridges which are restocked from the rear in the cool room, ensuring effective stock storing and rotation. The bottle shop area has two access doors which are not accessible to bottle shop customers, ensuring we can maintain stock integrity and store in such a way that we don’t need to consider potential customer access.” Keeping the equipment and stock in cool rooms clean and organised is also a big issue, especially if your cellar area is small. While the cool room at Public is quite sizeable, Condi notes that at one of his other venues, the cool room is a tight squeeze, at 2.5x3m. “I’ve literally got a box I’m trying to work out of. But we try to keep it very organised and very structured, as I don’t want to waste time having staff in cool rooms. Just keep it clean and worry about the customer.” Looking after the ordering and logistics of kegs is a big part of cool room organisation, and at Harold Park Hotel, hotelier William Ryan has found that the use of the Kegstar app has saved him “some headaches, some money and some grey hairs”. By ordering kegs and having empty ones picked up through the app, Ryan has reduced the number of people and businesses he has to contact to make beer orders. “If I’ve got ten different brewers on tap, I used to have ten different keg suppliers. One would

BAR AND CELLAR be Lion, one was CUB, one was Little Brown Dog, one was XYZ etc. Now I am basically down to four keg suppliers instead of ten, because of Kegstar’s great ability to be the middle man. The app is just so easy.” Ryan has said that they have ample room in the cellar at Harold Park Hotel, so he generally waits until he has ten kegs before asking for a pick-up on the app, and that they are generally picked up the same day. Venues with smaller cellars can take advantage of the service, with Ryan surmising that you could have empty kegs picked up every second day if necessary. He also suggests that because of the ease of logistics, he endeavours to do business with breweries who use the Kegstar service wherever he can: “It’s advantageous to the brewer, it’s advantageous to us at the pub, and of course it’s advantageous to Kegstar. It’s just a great model.”

BREWED IN-HOUSE Of course, the other factor that drives people to your venue is having a different product or point of difference – hence the rise of the brewpub in Australia. Beer drinkers are looking for new varieties, tastes and experiences. But for many industry players, the time, money and new skills required to create quality craft beers is simply unviable. To bridge the gap between consumer demand and commercial viability, hoteliers had few options other than offering patrons the mass produced “craft mark” brews of the big name operators – until now. Dickson’s Mill Group Limited (DMG) is an Australian based brand owner, brewer, and distributor of the SmartBrew® craft beer system. SmartBrew is a unique, automated brewing system that dramatically reduces the space, time and specialist skills required to develop high-quality draft beer. Central to the success of the system is the provision of high-quality wort, which is brewed off-site by master brewers, led by Brian Watson, one of the world’s leading brewmasters. In addition to brewing technology, the DMG team’s hospitality consultancy service provides advice on menu creation, interior design, venue and beverage branding. In just nine months since the launch of the business, the Dickson’s Mill team has partnered with businesses in the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Queensland to create highly profitable hospitality offerings with clients signing up for the next system within six months of opening their first venues. The team is working with clients on more venues in Sydney and Brisbane, with Melbourne venues set to come on-line later in the year. One such venue is the Bankstown Brewhouse, located within Bankstown Sports Club, in Sydney’s west. The club includes many individual, smaller offerings within its huge premises, and management wanted to add a craft beer venue to its offering, to attract and increase patronage of the 20 to 40-year-old market. After much research, operations manager Michael Clancy decided on a system of four Smartbrew tanks, which were installed within the venue in two days. Clancy has been ecstatic with the success of Bankstown Brewhouse since opening in

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Kegstar reduces ordering time for operators

Taps at Berry Springs Tavern

Smartbrew tanks

DESIGN TIPS BAR DESIGN ADVICE Having worked on the design of many pubs, and having seen firsthand what their operators require from an optimally functioning bar, Jeremy Ward, a partner at Cayas Architects, has compiled a list of of his best bar design tips. • If the design permits, centralising the bar layout within a venue can help maximise staffing efficiently. For example, if one staff member can operate both a sports bar and gaming bar simultaneously in non-peak periods this can halve the number of staff required at any given time. Getting this right needs good planning early in the design phase of a project. • Grouping all required equipment into one service point will allow a single staff member to operate a section of the bar efficiently in peak periods. Depending on the size of your bar there may be one, two or more of these ‘service points’, thereby ensuring the minimisation of staff crossing paths when busy. This ultimately gives the customer more efficient service. Getting the order of equipment in each of these service points is critical. • Think about inserting drip trays seamlessly into your bar top. This looks much neater than a bar mat (and avoids having to wash them), while reducing the constant cleaning of the bar top. • Consider a step down in the bar top at beer/wine fonts. This is a much easier way to pass through beverages to the customer, and limits accidental spills. Choosing the right font to assist with this is also crucial. • It is always advised to separate the wash area from the main service points to minimise conflicts between staff carrying out different duties. • Tall back bar fridges allow you to present more product facings to the customer and makes product selection quicker. • Have the ice machine and packaged product cold room in close proximity to the bar so that the bar can be restocked quickly and efficiently in peak times.

BAR AND CELLAR November 2016, with a large part of the venue’s attraction in the house-brewed beers. “The response has been great, with 60 per cent of all the beer sold at the Brewhouse being our four brewed on-site. We are now increasing the range of our beers to seven,” states Clancy. In five months, the venue has sold over 200 kegs of its own beer, with the most popular being the Sparkling Ale. Through consultation with Smartbrew, they’ve also added their own Brown Ale to the roster, with another on the way shortly. “The SmartBrew system has been exceptional. It’s easy to use and produces top quality beer, just the way we want it.” With the tanks sitting in pride of place behind the bar, the system also perfectly combines form and function of the bar space – giving patrons a talking point and visual cue of where the beer comes from.

WAITING IN LINE It can get pretty busy at Public, and while keeping wait time at the bar to a minimum is always the goal, Condi has a strategy to keep people in line happy. “I get staff to address the person they’re taking an order from, but I also get them to try and inform the next person that they’re next. So if I’ve identified to that second person that they’re next, and I continue to do that, people don’t mind waiting a little bit longer. The people in front are fine, but it’s the second and third in line that you need to take note of. Even just the gesture of making eye contact helps, so they know they’re about to be served.”

Public's main bar

BEERS FOR WINTER

DARK TIMES AHEAD WHILE DARK BEERS CAN BE DRUNK ANY TIME OF YEAR, THEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NO DOUBT THAT MAY TO AUGUST IS PRIME TIME FOR DARK BEER DRINKING.

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BEERS FOR WINTER

big bowl of pasta, big chunky jumpers and a roaring fireplace – some things are just better when it’s cold outside. Dark beers are no different, with heavier styles like stouts, brown ales and porters seeing a seasonal spike in the cooler months. “There is something primal in beer drinkers as the weather changes that creates a craving for the dark elixir,” opines Jesse McDermott of The Woodlands Hotel in Coburg, Melbourne. Darker beer styles are generally heavier and creamier drinks than their amber-liquid cousins, making them a more comforting option in winter – in the same way that a big bowl of stew is heartier and more satisfying when it’s cold than a salad would be. Kyo Tando of Quarrymans Hotel in Sydney, also puts dark beers seasonal popularity down to some common flavour notes and sensations. “Dark, roasted and caramelised grains and malts give some chocolatey roasty smell and taste, and that somehow satisfies drinkers more when it’s cold outside,” Tando explains. “And some barrel-aged imperial stouts – with a higher ABV of 8-12 per cent – give you a whisky-like taste that warms you from inside.”

DRAUGHT, NITRO OR BOTTLE On-premise, dark beers are without a doubt most popular on tap. At Quarrymans Hotel, Tando says that during winter, the dark beer

presence on the pub’s taps will increase from one to three or four taps for fans of the darker brew. Part of the popularity of draught options rather than bottled beers, is the taste, texture and theatre that comes with styles that are nitrogenated. Using mainly nitrogen in the carbonation process rather than solely CO2, nitrogen gives beer a creamier and smoother mouthfeel, as opposed to the crispness of carbon dioxide. The smaller bubbles also create a creamier, thicker head on a pint. The most iconic nitrogenated beer of course is Guinness Draught, known as ‘the black stuff’ around the world. Guinness Draught is popular in Australia all year round, but over-indexes in the winter period, as from May to August the temperatures down under best replicate that of Dublin, where it has been brewed since 1959 – making it a popular choice for any savvy publican, and in winter especially. The quality and consistency of Guinness Draught is also second to none, so that punters know what they’re getting with every pour. “No matter where it's brewed or served, every single pint, bottle or can of Guinness will be an unparalleled Guinness experience, as every brewer in every brewery is meticulously trained to brew beer the Guinness way,” says Marty Whybourne, brand manager – Guinness and Kilkenny at Lion. While dark beers on tap are a sure thing,

POUR US A PINT This July, Guinness will be running an on-premise giveaway promotion as part of its Top 200 program - giving patrons an incentive to purchase pints of Guinness.

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER MAY 2017 | 15

BEERS FOR WINTER bottled beers should not be overlooked, suggests 4 Pines Brewing Company’s chief brewer, Chris Willcock: “Draught is usually the favourite but bottled products can work really well too in the right venue.” The Alehouse Project in Melbourne is one such venue, with director Alex Summers finding that dark bottled beers can complement those you have on tap. “In our bottle range, which also continuously rotates, we will always have a sessionable dark beer in a brown ale, and then very high-alcohol stouts that are not available in keg format.”

STYLE FILE Like any other range of beers, dark beers run a large gamut of styles with different flavour profiles and ABVs. Styles like brown ales and porters are generally lighter and more sessionable then stouts and imperial stouts, which can be heavy-hitting in terms of alcohol content. At The Woodlands Hotel, McDermott has found that the stouts and imperial stouts are popular with beer fanatics, but that chocolate porters also do very well with those who like a more evident touch of sweetness to their beer. Tando agrees that the easier-drinking options do well, with milk stouts and vanilla porters the big sellers at Quarrymans Hotel. For Willcock, there’s one dark beer style he hopes will get more attention this winter – the Extra Special Bitter. The ESB, as it’s widely known, is a higher-ABV Bitter, with a better balance and is more malt-driven in flavour. Like most other dark beers, it has a lower carbonation. “The ESB is a bit of a forgotten hero. It has such a special blend of flavours from malt, hops and yeast that all come together perfectly. I’d love to see it get some more air time. A dark ruby pint of ESB is hard to walk past without taking a few deep sips.”

POPULARITY RISING In a relatively warm climate, even in winter, dark beers have not always enjoyed the popularity in Australia that they have in Europe and North America. But that is starting to change, in large part to the growing craft beer culture in Australia, where beer drinkers are looking for new styles and beers to sample. The Alehouse Project, which opened in 2012, started an annual dark beer festival in its first year of trade. It runs every July over two weeks, and showcases dark beers from around 40 different breweries. The event features one-off beers made specifically for the festival, new releases and beers that have been cellared for 12-24 months. The status of the event shows just how much patrons are enjoying dark beer, with the 200-capacity venue full throughout the festival’s duration. “It is by far the most popular event we run,” states Summers. And just as there are mainstream beer drinkers finding gateway beers into more adventurous craft beer styles, there are easy-drinking dark beers for first-timers to try. “A good entry level style would be a dark ale, which is usually lighter in taste than a porter or stout,” suggests Tando. “A milk stout or vanilla porter is also easier to drink, as they both contain lactose that gives some sweetness.” Willcock also agrees that a lot of people who try a dark beer for the first time are generally surprised by how easy they are to drink. “Lots of people who claimed they don’t like beer have changed their minds when they drink something like a stout. The coffee and chocolate aromas are really recognisable and satisfying.”

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DARK BEERS TO TRY ON TAP THIS WINTER We asked some dark beer aficionados for their take on what will be some of the best dark beers to serve at your venue this winter. 4 Pines Brewing Company ESB (5.4% ABV) - A robust, full flavoured English ale displaying deep coppery amber hues. Fresh herbal hop aromas prelude a rich and complex body of toffee and raisin malt sweetness, balanced with a firm bitterness. Batch Brewing Co Elsie The Milk Stout (4.3% ABV) - A beer that’s sweet, smooth, dark and roasty, with gentle touches of chocolate, coffee and cream. Served on nitrogen at the bar for an incredibly thick and smooth texture. Big Shed Brewing Golden Stout Time (5.4% ABV) - A tribute to the classic Golden Gaytime ice cream. It is brewed with cacao nuts, rice and specialty grain for that honey aroma, then lactose for sweetness. Guinness Draught (4.2% ABV) – Rich and creamy, with a distinctive, ruby red colour and velvety finish. Drinkers around the world are drawn to its complexity and bold combination of flavours. A classic. Riders Brew Co Loose Trucks Porter (5.4% ABV) - Loose Trucks is a Robust Porter made from a backbone of the finest English, German and Australian malts. Flavours of chocolate, roast and dark fruit marry with classic English and American hops, balancing bitterness with refined aromatics. Stomping Ground Brewing Co Upside Down Brown Ale (5.2% ABV) - Refreshing yet flavourful, this English-style ale has a moreish caramel, nut and chocolate malt character. It’s named after the Yarra River, but tastes decidedly better!

GUINNESS IS SEEN BY MANY DRINKERS AS THE perfect beer for winter.

VENUE PROFILE

Great adaptations HOW ONE PUB HAS ACCEPTED THE DRAMATIC CHANGES TO SYDNEY’S KINGS CROSS, AND RISEN FROM THE ASHES WITH A SLEEKER CONCEPT.

hen The Keystone Group went into receivership, several private investors purchased the Sugarmill Hotel in Kings Cross, and turned the late-night party pub into Potts Point Hotel, positioning the venue as a refined local with a focus on food and beverage. Chris Jolliffe, who oversaw the hotel for Keystone – first as licensee and then as group general manager of hotels and bars – was one of the investors, and has come on board once more as the general manager/licensee of the newly positioned venue. Australian Hotelier spoke to Jolliffe about the strategies he has implemented to change the offering of the venue.

Q HAVING OPERATED OUT OF THE VENUE SINCE 2011,

WERE YOU AWARE OF THE VIOLENCE BEING REPORTED THAT PRECIPITATED THE LOCKOUT LEGISLATION?

We’re situated at the end of the Cross that didn’t see as much foot traffic or as much of those issues, but I spent a number of years every weekend physically out on the street as part of the operational role that I was in. While it was very, very busy, the actual incidents that I witnessed out there – and this is over the course of three or four years – I can count them on my hands. There were that few, whether that’s because things happened later on in the night or in different parts of the Cross. I guess the stats support that there was an issue somewhere, but those broad strokes tarred the whole area.

Q ONCE THE LOCKOUTS WERE ENACTED, HOW DID THEY IMPACT TRADE AT SUGARMILL?

What it did from the global sense of the suburb, was just put a big X on

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it for a lot of people. I think our particular market who had been coming here for years and years, clearly didn’t have an issue with the venue. It clearly wasn’t a war zone, otherwise they would have voted with their feet and not come up here. But putting the lockouts in place with that blanket restriction ruined everyone’s nights. So that really did have an impact on the late-night part of our trade, that’s for sure.

Q AFTER LOOKING AFTER SEVERAL VENUES FOR

KEYSTONE, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO GO BACK TO LOOKING AFTER JUST THIS ONE?

It’s good to get the feet back on the ground, and living and breathing it. There’s a nice amount of enjoyment to it – I think that’s why a lot of people in my position got into the industry in the first place. Especially being in the position now to be able to have a venue that’s been in a frustrated position for the last little while with the receivership and with the area, to be able to take some positive steps and get some money invested back into it, that position ultimately benefits the business and benefits the area.

Q WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET OUT OF KINGS CROSS HOTELS NOW, YOU’VE REINVESTED IN IT – Well I think getting out of it – I think a lot of people were probably forced out. From our position, this suburb and the area, while it’s shifted because of the restrictions put in place, it’s still growing and still transforming into something that’s going to be amazing. It always has been an amazing area, but it’s going to be something as vibrant as it used to be, albeit probably in the earlier part of the day and the night

VENUE PROFILE rather than at 4am. We’re definitely looking at it with that longer term view and that perspective. I think even the residential aspect up here is going to be a huge transformation in the next few years, so we’re positioning ourselves to be ready for that.

Q WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES YOU’VE GOT

IN PLACE TO POSITION THE HOTEL AS A LOCALS’ VENUE RATHER THAN A LATE-NIGHT PARTY PUB?

Corn cob salad

Photos by Kai Leishman

“WE’RE PROBABLY ONE OF THE FIRST, IF NOT THE ONLY, HOTELS IN KINGS CROSS TO HAVE A KIDS’ MENU.” Chris Joliffe Photo credit: Kai Leishman

We’re taking cues from what downtown Potts Point has developed, and that’s been slow-burning over a number of years. It’s always been quite a cosmopolitan part of this area, and we’re seeing that creep further and further up towards us, to the point where it’s basically on our doorstep. Llankally Place is one of the most vibrant allies in Sydney now, I would say, from a dining point of view. So we’re really positioning ourselves to play in that sphere rather than a late-night nightclub, or even the dive-bar pub scene. We’ve taken a step towards becoming a Potts Point local, hence the name change, the brand change. So the residents who live in this area who may not have considered this an option before, will now look at this as something that they can see themselves being part of and take ownership of. And we’re proud of it. That’s the broad idea.

Q AND AS PART OF THAT YOU’VE DONE A REVAMP OF THE VENUE? Particularly of the ground floor. This is the engine room of the venue, it’s also the most visible. A decidedly big step in terms of the design and in terms of the product offer which has gone from Sugarmill’s iconic pub menu – we had $12 steaks of which we would sell 1000 of a week – and that was a very ‘pubby’ sort of pub with an American dive bar feel. This is probably a bit more of a mature vibe, and definitely the food and the drinks offering reflects that as well.

Q ARE YOU CATERING TO AN OLDER DEMOGRAPHIC?

Not deliberately, but the first few weeks since opening the doors, we’ve definitely seen that there’s an older demographic who are now frequenting the place way more than they did before. Probably not as many highvis vests in here now during happy hour as there used to be, which is not a good thing or a bad thing, it’s just an interesting thing. But yes, we’ve definitely seen a different type of clientele coming in.

Q SO FOOD HAS BECOME A VERY VITAL STREAM OF OPERATIONS FOR YOU? So as part of the renovation, we did a full kitchen rip-out and refit which included two smokers which we flew in from the States. The anchor to the menu would be the smoker, so a lot of dishes are revolving around that, right through from starters to mains. Even the salads, we’ve got smoked trout in there, and we’ve got some twists on classics there, so the Caesar salad has chargrilled lettuce – it’s just thrown on the chargrill very quickly so it gets that smoky undertone. And while we’ve got the smoker, we’re still aware that not everyone is hell-bent on dining on smoked meat all the time, so there is a good range of salads; burgers are always a good hit; and a kids menu.

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER MAY 2017 | 19

VENUE PROFILE So we’re probably one of the first, if not the only, hotel in Kings Cross to have a kids’ menu. Which is very interesting as well, to see a number of families coming in.

Q ARE YOU GETTING GOOD REVIEWS FROM THE LOCALS?

We are. We’re seeking feedback – we’re never afraid of getting feedback. It’s been generally good. There are some of our old die-hard customers that are a bit shocked that the $12 steaks are no longer on the menu. We’re pretty much telling them they ate all the $12 cows – there are none of those left!

Q YOU’VE REVAMPED THE GROUND

FLOOR OF THE VENUE – WHAT ABOUT THE UPPER LEVELS?

Not yet, we’ll do some changes on the rooftop later in the year. Sweethearts Rooftop fortunately trades very well at the moment through summer and winter, as it’s a bit of a jewel for the area, as a rooftop bar, which there aren’t many of. It’s been trading quite well, so we’re going to let that run its course and have a look at it again in winter. And then the next two floors above us, which were the Kit & Kaboodle nightclub floors, we don’t trade those to the public at the moment, they’re generally just function spaces. It’s not the late-night nightclub level of revenue that we used to see, but at least it’s something that’s happening in those spaces.

The new look ground ﬂoor

Q WILL YOU EXPAND THE FUNCTION STREAM? We will, yes. It’s definitely a focus to keep pushing that, as they’re beautiful spaces and they really do appeal to a lot of people. So we had quite a good function season through December – it’s about propping it up for the rest of the year. We’ve also got a lockout exemption application in. If that gets approved then we’ll revisit what we’re doing later on in the night.

Q I’VE HEARD IT’S A LENGTHY PROCESS. There’s a lot of groundwork done before it and then there’s submitting it and crossing the fingers. We’ve had the support of the Local Area Command up here, which was quite a significant stamp of approval from them. We have a blemishfree licence and we pride ourselves on that, so it was good to get that support from them. We have a very open dialogue with the police, and that’s always been the case. And they’re a very supportive group of businesses in the area.

Q HOW ARE YOU GETTING THE WORD OUT TO LOCALS ABOUT THE NEW POTTS POINT HOTEL?

We’ve got a local marketing campaign which is in the process of rolling out, which will really reengage the local area, with introductory offers to get them in to see the space and get them to experience it.

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As part of the rebrand the pub has been renamed Cocktails by Rollo Anderson

Potts Point Hotel smoked meat

SECURITY

A safe space for all

ith increasing legal requirements placed on licensed premises surrounding security and the venue’s responsibilities with patron intoxication and violent incidents, it’s evident that operators need to understand the compliance around these issues. But what’s also important – and can sometimes be forgotten when having to deal with all-consuming compliance measures – is that implementing deterrent methods can reduce the amount of incidents a venue has to deal with. The most effective of these measures include a number of participants – from security staff on the front-line, to observant front-of-house staff. Having an open dialogue with local police can also increase the general goodwill on their part for the venue, and can facilitate interactions with them. Pat Cullen, a former senior operation manager for Pelathon Group’s venues, has recently taken over the Australian Arms Hotel in Penrith, in Sydney’s south-west. At the time

DEALING WITH DRUG USAGE

IT TAKES MORE THAN JUST YOUR SECURITY STAFF TO ENSURE INCIDENCES OF INTOXICATION AND VIOLENCE ARE MINIMISED IN YOUR VENUE.

of writing, Cullen had been operating the pub for four weeks, and had already taken what has in the last few years been considered a ‘problem venue’, and has repositioned the hotel as a family pub. The Australian Arms Hotel is a late-night trader, with a 24-hour licence. From Thursday to Saturday, the pub trades until 3am, and for Cullen, the biggest issue he has to deal with in that period is issues of intoxication – mainly party-goers who are already at some level of intoxication, who are looking to kick-on at the Arms on their night out. “Really it’s dealing with customers coming into the hotel after midnight, particularly coming from other venues at various levels of alcohol consumption, I suppose. And so you’re having security and staff actively monitor RSA and actively monitor intox levels.”

COVERING ALL ANGLES In the last month, the Australian Arms Hotel has seen a dramatic reduction in the amount of

Like other publicans across the country, Pat Cullen has had to deal with patrons trying to enter his pub while under the influence of illicit drugs. “Being able to monitor intoxication not from alcohol, but from drugs, is a really hard one. You know someone comes in and they don’t buy a drink from you, and they end up on their ear through other means.” At the Pub Leaders Summit in March, Superintendent David Donohue, Commander of the Sydney City LAC was asked about this growing issue, and how the police are working with licensed premises to manage and curb these incidents. “Certainly, the way we enforce drugs in licensed premises is difficult, a lot of it is based on intelligence from people in the place that tell us certain things about the behaviours, whether it’s the security involved or whatever the case may be – intel is basic core policing. Again if there’s an assault or something linked back to the premises and there’s an interrogation or interview with the individual and they disclose that they were supplied drugs in there, then we go about covert surveillance, covert operations, depending on the scale and magnitude of it,” explains Donohue. “But it’s difficult and it’s more broadly a society problem now, drugs are taking over as more recreation than alcohol and that’s changing the behaviour of us in terms of licensing enforcement.”

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER MAY 2017 | 21

SECURITY

Pat Cullen (centre) and some of his team at The Australian Arms Hotel intoxicatedpersons trying to enter the premises after midnight, with Cullen and his team enforcing a zerotolerance policy. “It’s really just through a ‘No Dickheads’ rule. That’s the way I’ve been describing it. It’s really just been saying we’re not going to tolerate a hint of intoxication. We’re sticking to regulations, and have kept out the ‘baseball cap brigade’ and tracky dacks. So dress is a big thing too – stopping people coming in that don’t follow dress regulations.” Another strategy to reduce intoxication and belligerence can be found behind the bar after midnight – the Australian Arms’ own policy on not serving higher-alcohol drinks. “We got rid of drinks like OP rum, we got rid of Smirnoff Ice Double Black RTDs, and we’re controlling shot consumption better. We’re more proactive in dealing with people who even look like they’re going to be argumentative and cause trouble, and we’re removing them. It’s only been early days, but already there’s the feeling that it's working.There’s nothing amongst all that that I’ve made up, it’s all normal stuff, but it has made quite a difference.” Cullen had also met with local police on three instances within the first three weeks of operations, so as to cultivate a relationship with them. “I’ve told the police we will be calling them, we’ll be asking them to come deal with people for ‘fail to quit’ and so on. We’ve had one ‘failure to quit’ already, and that’s probably one more than they’ve ever had here. We just want to send a very strong message to say we’re not going to put up with it.” For the approximately 250-capacity venue, Cullen generally has three security staff and one dedicated RSA marshall working on a Friday or Saturday night. He also ensures that his front-of-house staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities when it

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comes to RSA, so that they are part of the observant effort throughout any shift. “I’ve empowered them all and given them the authority and the responsibility – so put the onus on them – and really tried to build a culture that everyone is responsible for RSA, they’re all responsible for who they serve. It’s about our collective safety, which they’ve really bought into. You know, when you’re talking about safety of our workplace it seems to be a different mindset for them.” The more long-term strategy is to reposition the pub as a family venue, so that trouble-makers re-evaluate the ‘party-pub’ reputation of the Australian Arms, and no longer frequent the hotel. While there are many factors involved in changing the outlook of the pub as family-friendly, just small visible cues are already making a difference. “We really want to be a family pub and a real community hub. You can’t do that if you’re going to let every dickhead in the area punch each other’s heads in on a Saturday night. We’re really driving that. We’ve had lots of families in and we recently had an Easter colouring competition for kids. We’re sticking those things on the wall as we speak, and that shows people that kids come here and changes the place somewhat. I guess when blokes come into a pub and there are kids in their colouring in, it sends a bit of a message as to what sort of place it is.” Cullen also makes sure that the basics are covered by his staff – engaging customers with a friendly greeting, which doubles as an opportunity to assess a patron. “I’ve driven a real meet and greet from staff – you know, smiling and greeting customers, saying g’day and just engaging them. You know, when you pick up a glass, say hello, look at people and assess them the whole time.”

BE ALERT For pubs with a significant gaming offering, armed robbery is a serious risk. Craig Mitchell, national security manager of Prosegur Australia, suggests that venues can minimise the chances of armed robbery by being alert to the signs of someone ‘scoping out’ the venue. These are: • Strangers loitering around your premises who might be observing the business and your activities, especially just after opening or just before closing time. • Individuals you do not know asking questions about how the business is run. • Customers whose actions are out of character (e.g. people spending time in certain sections of your hotel without buying/doing anything) • People in your business whose dress is out of character (e.g. winter clothes on a hot day or sunglasses at night) If any of these occur, make note of the date and time, and call the police.

SECURITY

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROPE Nick Iannou, managing director of Professional Caliber Security, spoke to Australian Hotelier about how his team of security staff – which work with 60 licensed premises across Queensland – interact with venue staff.

Q CAN YOU OUTLINE THE STRATEGIES YOU HAVE IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT YOUR SECURITY STAFF TO KEEP INCIDENTS DOWN TO A MINIMUM? Staff adhere to our Best Practice Guidelines, the Security Providers (Crowd Controller Code of Practice), regular workshops in de-escalation techniques and verbal communication, weekly supervisor reports on incidents and an easy-to-use feedback page on our website for patrons to comment on interaction with our staff (with a robust complaints process when an issue does arise). Q HOW DOES YOUR STAFF INTERACT WITH VENUE FRONT-OF-HOUSE STAFF TO KEEP ANY EYE OUT FOR POTENTIALLY INTOXICATED AND/OR VIOLENT PATRONS? I would say that the most important factor is strong communication between venue staff and security (right down to the glassies who are walking among the patrons and are generally very observant), and security also being friendly and interacting with patrons which assists in judging intoxication levels and assists in dealing with any potential matters before they get out of hand. Furthermore, additional training for security to ensure their RSA is in line with standards assists in identifying when patrons are potentially intoxicated and/or becoming aggressive.

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AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER MAY 2017 | 23

DESIGN & BUILD

The ﬁreplace separates the lounge bar and bistro

A BLANK CANVAS

THE FEROS GROUP HAVE OPENED SYDNEY’S SECOND GREENFIELDS PUB IN AS MANY YEARS, AND THE RESIDENTS OF THE SHIRE ARE REAPING THE REWARDS.

Imagery by Alana Dimou and Richard Glover Screens are located throughout the venue for sports fans

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DESIGN & BUILD

hris Feros, CEO of Feros Group, lives in The Sutherland Shire, and when the opportunity to lease a vacant parcel of land and build a new pub came up, he jumped at the chance. Four years later, and The Prince is booming, with locals ecstatic over the offering. Feros owns and operates several venues in the area, including Taren Point Hotel, Huxley’s (an American-style sports bar) and Ugly Pizza. With so much experience in the region, he knew an offering was missing for the suburb of Kirrawee. “I really understand what’s going on down here, so I feel that I can really give the community what they want. The Prince has been a huge success. It is so busy.” The Prince Hotel is a massive pub. The venue itself covers a 2200 sqm footprint, and sits on a 4000 sqm block. The concept of the pub was to ensure that all of the locals were catered for: food lovers, sports fans, families and everything in between, with Feros stating that the pub has something for everyone “from nappies to pensioners”. The hotel has been a long-time coming since Feros Group secured the leasehold of the land in 2013, with the application for a new hotel licence, design of the new venue and DA approval through local Council taking almost three years, with construction beginning in December 2013. Fugen Constructions, which built the hotel, completed the build in January, three weeks ahead of deadline, and the pub then opened to the public in February.

HEY GOOD LOOKING As the site was fairly exposed, the Sutherland Shire LGA put a lot of emphasis on the requirement to ensure that the façade and surrounding landscaping brought a pleasant vista to the streetscape on all three frontages. “The council was very keen for the building to lift the game in relation to the quality of the built environment in the area, as it’s a changing environment at the moment,” says Glenn Cunnington, co-director of H&E Architects, who designed the hotel. “They weren’t terribly specific about what that actually meant, but they were keen to see engagement with the street, [and] they were

keen to have a high-quality, contemporary architectural response.” To create a visually interesting and modern façade, a variety of hardy materials were used: “There was a lot of effort put into selecting materials that were obviously fit for purpose but were relatively low maintenance and selffinishing in a sense.” From the road, an interplay between concrete, steel, timber, brick and glass can be viewed from The Princes Highway, and out the back of the venue in Monro Avenue. Plantings that will grow and blossom over the next few years will add an element of greenery in the long term. Stephen Flannery, managing director of Fugen Constructions, said the interplay of the material is what makes the understated façade so interesting. “We had pre-cast [concrete] panels for the outside mixed with structural steel with a lot of glazing, and then out the back we had timber pergolas – so there’s three or four different elements making up the façade if you have a look at it.” Smaller details that are repeated throughout the venue also add intricacy and texture to the façade. Off-form concrete with board-marked finishes add texture to the entrance stairs of the venue – a detail that is repeated at every entrance to the hotel.

OVER AND UNDER What makes The Prince unusual as a venue – particularly as a greenfields pub – is that the entire venue is elevated from street level. There are multiple reasons for this, including making it visually more arresting for patrons, who would generally be looking out onto the highway, and making the venue even more visible from the road. “Even the veranda that overlooks the Princes Highway, which is normally kind of a verboten or forbidden environment – with a little bit of elevation you sit up there, it makes it interesting and kind of nice and comfortable,” explains Cunnington. The elevation also allowed for the creation of even more car spaces, with extra carparking available under the venue in addition to the external parking area. The venue was

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

also designed so that all of the back-of-house operations run out of the basement, allowing for the main floor space of the venue to be used most effectively for patrons. The basement level includes the cellar, coolrooms, staff amenities, a refrigerated garbage room and more. “We really sat down and focused on the things that we don’t like about our current pubs that hurt us, and we’re trying to overcome that. So really nice storage rooms underneath, a big cellar, we’ve got a laundry. We haven’t missed a thing. It’s pretty easy to do when you’re starting with a blank canvas,” says Feros.

OPEN-PLAN ENTERTAINING The Prince, for the most part, has been designed with an open-plan layout, with one long bar running throughout. The bar runs through the main lounge bar and bistro, the outdoor area, and terminates at the area designed for families. Dominating the centre of the lounge and bistro area is the fireplace – a feature that Feros insisted on. “I’m really big on fires – like proper wood. I just feel like in winter when you go into a pub and you can smell that fire going, it just creates a bit of a feel before you’ve even walked into the venue.” The double-sided brick fireplace is not only eye-catching, but helps divide what is otherwise an open space – separating the lounge bar from the bistro, and creating more intimate spaces and zoning in what otherwise would feel like a large hall. This same idea was implemented in the public/sports bar, where a smaller fireplace divides the space between the bar and the courtyard. The layout of the indoor spaces is also linked to the outdoor spaces of the pub, and is suggestive of the overall space occupied by the venue. “We were keen for the volumes of the building internally to be representative of what was going on outside as well. So therefore we’ve got the two-pavilion design with the service areas in between. We slightly angled one of the pavilions as a gesture towards the street, and to give it a bit more presence. It also makes it look a bit more interesting,” describes Cunnington. The open-plan layout was strategic in

The courtyard

Before coming up with the ultimate concept for The Prince, Feros and his team visited pubs all around the country to get inspiration for the venue. “We did a huge amount of research. We went to see what was out there, so we spent a lot of time in Melbourne – there’s a pub down there called Newmarket that’s got this big long central bar in it that we’ve replicated. We’ve got a meat display and cool room fridge that we saw at The Regatta in Brisbane – we just took the best of what we could find out there and tried to put that all in one venue.”

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER MAY 2017 | 25

DESIGN & BUILD

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Feros Group owns a few different hospitality offerings in the Sutherland Shire, all within about twenty minutes of each other. Australian Hotelier asked Chris Feros whether there was strategy in having several offerings in one area: “Yeah there is. I think we can slightly tweak each offer to fulfil what the community wants. So as an example, the food that we’ve got punching out of The Prince at the moment is a cut above what we’re doing at Taren Point Hotel, and we’ve built this amazing kids’ area at The Prince. We’re shortly going to start work on an incredible venue with a rooftop bar and restaurant and the main floor will be an Australian traditional public bar. And in the basement we’ve got Huxley’s, which is the American sports bar. Then we’re going to renovate Taren Point Hotel, when we’ll add a kids’ room. We know we’re playing in the same market but we’ve got it all covered.”

creating operating efficiencies. One example is the placement of the bathrooms. “There’s one set of toilets in the middle of the hotel. There’s one big island bar that services the beer garden but the lounge bar as well. So we can open one whole side of the pub with one staff member if we choose to.” Efficiencies have also been included in the design of the bar, which has been set-up so that one end of the bar has been allocated for cocktail-making, cutting down on wait times for ordering. Essentially, you order all drinks at the bar, and receive your standard beverages immediately. The POS system then sends your cocktail order to that section of the bar, where staff will make those drinks. The pub is also full of colour. Feros describes the aesthetic of the pub as “very light, bright, fresh and earthy.” White panelling and skylights fill the space with light, and blonde timber furniture and tan leather banquettes add warmth. A marble top for the bar adds some luxury to the space, while glossy green tiles update the traditional pub look. In the bistro, a glass meat display and open industrial kitchen add a visual element to the dining experience – something that Flannery believes the Feros Group has done particularly well at The Prince. “A lot of the publicans I’m dealing with have a good concentration on their food and beverage. At The Prince, they’ve made a concerted effort on their food.” This focus is evident to patrons as well, with Feros estimating that the pub is doing between 10,000 and 15,000 covers per week: “The amount of meals that we’re doing there is just ridiculous. We are so busy.”

26 | MAY 2017 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Kids are catered for at The Prince

Timber, concrete and steel interplay throughout the venue The sports bar emulaltes a more traditional pub aesthteic

Reimagining the suburban pub for the 21st century

p: +61 2 9357 2288 e: hello@h-e.com.au w: www.h-e.com.au

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER MAY 2017 | 27

THE_PRINCE

DESIGN & BUILD GO WITH THE FLOW For Cunnington, the pièce de résistance of the venue is the gradual flow from the indoor to the outdoor space. “I like the way the outdoor space interplays with the indoor space, being the bistro and the lounge. While there’s a variety of different areas that are comfortable with different functions, it creates zones in the larger plan that all work well together.” The garden bar intersects the outdoor area, with high tables on one end for couples and younger groups, with the other end of the space being perfect for families with children, as there are lower tables, and kids play equipment, including giant Jenga, ping pong tables and a mini basketball court. The flow continues with the coverage of the space, with a retractable roof protecting the area from the elements. The automated roof allows for the space to be as exposed or protected as the staff see fit, and means that the 200-capacity area does not resemble a ghosttown when clouds roll in. But the outdoor area should not be thought of as a beer garden. As the area of Kirrawee where The Prince is situated is a light industrial zone, there is very little greenery to create an open beer garden, so instead the outdoor area has been designed as more of a colonnaded courtyard. “That was the direction that we headed in as it wasn’t a space that could look out externally too much, so consequently we’ve surrounded it with trellises – the planting is still maturing,” explains Cunnington. “The usual response is to make the outdoor area as open as possible, but all the recycled timber columns helped to give the space some formality and structure to align your tables around. We don’t see that as a disadvantage but rather an advantage. It equates to a nice scale of space out there.”

Cocktail ordering is made simple through The Prince's bar set-up

“IT WAS THE MOST AWESOME EXPERIENCE. IT WAS FOUR YEARS OF HARD WORK, FOUR YEARS OF A LOT OF PLANNING AND DESIGN – AND THEN TO OPEN IT AND HAVE THE SUCCESS WE’VE HAD, IS JUST THE MOST REWARDING THING YOU CAN DO. YOU JUST CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT IT’S LIKE UNTIL YOU DO IT.”

The meat fridge on display

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED The Prince Hotel was Chris Feros’ vision, four years in the making. That dream has finally come to life, and the hard work and planning has been rewarded with a venue that has been frequented in the last three months by locals from all walks of life. And it’s something that Feros is ecstatic over. “It was the most awesome experience. It was four years of hard work, four years of a lot of planning and design – and then to open it and have the success we’ve had, is just the most rewarding thing you can do. You just can’t imagine what it’s like until you do it.” And his advice for anyone considering building a greenfields pub? “Just enjoy the experience. There’s a lot of risk and a lot of hard work to get to actually opening a venue – to get a fresh licence, to get DAs approved. It’s risky but rewarding.”

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There''s plenty of play equipment for young visitors

KNOW HOW WE’VE GOT IT

“ Their channels of communication, dedicated project management team and attention to detail on site all contributed to an outstanding end result and a product that all involved should be incredibly proud of. The continued success of the venue is a testament to all involved on site.” Chris Feros, CEO Director, The Prince Hotel, Kirrawee

For more information about this and other Fugen projects, visit fugenconstructions.com.au or contact Managing Director Stephen Flannery on 0411 475 757 or sflannery@fugen.com.au

CALENDAR

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

A-LEAGUE

UFC

Give fans the A-League Grand Final how they want it – live and loud, and on your best screens. The A-League Grand Final has fast become one of the must-see events in Australian sport and it deserves the proper treatment. When: Sunday 7 May, 4pm. Channel: Fox Sports 4.

UFC 211 is one of the most stacked cards you’ll see this year, with the rematch between heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and former champ Junior Dos Santos. In the co-featured slot, the strawweight title bout features champ Joanna Jdrzejczyk against Jessica Andrade. When: Sunday 14 May, 12pm. Channel: Main Event.

NBA

TENNIS

Get your last fix of the NBA before the finals kick off in June, with the Conference semi-finals and finals held mid-May. A mid-week pub lunch has never looked so good. When: From Tuesday 16 May, 10am. Channel: ESPN.

The action hits the clay courts at the end of the month, with the best of the best fighting it out to claim the French Open. Can Andy Murray finally clinch his first French Open? When: From Sunday 28 May, 7pm. Channel: Fox Sports 4.

NEXT MONTH

The 2017 ICC Champions Trophy is second only to the Cricket World Cup in prestige. Held in England and Wales this year, Australia will be trying to pry the top ranking from South Africa, while keeping New Zealand and India at bay. When: From Thursday 1 June. Channels: Fox Sports. *All ti times are AEST

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