Australian Hotelier November 2018

Hotelier AUSTRALIAN

AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL HOTEL INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

VOL 35 NO 11 – NOVEMBER 2018

IN THIS ISSUE: COMPLIANCE COUNTS | CELLAR CARE | CRAFTY CIDER

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CONTENTS | ED’S NOTE

Craig Hawtin-Butcher

Editor’s Note

W

hat a month we’ve had, capped off with an electric awards night for ALIA, more on that in our December issue. Meanwhile a ray of light has also been shone on Sydney’s night-time CBD with the lockout laws potentially weakening in time for 2019. Australian Hotelier also attended the annual Independent Liquor Group conference to take a closer look at what we can learn from independent off-premise. There's also a flurry of renovations completing ahead of the Christmas summer season.

Right now though, we have a bumper edition for you. We go underground to discover how beer cellars and dispense are evolving, on page 11. Above ground, we reveal the strong female leaders moving on-premise forward, on page 26. Elsewhere, nonalcoholic drinks show rapid growth on page 32, The Greenwood Hotel reveals its stunning heritage renovation on page 38 and key stakeholders detail the three compliance issues you need to know about on page 16. There's much more too besides, so what are you waiting for? Enjoy this month’s issue.

Cheers,

11

30

38

Craig Hawtin-Butcher, Editor P: 02 8586 6201 | E: craig@intermedia.com.au

NEXT MONTH

26

Contents | November Special Features

Regulars

11 Bar, beer and cellar: Cleaning out ED’S PICK the cellar, lighting up the taps.

16 Compliance: The three issues you need to know.

21 Pub dining: Italian head chef explains why pizza is still on fire.

26 Foodservice: How women are leading hospitality.

30 Craft cider: The ciders you need to stock up on this Summer.

32 Soft drinks: How non-alcoholic beverage sales are fizzing.

6 News: The most relevant stories affecting your business.

38 Design and Build: Discover The Greenwood Hotel’s makeover.

42 Sports Calendar: November’s TV LIVE! sporting highlights.

Screens & Sounds • Craft Beer • POS & Ops PUBLISHER: Paul Wootton EDITOR: Craig Hawtin-Butcher PUBLISHED BY:

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

craig@intermedia.com.au

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER:

Jason Wild Tel: 02 8586 6213 • jwild@intermedia.com.au

GENERAL MANAGER SALES – LIQUOR & HOSPITALITY GROUP: Shane T. Williams

GROUP ART DIRECTOR – LIQUOR AND HOSPITALITY:

Kea Thorburn kthorburn@intermedia.com.au

HEAD OF CIRCULATION:

Chris Blacklock cblacklock@intermedia.com.au

PRODUCTION MANAGER:

Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au

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4 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

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NEWS

WA'S PEAK HOSPITALITY AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

ALIA 2018 best-dressed finalists

ALIA ON-PREMISE WINNERS CROWNED

The country’s leading liquor brands, venues, retailers and bar teams were honoured on Halloween at the 25th annual Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA).

Members of the on- and off-premise liquor sectors from all around Australia gathered at Royal Randwick racecourse in Sydney to celebrate the industry’s night of nights, with this year’s theme Halloween.

The proceedings kicked off with pre-drinks by Coopers; throughout the night, guests were treated to networking bars from Australian Brewery, Coopers, Pimm’s, Rum Co. of Fiji, T’Gallant and Squealing Pig. The night culminated with an after-party sponsored by Mister Mixer.

ALIA manager and publisher of Australian Hotelier, Paul Wootton, said: “It’s the people who attend ALIA that make it the success it is. This year, inspired by the Halloween theme, attendees outdid themselves with some of the best costumes and make up this event has ever seen. It was a fitting celebration of the achievements of our finalists, who came from all across the country. Congratulations to all of them and especially to the winners. Thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a memorable night.”

Solotel took home a headline on-premise award for Hotel Group of The Year, while Merivale scooped the Highly Commended in the same category.

Hotel of The Year went to The Lincoln, Carlton, while the Highly Commended was awarded to The Newport in Newport.

Key on-premise category winners also revealed on the night were: The Dolphin Hotel, Surry Hills for Best Food Menu, with The Duke of Clarence, Sydney Highly Commended in this category but taking home Winner for Best New Venue or Concept. The Duke of Clarence’s Steve McDermott also won Publican of The Year for his work there.

On-premise Supplier of the Year was awarded to Vanguard Luxury Brands and the Highly Commended was Asahi Premium Beverages.

A full rundown of winners and the highly commended will feature in the Australian Hotelier December issue.

FOR MORE INDUSTRY NEWS FOLLOW US ON 6 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Western Australia's best hotels have been shortlisted with the winners announced by the region's peak hospitality body in the 2018 AHA & Aon Hospitality Awards for Excellence in mid-November.

The Australian Hotels Association (WA) has revealed the awards finalists, who hail from across WA and represent the region's best in service, training, marketing, entertainment, product and venue excellence.

AHA(WA) CEO Bradley Woods said the annual AHA Hospitality Awards for Excellence recognises the state’s best hotels, bars, restaurants and pubs, as well as the employees who have achieved outstanding results in a particular category.

“Western Australia’s hospitality industry continues to evolve remarkably and the annual Hospitality Awards for Excellence are an opportunity to acknowledge those individuals and venues that make an exceptional contribution,” Mr Woods said.

“Hospitality is an increasingly competitive, fast-paced environment with products and offerings reaching new levels of excellence each year.”

“This year, the quality of the finalists has made it particularly difficult to identify winners within each category, which reflects the quality and innovation of our state’s hospitality industry.”

“Hospitality employees are on the front line of representing our great state to visitors and make an outstanding contribution in leaving a lasting positive impression on those who travel here.”

The 2018 AHA & Aon Hospitality Awards for Excellence will be presented at the Furphy Refreshing Ale Gala Ball on 12 November 2018, held at Crown Perth.

Award categories include: New Venue, Casual Pub Dining, Sporting Entertainment Venue, Head Chef, Food and Beverage Services and Venue Manager.

Among the finalists announced, the Group Venue Operator Award will be contested by: ARK Group, Colonial Leisure Group, Gastev Group Collective, Three Pound Group and Sneakers & Jeans Group.

A full list of finalists is available at ahawa.asn.au.

Previous AHA(WA) awards night

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NEWS

Sydney Beer Week organisers, brewers and hosts

SYDNEY BEER WEEK WRAPS WITH INAUGURAL CHEERS FEST WEEKEND Over 130 events took place across Greater Sydney from 26 October to 4 November, kicking off with the Sydney Beer Week (SBW) Opening Gala at the Australian National Maritime Museum on opening night.

A weekend-long beer festival Cheers Fest ran from 3-4 November at Barangaroo Reserve featuring over 200 beers from 43 independent breweries.

In a sign of the increasing strength of the craft beer movement, the Independent Brewers Association (IBA) promoted its new Independence Seal logo to the crowd and profiled some of NSW’s new and emerging indie brewers.

This year’s SBW also included an official beer, brewed especially for the festivities by Australian Brewery head brewer Dan Shaw in collaboration with the GM of SBW, Liam Pereira.

Brewed with experimental hop HPA 016, ‘Table Beer’ delivered flavours of lemon peel and fresh mandarin. At 4.2% ABV, it’s an Australian rendition of a Grisette – similar to a Saison but slightly lighter, with a conspicuous yeast character and relatively hoppy notes.

Table Beer was available at the Opening Gala and in can at various events all around Sydney. It was also poured on tap at the Inner West – War out West at the Australian Brewery and Boilermaker Brunch at the Dove and Olive in Surry Hills.

The opening weekend included an outdoor yoga session and bottomless beer brunch at Four Points by Sheraton at Central Park.

Elswhere the Basement Brewhouse in Bankstown hosted Hops vs Sours, where each participating brewery supplied a keg of hop-centric beer and a keg of sour – with attendees voting on their favourite beer variety.

The sourness continued with Batch hosting the first annual Sourfest.

Along with Batch’s full lineup of sours, Bucket Boys, Sauce, Wayward and Yulli’s also poured their sours on the day – with a hop-on, hop-off bus shuttling thirsty revellers between participating venues.

Over at the Public House in Petersham, iconic Chicago brewery Goose Island hosted an all-American style ‘Cornhole’ tournament, with contestants battling it out to win an IPA a day for an entire year. Chicagoinspired tunes were spun by local DJs, a Chicago-themed food menu was on offer, and Goose specialty brews were poured from a custom truck.

Goose Island also teamed up with Fratelli Fresh for three nights of specialty Goose beers paired with iconic Italian dishes: Beer; A Slice of

Sydney Beer Week over for another year Heaven (pizza pairing), Just Desserts, Oh and Beer (dessert pairing) and Goose Island Beer Dinner. Specialty Goose Island beers shipped from Chicago for the four events include Bourbon County Stout 2017, Cooper Project #2, Juliet 2016, Lolita 2016 and Halia 2016.

During the week, Cryer Malt and Crafty Pint hosted a Start Up Panel at Uncle Hops, bringing together a panel of industry experts to offer advice and answer questions on a range of essential topics.

Wildflower hosted popular Wellington brewery Garage Project at their cellar door in Marrickville, with both breweries serving a range of sour and barrel aged beers.

“We have been blown away by the number of awesome events … put on all across Greater Sydney for Sydney Beer Week 2018 by breweries from across Australia and around the world and our local hospitality industry – we believe Sydney still knows how to throw a good party and the effort put in by our event holders proves this,” SBW’s Ben Janeczko told Beer & Brewer, Australian Hotelier’s sister title.

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER NOVEMBER 2018 | 9

NEWS

POSITIVE NEWS FOR RETAIL SPENDING ACROSS AUSTRALIA Retail spending in every state and territory in the last quarter is above the decade-long average.

Every quarter CommSec publishes its report highlighting the economic performance of each state and territory, analysing eight key indicators: economic growth, unemployment, population growth, equipment investment, housing finance, construction work done, dwelling commencements and retail spending.

In order to give a long-term outlook and understanding of the positions for each area CommSec compares the latest quarterly readings against the decade-average for each indicator. And while some regions are performing better than others, in terms of retail spending each state and territory was above the decade-average in the June quarter.

Retail spending figures, along with house price and fuel prices at the pump, tend to impact on consumer outlook and as a consequence how much is then spent on-premise.

Within the retail spending indicator New South Wales came out on top, extending its lead over Victoria with retail spending being 18 per cent above the decade-average levels in the June quarter.

CommSec said: “Solid home building, low unemployment, increased job security and

infrastructure building are key supports for retail spending [in NSW].

“Spending in Victoria was 17.7 per cent above decade-average levels, once again supported by home building, population growth and firm employment.”

The ACT was third in the report, with spending up 14.4 per cent, followed by Tasmania, up 12.8 per cent. In fifth spot was South Australia with spending 11.4 per cent above decade averages followed by Queensland, with spending up by 9.2 per cent.

Northern Territory recorded the weakest result on retail spending, up 5.5 per cent on the decade average, below Western Australia with 7.0 per cent growth.

CommSec added: “If monthly retail trade was assessed instead to calculate the rankings (August data available), there would be no change in the relative rankings. NSW remains ahead of Victoria.

“In terms of annual growth of real retail trade, Victoria is strongest (up 4.2 per cent), from South Australia (up 3.1 per cent) and NSW (up 2.2 per cent). Looking at monthly retail trade, Victoria (up 5.6 per cent) is ahead of Tasmania (up 5.3 per cent) and the ACT (up 4.3 per cent).”

10 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Overall, across all eight of the CommSec report’s indicators, Victoria remains in top spot just ahead of NSW with little to separate the two economies. CommSec said it expects the two states to alternate top spot over the next year.

In the second group is ACT and Tasmania.

The third group is Queensland and South Australia. And then there is a gap to the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Speaking about each region, CommSec said: “Victoria is in top spot due to strong construction activity and the lowest jobless rate in a decade.

“NSW is in second spot on the economic performance rankings and has held its relative position on most indicators.

“The ACT retains third spot on the performance rankings but Tasmania is closing the gap, improving its relative position on four of the eight indicators.

“South Australia is now in fifth spot ahead of Queensland, with the former picking up its relative position on business investment.

“The Northern Territory remains in seventh position just ahead of Western Australia.

There are positive trends for both economies, especially with regard to the job market.”

BAR & CELLAR

DRAUGHT IN LINE FOR MAJOR BREAKTHROUGHS WITH INNOVATION BOTH IN THE CELLAR AND AT THE BAR, CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER TALKS TO KEY PLAYERS IN THE EQUIPMENT AND DISPENSE SPACE TO DISCOVER HOW DRAUGHT MANUFACTURING, CELLARING AND DISPENSING ARE CURRENTLY MID-REVOLUTION.

“I

n the States with Techstar we have a customer who does 40,000 50-litre kegs of kombucha a year,” says Nick Becker, Business Manager at Kegstar, an important player in the Australian keg-supply market.

While there are many reasons that make comparisons with the US unwise, Becker believes what happens in the US eventually matters over here.

“We always seem to be 3-10 years behind the States so I’d expect to see [kombucha] coming over here.”

We’re also a long way from seeing onpremise dispense taken over by kombucha, but Becker is not alone in highlighting the non-beer liquids frequently being tapped for patrons across Australia.

“Small-to-medium sized venues are potentially carrying more than 20 variants of

draught beverage products,” says Joel Hunter, Manager of Beverage at Bracton Group, dispense equipment specialists. “Wine, nitro coffee, sparkling water and cocktails are all extremely popular at present and help new companies build their brands through increased product visibility,” says Hunter.

Becker believes improved dispense quality, reduced spoilage and environmental factors are other factors driving a boom in draught dispense aside from eye-catching design.

“Certainly coming into summer we’re seeing a lot of spirits on tap, kombucha starting to have more and more impact in the draught space,” says Becker. “The quality of wine we’re putting into keg is certainly a lot higher than maybe the first-pour bottle [hotels] have got on the shelf. Pricing wise it may not come in as cheap as the first-pour but the quality is a lot higher. If it’s in keg, then it’s on nitrogen

gas the whole time, a preservative gas, so you’re never having to tip out a half-bottle that doesn’t get used. The Cricketer’s Arms in Balmain has a white wine and the Coogee Pavilion, [along with] some of the Merivale pubs have gone into wine on tap. It’s still fairly niche but there are a lot of wineries enquiring about it and what to do.”

PROMINENT DISPENSE Beyond what’s in the keg, how it’s being dispensed is a huge growth area, argues Hunter.

“Breweries and other product providers are seeking ways to make their products ‘stand out’ from the wide range of competitors,” he says, “and this is leading to more interactive forms of branding on towers. Illuminated LED decals or ‘Smart Decals’ have been introduced allowing for great visual and audible immersion through digital media at point of sale.

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER NOVEMBER 2018 | 11

BAR & CELLAR

HUNTER’S

KEY FACTORS IN GREAT DISPENSE QUALITY 1. Glasscare and beer line hygiene Often overlooked and underestimated, glasscare can make a perfectly poured and cellared product present terribly. For beerline cleaning, poor practice can lead to off-flavours/aroma or an increase in over-carbonation and wastage.

This is generally the first area that needs to be addressed when a system is performing substandard.

2. Adequate system design

Draught cocktails such as Mister Mixer's espresso martini are increasingly popular Illuminated and multimedia branding at taps is going to be an ever-increasing trend over the next five years.”

It is quite common for venues to spend 30-40% of their entire system budget on architect- prescribed finishes with artistic flairs, according to Hunter. “Rustic finishes, quirky additions from spanner-tap handles to futuristic LED temperature gauges and lights or steampunk-inspired fluid-filled gauges and copper windings. Hanging founts, exposed pipework, bold colours and a highly-industrial look [are] very popular,” he says. Hunter cites the Governor Hotel in Macquarie Park, Hornsby RSL and the All Hands Brewing house in King St Wharf as strong examples of these dispense twists.

CLEANING UP, CHILLING OUT Meanwhile a number of influencers Australian Hotelier spoke to highlighted the core role of maintenance and cleanliness.

Over at CellarControl, managing director Carl Pavett continues to highlight the role of cleanliness in draught lines. A research project his team undertook at The Precinct

in Darwin utilising CellarControl’s cleaning programme showed their six-weekly cycle was an improvement on the venue’s previous fortnightly approach, using less harsh chemical treatments.

This drive towards ‘cleaner’ cleaning products has also been witnessed by Hunter, who says there’s a real focus in the industry on increased safety for dangerous goods handling during beerline cleaning processes.

“Traditionally most brewery-approved beerline cleaners have been corrosive Class Eight,” he says, “and improper use has led to some horrific injuries, including loss of eyesight and even death in cases of undiluted ingestion.” To combat these issues, Bracton has launched Bracton Craft Beerline cleaner, which aims to minimise safety risks during use.

Additionally, the ‘craft beer’ approach of small bars and pubs is transferring to more established hotel venues, says Becker.

“We’re now seeing the trend of the bigger pubs, the maybe more traditional pubs, that are starting to experiment with reducing their tap contracts and putting on local beers. With this live beer, compared with

12 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Systems should be designed with an understanding of a venue’s requirements of capacity and brand offering. Established technology such as beer pumps can reduce the risks of over-carbonation (and CO2 gas costs), [but this can’t] increase the life span of kegs past three weeks without seeing an increase in wastage. The more taps and brands on offer will cause some products to be extremely slow movers and since all products will absorb the gas used to dispense the product, it remains critical that storage temperatures and gas pressures remain as low as possible to minimise over-carbonation and spoilage.

3. Proper staff training With a shift from highly skilled permanent staff in a cellar role to amalgamating their duties to be carried out by manager and transitory staff, there has been much experience lost within the industry. Equipment used improperly, or poor information, can also lead to dramatic increases of product loss or harm to the employee. The Bractonsafe Academy has a strong focus on OH&S and understanding what factors can influence attainment of the hallowed 0.5% wastage that all draught venues aspire to.

AR “ULTIMATELY GOOD CELL CAN PRACTICES & TRAINING FECT HAVE THE GREATEST AF NT.” FOR MINIMAL INVESTME N – JOEL HUNTER, BRACTO

BAR & CELLAR “WE’RE TECHNOLOGY ARMS DEALERS IN THE GUERRILLA WAR FOR FLAVOUR” – JULIAN SANDERS, SPARK BREWERIES AN D DISTILLERIES

Hopscotch, Southbank, Melbourne

IS ON-SITE BREWING THE FUTURE? “They’re very strong business models, brewing and serving on-premise,” says Julian Sanders, Managing Director at Spark Breweries and Distilleries, manufacturers and suppliers of compact brewpub equipment. “To some extent it’s the future of craft or, call it what you will, ‘interesting’ beer.”

“The benefit of brewing and serving onsite is firstly that you’re raising profit. You’re brewing for $75 including excise what you’d otherwise be paying $250-$350 for. You don’t need to be selling large volumes for that to be very worthwhile.

“In Australia we have approximately 450 operating breweries – similar per capita to the US. But the significant difference between the US and Australia markets is that our beer is expensive. You’ll hear a lot of stats spoken about why that’s the case, but it’s purely because there was a duopoly for the last century that raised prices way above margin and it was extremely profitable.

Beer is very expensive here and it’s astronomically profitable. It’s better to be a producer than a consumer.

Spark manufacture the K500, a 50L on-premise brewery occupying 2m x 6m, or around two booths. “It’s a scaled-down commercial brewery rather than a scaled-up homebrew piece of kit,” says Sanders. “The benefit is it’s easy to produce consistent, high-quality beer on that machine. Because it’s a solid piece of kit, it’s still an asset on the balance sheet in 10 years’ time. That’s why a finance company will allow us to lease it, because of its residual value. They brew, ferment and then serve, because you can serve directly from the bright tanks. You don’t need the cool room and kegging if you don’t want it.

Which saves a huge amount of floor area you can turn over for drinking space, which is very useful in a city space.

“Beyond that and more importantly, if it suits your target market and the community all around your venue, you can clearly differentiate yourself indefinitely from your competitors. You can attract a future-relevant demographic that are willing to pay more money for a better-quality product.

“Over the next 10 years that demographic are going to form the bulk of consumption and they will be the future of beer as we know it, particularly in cities such as Sydney but increasingly across the country. There are opportunities to take the lead – and it takes a bit of guts, you’ll lose a few of the rusted-on drinkers, which is what a lot of publicans are scared about, but the ones with the vision, who can back the vision and aren’t scared to lose a few, they gain a lot more.”

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER NOVEMBER 2018 | 13

BAR & CELLAR Bright Tank, East Perth

BEER & BREWER’S TOP

BEER TRENDS PUBLICANS SHOULD KNOW 1. Session Beers: The craft beer boom has seen all manner of ABVs become available, but people are becoming increasingly alcohol-aware.

The rise of sessionable beers – between 3.5% and 4.5% ABV – allow people to have a few beers whenever they want, while beers with lower or even no alcohol levels are also a growing trend.

2. IPA evolution: The India Pale Ale is no longer just a hoppy style beer, it’s a gateway into a whole new range of different approaches and iterations. IPAs can be dark (Black IPA), hoppy (West Coast IPA), fruity (New England IPA), dry (Brut IPA) and more. It’s a style that brewers love to experiment with, so expect more new variants.

the major beers that are pasteurised, these live beers tend to taint the lines a bit more, so the cleanliness needs to be kept at a constant.”

Becker also highlights the increasing need for refrigeration of craft beers.

“Alot of the beer is now becoming cold supply chain. The kegs need to be treated as if they’re cold, so when they’re received they go into the cold room, rather than sitting around the pub or sitting in the cellar getting hot with all that dispensing equipment. Particularly with hoppy, bitter beers.”

GETTING ECO-FRIENDLY Those ice-encrusted dispense taps come at a cost to the environment too, suggests Hunter, since the glycol technology they rely on calls for large amounts of energy to produce the effect.

“Some customers are creating cladded towers featuring insulation that can

reduce the heat load on the tower by more than 90%,” says Hunter, “leading to some systems’ overall energy consumption reducing by 60% or more.

Merivale has featured these towers at many of their venues including … the Hotel Palisade [and] has a particularly inspired example designed by …

Sibella Court.”

As for key pieces of advice, Hunter says: “Be bold, innovative and create something that really resonates with your venue, but understand the limitations that come with. I highly recommend that venues monitor the period taken to dispense certain draught products and take steps to ensure that the products are dispensed within a three-week period, whether that be removing extremely slow moving products, reducing brand offerings or conducting specials to move the products when it is approaching the end of the recommended deadline.”

14 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

3. Local independence: Beer Cartel’s Australian Craft Beer Survey showed that one-third of Australians were aware of the Independent Brewers Association’s Seal of Independence, which guarantees a brewery is 100% Australian-owned. Of those in the know, 83% said the seal would have a medium to large impact on their purchases. And if you’re selling a beer with an even stronger local connection, so much the better.

BEER & BREWER EDITOR, CHARLIE WHITTING

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COMPLIANCE AND LEGAL

THREE KEY VOICES HIGHLIGHT PROBLEMS AND OFFER SOLUTIONS ISSUES AROUND REGULATIONS AND LICENSING REMAIN. THREE PROMINENT VOICES DISCUSS HOW TO TACKLE THESE HEAD ON, IN THEIR OWN WORDS. AS TOLD TO CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER.

Precincts such as Sydney’s Newtown experience the displacement effect of Sydney’s lockout laws

THE ASSOCIATION VIEW PHILLIP RYAN, National Director – Legal and Industrial Affairs Australian Hotels Association

and safety matters, as well as reputational issues from the perspective of customers and how a venue positions itself as an employer of choice.

Presently there is a heavy focus on employee entitlements from both a regulatory and media perspective across three key areas:

ANNUAL SALARIES/ WORKING HOURS While most employers get this right, the current media and regulatory focus has many employers reviewing their salary arrangements. Key issues to consider here are whether any industrial instrument applies and how the salary mechanism under the instrument operates in relation to hours, roster pattern or cycle and minimum salary thresholds. Salary arrangements in modern awards are currently subject to review by the Fair Work Commission as part of the review of modern awards.

T

here’s no doubt managing the day-today compliance of hospitality venues is a complex operational aspect of what is a highly regulated industry.

Hospitality venues face a range of regulatory and compliance issues. These can include everything from employee entitlements, the engaging of contractors, liquor licensing, food safety and music licensing through to local government development consent conditions.

Leaving aside the legal obligations, compliance can impact businesses financially from prosecutions, penalties or additional payments (for example, overtime and penalty rates in the employment context), work health

VISAS AND OVERSEAS WORKERS What is commonly misunderstood is that this category of worker is subject to dual regulation, namely where employers have to ensure they are compliant with any modern award conditions (e.g. working hours and wages/salary) as well as any visa conditions.

The first port of call should be a VEVO check to ascertain whether a person has work rights, and if so, what limitations or conditions apply. If employing overseas workers, it is recommended venues seek both immigration and employment advice.

CONTRACTORS AND ASSESSORIAL LIABILITY The Fair Work Ombudsman has been active in using the assessorial liability provisions in the Fair Work Act to go after those who are involved in contraventions of workplace laws. This can include in-house managers and external advisors, as well as going up or down the supply chain in contractor arrangements. At the very minimum, when entering into contract arrangements for outsourced labour, venues should ensure the contractor complies with all relevant laws including modern awards, and require evidence from contractors at regular intervals throughout the contract to assess they are compliant, for example, copies of payslips.

16 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

AHA NSW highlights the issues around working hours

COMPLIANCE AND LEGAL

THE REGULATORY VIEW PAUL NEWSON Liquor, Gaming and Racing at NSW Department of Industry

Responsible conduct of gambling a concern for AHA NSW

INTRODUCTION Liquor & Gaming NSW takes an intelligence-led and risk-based approach to setting regulatory priorities. These priorities are developed in the context of NSW Government priorities. We value education and engagement with industry as an important part of influencing compliance behaviours to achieve responsible, safe and vibrant liquor and gaming industries.

We recently held our first Regulatory Roundtable with over 100 stakeholders from industry, police, health bodies and other groups. It was a great opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the liquor and gaming industries.

The following issues are among Liquor & Gaming NSW’s key regulatory priorities for 2018/19.

SYDNEY CBD AND KINGS CROSS LOCKOUT PRECINCTS The lockout and last drinks restrictions on venues in the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross precincts have resulted in sharp falls in alcoholrelated violence since they began in 2014.

Statistics show some increases in violence levels in areas surrounding the lockout zones, while the downward trend in incidents in the Sydney CBD has stabilised. We will target compliance activities in these areas to help continue to make them safer. We value the role played by hotels and other venues in their efforts to curb alcoholrelated violence and other anti-social behaviour.

REGIONAL AREAS, EVENTS AND FESTIVALS NSW has a number of regional areas where the rate of alcohol related non-domestic

assault is high and/or increasing – including Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour and Maitland.

We want to ensure responsible service of alcohol is being effectively practised at higher risk regional events, music festivals and race events. We will join with the NSW Police Force to undertake operational deployments in higher risk regional areas. We will work with regional communities to educate and support the effective implementation of RSA at venues, events and festivals.

RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF GAMBLING Poor adherence to Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) responsibilities can contribute to an increased risk of gambling-related harms.

There have been several recent high profile cases in the media of hotels and clubs engaging in illegal practices such as offering patrons free or discounted alcohol to induce them to play or continue to play gaming machines. It’s vital that management and staff are aware of and practising their RCG responsibilities to help reduce risks of gambling harms. We will target our compliance efforts at operators who disregard RCG practices. We will increase industry supervision and information collection activities including establishing new “speak up” reporting arrangements to capture serious concerns around operator RCG practices. We will target suspected wrongdoing and irresponsible operators with escalating enforcement action.

Our objective is to improve RCG awareness and practices, encourage reports of suspected serious wrongdoing and ensure operators that fail to effectively implement RCG obligations are identified and held accountable.

One focus for Liquor & Gaming NSW is online alcohol delivery

ONLINE AND EXPRESS ALCOHOL DELIVERY The online and express packaged alcohol delivery industry is growing quickly and presents new risks for responsible service of alcohol (RSA) obligations. We will target our compliance efforts on this business model, and particularly on supporting key RSA practices such as: • servers adequately trained and hold RSA competencies • assessing for intoxication and refusing service to intoxicated persons • checking ID and refusing service to minors and preventing secondary supply Our objective is to test how businesses operate within the current laws, reinforce RSA practices and stop irresponsible or illegal businesses from operating.

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER NOVEMBER 2018 | 17

COMPLIANCE AND LEGAL

THE OPERATOR VIEW Education could be key to changing behaviours

CHRIS CHEUNG, Managing Director C!NC

SCHEDULE 4 Effectively we know it as the ‘top 48 most violent venues’. It’s introduced a tiered system that was relative to [the number of] assaults.

Obviously the issue with that is the way it was marketed and the way it damages the brand, but size, sales and population density were not taken into consideration. So effectively it was the death or the squeeze of the larger venues.

Having said that, the top 48 has changed dramatically since its introduction nine years ago now. Hoteliers have responded to that a nd addressed it. At the Coogee Bay Hotel we closed Selina’s, which was a live venue and brought 1,700 people into the venue on the weekends. That’s how we dealt with it – we closed it and got off the top 48 from that perspective.

Solutions? I’d like to see size, sales and population come into consideration. You can’t compare a hotel that has a licence for over 1,000 people to a hotel for one with 200 people. You’ve got to look at the offering.

Rename the scheme if they have to. ‘Violent venue’ has to come out. Venues today are more known for being safe venues than anything else.

Focus on repeat offenders. There are a lot out there causing problems, they just move from one venue to another. You’ve got to look at personal responsibility and how we focus on that.

Many of the solutions touch on the same thing – it’s law and order, education in terms of campaigns that should be undertaken by not only our community leaders but by our associations. I’d compare it with the ‘slip, slop, slap’ cancer campaign in the 1980s. That’s a generational shift, it’s taken a long time to come around but it’s been very effective.

KINGS CROSS AND CBD PLAN OF MANAGEMENT Effectively there are special conditions on precincts. It’s ‘one size fits all, basket it up’. What we have done with the plan of management, is create the haves and the have nots. Over in Darling Harbour you have one side with the lock-outs, and the other side has no lock-outs. Effectively you don’t have parity, you have different playing fields.

My estimation is we have five playing fields in NSW – originally we had NSW. Then we had King’s Cross in 2011, CBD came in 2012 or 2013. We have the Schedule 4 venues – tier ones and twos, who have their own rules. Now we have Barangaroo, that will be exempt from all this. That’s not parity. It’s a very blunt instrument.

Solutions? We need high visibility policing.

Today, the police are not as empowered to undertake their role within the community.

Transport is another issue. King’s Cross is highlighted, but transport ceases at 1am. Let’s look at the CBD, there’s no transport after 1am. Lighting there is good, but in King’s Cross it’s not. You have displacement, where it’s now all happening in Surry Hills and Newtown.

The judicial process is another aspect that needs to be looked at. We’ve just got to say zero tolerance to violence, period. No excuses.

However the judicial process is, I think, more relaxed. We should be focusing on repeat offenders and the processes should follow accordingly on its own merits. Why should all responsible venues be carrying the burden of community and social issues? Education is a big one for me. It’s about better campaigns, to educate the community at large.

I want an even playing field. Why should the casino be exempt? And they’re exempt to

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all the legislation we at the Coogee Bay Hotel are subject to. Another solution is established standards, training and qualifications, which they’re doing – the RSA RCG are a good start.

I don’t think there’s any easy fix, but… after 10 years, Macquarie Street are starting to see that the cost is greater than they thought. We’re talking about employment, now it’s hurting Sydney as a global city. They’re now feeling what we’ve had imposed on us. Government has imposed on market forces and it hasn’t worked – it never works.

There’s been talk of the lockout laws ending by the end of the year, but I don’t see that happening. I think it would be a brave government. I would like to think any government that gets elected next year will see sense, not play politics, but find the right balance in the legislation and regulations to license venues.

REMOVAL OF INTOXICATED PATRONS FROM LICENSED VENUES The law tells us that once you’re intoxicated, license managers have to ask you to move on. I personally believe this creates flashpoints. Most people are still unaware of the law and I call it throwing the lambs to the wolves. We are safe venues – we have the lighting, security, facilities, amenities and resources to manage this. The law should change to allow venues to manage intox on premise, to allow patrons to have choices – to leave venues or move into an area of supervision.

Unfortunately the law says ‘we have to move you on, we have to throw you out on the street’.

What do they do? They loiter and you can visualise what happens next. They try to get into the next venue and it causes more problems.

Sign up at For the latest pub news, subscribe to the Australian Hotelier e-newsletter at:

www.theshout.com.au/ australian-hotelier

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

PUB DINING AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Foodservice Inspiration For Your Pub

THREE TIERS OF CHANGE HOW WOMEN ARE SHAKING UP FOODSERVICE

PUB PIZZA PROGRESSES

WHY THE WOOD-FIRED PIZZA CRAZE IS HERE TO STAY

PIZZA TIME

S A Z Z I WHY P LL ON I T S E AR

FIRE

W

ith the rise of ‘Russian doll’ pubs, where the venue houses a distinct restaurant inside, whether the Chinese-infused Gweilo at The Evening Star in Surry Hills, or the chicken-fest that is The Coop at The Flying Cock in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, there’s plenty of innovation in hotel foodservice.

With specialised menus and distinct food offerings, venues are hoping their short, sharp and focused approach will help them carve out a clientele keen to return. Enter the wood-fired pizza brigade, where the low cost of ingredients, rapid turnaround time and endless personalisation and adaptions so popular with millennials earn the dish triple bonus points.

But there are those questioning how long Australians can continue topping up on pizza. Emanuele Piano, or Manu to his friends, the Sardinian-born Italian head chef of Public House Petersham in Sydney, isn’t one of them.

“Pizza is probably the easiest, most delicious and most versatile meal you can get on your plate. It’s a sensational form of art,” says Manu. “You can combine old-school techniques, ancient cooking techniques like a woodfired oven, but with brand new equipment that prepares the ingredients.”

It’s easy to understand Manu’s enthusiasm when you realise the pub’s kitchen and dining room were built around the wood-fired oven back in 2016. His dough is house-made and takes 48 hours to rise in a cold fermentation.

“It’s cold to slow down the activity of the yeast and allow it to better develop the consistency of the dough. What you get is a lighter, more fragrant, more digestible dough,” says Manu.

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Emanuele Piano, Head chef, Public House Petersham

MARGINS ARE HIGH AND SERVICE IS FAST. CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER MEETS PIZZA MAESTRO EMANUELE PIANO OF PUBLIC HOUSE PETERSHAM TO DISCOVER WHY PIZZA’S POPULARITY CONTINUES TO RISE.

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PIZZA TIME

MANU’S THREE SECRETS TO GREAT PIZZA 1. TAKE CARE IN EVERY STEP From when you make the dough to taking care of your oven, everything is important. And remember there’s no pizza recipe that lasts through all the seasons, you need to adapt and follow a method for each one.

2. KEEP EXPERIMENTING This is the best way to get better and better, and you’ll never stop learning. I started with what I was told was a pizza, then I started reading books, listening to other people. You change the yeast, the flour, the temperature of the water, if you let it rise outside or inside.

3. ASK YOURSELF, ‘WHAT’S PIZZA MEAN TO ME?’ First, it’s got to look great, crispy but not too crunchy and light when I bite it. From there you can find your signature.

Meanwhile the soy ricotta cheese for the vegan pizza is also house-made.

“For me, pizza is artisan, it’s a craft,” says Manu. “It can’t be made on an industrial scale or in a factory. To make a pizza, you need a pizza chef.”

That’s why Manu uses a stone-milled coarse flour, rather than a metal mill.

“Stone-milled keeps the grains intact and it holds in lots of vitamins and minerals that you’d lose if it were a regular mill,” he says.

“Nowadays there is too much of a focus on what is going to be the topping of the pizza, but a pizza should always start with the dough.”

Manu believes having a wood-fired oven offers more taste than a regular oven and it also helps to shoot out pizzas very quickly. Once prepped, pizzas take about two or three minutes in the wood-fired oven before they’re ready. Manu denies the suggestion pizza is a passing trend.

“Pizza, as a whole, is timeless,” he says. “It’s a dish that’s always evolving and it’s a dish that is always having its boundaries pushed.

Mine are prepared and created with techniques that span over three generations of my family.”

So how best to showcase your own pizza offering? Pairing ingredients with natural and Italian wines, along with unique beers is a good place to start, says Manu. But it’s also about finding and tailoring the right offers to the right groups and people. Groups that will share them will want to share a drink too; jugs of beer or bottles of wine. Other upselling tactics such as ‘sensationalising’ pizzas are tricky if you’re also pitching your offering as authentic Italian pizza. “It would undervalue our pizzas when people already see and taste the quality in them,” says Manu.

If you have real pizzas with a real story, show your customer, insists Manu. Every Friday night, Manu has an audience of around 15: kids, mums and dads crowded around the open-style pizza kitchen watching on as he tosses and kneads the dough, places the toppings and inserts and pulls the pizzas from the oven. “It really is a spectacle, and it makes people understand that you are giving them a real culinary experience,” he says.

With so many foodservice offerings vying for customers’ attention, experience and quality really are everything.

24 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

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WOMEN IN FOODSERVICE

THREE TIERS OF CHANGE FROM ASSOCIATIONS TO LICENSEES AND HEAD CHEFS, PROMINENT WOMEN ARE TAKING GREAT LEAPS IN THE INDUSTRY, AND TAKING THE SECTOR WITH THEM. CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER MEETS THREE OF THE MANY INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN FOODSERVICE TO DISCOVER HOW CHANGE IS MADE.

B

elinda Clarke is General Manager and Licensee of the Terminus in Pyrmont, Sydney. With Clarke personally nominated for Publican of The Year at this year’s ALIA awards and the Terminus itself nominated for Best New Venue or Concept, clearly the team there are doing many things well. Go up yet another level in the hierarchy and you will discover Terminus is operated as one of three in the group by Jane Hyland and her husband, along with the Banksia Hotel and the Macquarie Hotel.

Hyland is also a founding member of Women In Hospitality (WOHO), alongside Julia Campbell who founded WOHO in 2016 as a way to champion women in the industry and give them a portal to explore ideas, share information and provide access to education and mentoring initiatives.

WOHO is “an organisation for females and industry supporters from all facets,” says a spokesperson for the group, who continued: “[We] recognise that pubs are a large part

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of that as well as a place where there is a big gender gap. We do all we can to attract females in pubs and industry supporters to the organisation to help recruit and retain more women in that sector.”

VIRTUOUS CIRCLE Knowing that WOHO is also supported by Solotel, with one of the industry’s leading women, Justine Baker, as CEO, and it becomes clear there are women at every level working both as individuals and collaborating to drive the industry forward. The result is a virtuous circle from the pub floor, to the kitchen, to the owners, to the association and back to the floor again, since WOHO have launched a number of events within pubs they’re associated with.

“I had the bug for hospitality and wanted to work for the best so I packed my bags and went to London,” says Clarke of her first big break.

“I wanted to work for Gordon Ramsay so as soon as I got off the plane I went and knocked on the door of his Chelsea restaurant and asked

Belinda Clarke, General Manager and Licensee of the Terminus in Pyrmont, Sydney

WOMEN IN FOODSERVICE

NAME: Tatiana ‘Tat’ Brown POSITION: Head Chef, The Erko, Erskineville GREW UP: North coast of NSW in Grafton, so bit of a country girl at heart. e n, H Brow Tatiana

BIG BREAK: Apprenticeship at the NSW Art Gallery then Pendalino.

Absolutely fell in love with Italian cuisine and have had my hands in pasta/pizza dough since!

C ad

f he

SINCE THEN: Two years in London and at Th Bath with the fantastic Soho Group. Really eE rko got into local community-sourced produce , Er kskin eville and utilising house farms. Adored picking my own onions, chard, beets – everything!

Then two years in Canada working snow hills and lodges, a heli-ski lodge and my favourite, Terrafina Restaurant at Hester Creek Winery.

Tuscan food with the vineyards right in front of you.

All up a fantastic experience with lots of learning and now my first pub/hotel experience with the Erko, which I am absolutely loving. Love the team, area and community. Never felt so welcome, so thank you.

The Erko, Erskineville

him for a job. He told me to go and buy a navy suit with court shoes and be back at 8am.”

Showing the drive and energy required to succeed in this business, particularly with big beasts such as Ramsay dominating the high-end, Clarke reflects: “Since then my passion for the industry has grown. Every opportunity I embraced with gratitude and through that I feel there has been no ceiling on what can be achieved.”

Now responsible for all operational, HR, compliance and administration for Terminus and a staff of 25 in the kitchen, tram bar, Vera’s Cocktail lounge and the accommodation, “I’m also the one you call at 3am when you lock yourself out of your room!” says Brown.

RESTORING COMMUNITY Despite the struggles, Clarke remains positive about the highs. “We were given an opportunity to restore one of Sydney’s oldest and [most] iconic pubs. Pyrmont has a strong local community that the Terminus works hard at supporting. I have really enjoyed meeting the locals, hearing about their day, learning about the area and feeling connected to the community.”

“The Terminus has the feeling of an old soul, it’s warm, genuine, unpretentious and humble,” says Clarke. “It’s really important to have staff on the same page and understand the history of the pub, the locals’ names and what they like to eat, drink and their favourite seat. This helps create a really comfortable environment for them to relax and enjoy.”

Speaking about the advantageous approach women can bring to the pub trade, Clarke says: “I think woman bring a different approach and perspective to the hospitality industry, which I think is needed now more than ever.”

While Clarke says a number of opportunities are certainly opening up for females in the industry, there’s more that can and should be done, she says. “Realistically we should all have our eyes open and let me tell you from first-hand experience it’s not easy juggling family life with pub life and that’s a hurdle that I think many females come across in all industries.”

PROGRESSIVE TIMES Dining room at Terminus, Pyrmont

But for a sign of the progress already made, consider up-and-coming female chefs such as Tatiana ‘Tat’ Brown, Head Chef at The Erko, Sydney, who’s just reinvigorated the hotel’s food menu. Given The Erko’s

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER NOVEMBER 2018 | 27

WOMEN IN FOODSERVICE

two previous Time Out awards in 2015 and 2017 for Best Pub Food, the bar was already set very high.

“Our menu showcases our eclectic and casual Erko feel,” says Brown, “and the fun the kitchen can have with a smoker in the backyard. I would say theme-wise it’s based on something for everyone with an Inner Westie approach.”

“I have travelled while doing what I love, so I would say my style is more rustic. Not too fancy! But what I aim for in a dish is the perfect mouthful.”

Describing her signature style, Brown says: “our menu is approachable and encompassing. We have the regular chicken wings, burger and fries but splurge a bit with our changing smoker board and the smoked pumpkin tortilla.”

Terminus, Pyrmont

FEMALE HEAD CHEFS Does she believe foodservice needs more female head chefs?

“Definitely,” says Brown. “You can’t dream what you can’t see and we need more diversity all round, including the kitchen. I think having more female chefs brings a balance to the kitchen scene. I think female chefs can be more open to collaboration. I think we bring a more rounded view of our clients’ wants and perspective.”

“I don’t think diners could guess it was a female chef behind the menu,” ponders Brown, “and I wouldn’t want it to be. It takes hard work from the entire team and experience to get food out consistently well and that’s all I would like the guests to experience and come back for,” she says.

Her reverence for the role of women was perhaps formed at a young age.

“My grandmother ran a guesthouse for 20 years,” says Brown, “and was a huge influence on me while growing up. We always ate dinner at the table so cooking was a huge part of family life.”

Brown continues to be inspired by women, with Lisa Margan from Margan winery a particular inspiration. “I love her food and philosophy,” says Brown and “totally appreciate food-to-fork [eating] and local engagement.”

There is more that can still be done, Brown says. “As more females are associated in leadership roles I believe a more female-friendly wine and cocktail list, menu and a safe environment will attract more females to not only work but support such ventures.” Brown is doing what she can in her own work, ably assisted by her team, those like Brown elsewhere, all underpinned by networking organisations such as WOHO.

28 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

The Erko, Erskineville

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NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

ALCOHOL-FREE FOR PROFITABILITY

NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS NEARLY 30% OF THE YOUNG ARE TEETOTAL. CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER DISCOVERS HOW THE MASSIVE GROWTH IN DEMAND FOR NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS CAN BE EMBRACED BY HOTELS.

A

new report just released in the UK shows the proportion of 16-24-yearolds there who do not drink alcohol has increased from 18 per cent in 2005 to 29 per cent in 2015. The number of teenagers and young people shunning alcohol entirely has almost doubled in a decade, the same research shows.

While it’s unhelpful to directly compare the two markets, anecdotal evidence from Australia certainly supports suspicions that similar shifts in attitudes to alcohol are taking place here too.

“We’re seeing sales of non-alcoholic packaged drinks in the convenience sector shoot up in recent years,” says Lucy Marrett, editor of Convenience & Impulse Retailing Magazine, also published by Australian Hotelier’s publisher Intermedia.

“This reflects a wider cultural shift towards healthier eating and drinking and it’s something I would expect to carry over into other purchase decision-making – including on-premise venues like pubs and hotels,” says Marrett.

The study by University College London sourced figures from the annual Health Survey

for England and reveals figures showing the proportion of “lifetime abstainers” rose from 9 per cent in 2005 to 17 per cent a decade later.

Researchers said teetotalism was becoming increasingly “mainstream” among younger generations, where drunkenness was deemed less acceptable.

Dr Linda Ng Fat, lead author of the study, said: “The increase in young people who choose not to drink alcohol suggests that this behaviour may be becoming more acceptable, whereas risky behaviours such as binge drinking may be becoming less normalised.”

KOMBUCHA FIZZING “I think it’s really hard to directly compare Australian social culture with other places in the world,” says Jessie Morris of MOJO kombucha, “but definitely it is part of the wider move towards kombucha as another social drinking option.”

Morris’ viewpoint matters since the kombucha brand she represents was bought by global beverage giant Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) in September for an undisclosed sum. At

32 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

the time Coca-Cola Australia president Vamsi Mohan said: “Kombucha is one of the fastest-growing categories in the soft drink business in Australia and MOJO – which was crafted, created and nurtured by Anthony for all these years – is one of the leading brands.”

Referring to MOJO’s director of sales and marketing Anthony Buttery, both CCA and Buttery clearly see the huge growth potential for non-alcoholic beverages in the on-premise, with CCA staking money on its growth, and Buttery staking his reputation on it.

“From the perspective of the hospitality sector, it’s an untapped market, so I do see some genuine opportunities for it in the future,” says Buttery. Right now MOJO and CCA are working together trialling on-premise distribution in South Australia. That research project is scheduled to complete in January, after which Buttery confirmed to Australian Hotelier that the brand will be looking to roll out nationally to the on-premise.

Morris is clear how changing consumption habits are affecting beverage choices.

NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

MOJO kombucha moving into on-premise retail after Cocal-Cola Amatil purchase

“Anecdotally we hear from a lot of people that they’re looking for an alcohol-free beverage,” continues Morris, “particularly in a social context. Increasingly that’s coming from a younger audience. Some of our sponsorships and partnerships across events, that’s certainly coming through. They’ll go back and survey guests from those events, such as Laneway Festival [in Melbourne] and increasingly year-on-year they’re seeing a larger proportion of ticketholders identifying as completely alcohol-free or looking for alcohol-free options in a festival setting.”

Bear in mind that fermented drinks such as kombucha and ginger beer can retain up to 0.5%ABV as a result of the fermentation process and still legally be described as non-alcoholic.

While this won’t be an issue for many, those with religious or cultural beliefs ought to be made aware of the presence of alcohol.

But while avoidance of alcohol for religious, social or other reasons are combining to drive the growth in alternative drinks, there are those who believe there is a market-wide drive towards making healthier choices.

SOFT CREATIVITY “It’s something we’re seeing a lot of in here nowadays,” says Ben Kealley, venue manager at The National Hotel in Freemantle, WA. “People want something more interesting than just an orange juice or a soda water if they’re not drinking or want a break between drinks.

We’re also noticing people want less sugar in their drinks across the board.”

“We’ve had to add a few creative non-alcoholic drinks to our list,” says Kealley, “to help people

34 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

decide as they often just don’t know what to go for when they’re not drinking.”

What’s clear is that many are opting for a lemon, lime and bitters (‘LLB’) drink, with Angostura suggesting there are over 100 million serves of Lemon, Lime and Bitters consumed in Australia every year.

Meanwhile feedback from the front bar is now filtering back to the brands themselves, with Tanya Mah, Angostura brand manager saying: “We’re more health-conscious today than we’ve ever been, and so people want low sugar, low cal and low alcohol options… drinkers now want more better-for-you choices when they go out.

“People already put their own twist on the LLB by swapping out the lemonade for soda and using fresh lime instead of cordial, but bars want more non-alcoholic variations to offer their customers.

“As a result, we’ve developed a range of nonalcoholic Angostura signature serves that bars can use and adapt and pub owners across the country tell us their customers are embracing these healthier drink options. Which is great news for venues as this style of drink delivers healthy profit margins,” says Mah.

EVOLVING MIXERS MOJO’s Buttery also sees opportunities beyond swapping out non-alcohol drinks, highlighting the use of healthier, alternative drinks as mixers. “[Patrons] haven’t necessarily thought of kombucha in the mixing space and what the benefits of using it are as an alternative mixer,” says Buttery. “We’ve got to lead the trend here because people are looking for low sugar, healthier drinks.”

“The increase in young people who choose not to drink alcohol suggests that this behaviour may be becoming more acceptable, whereas risky behaviours such as binge drinking may be becoming less normalised.”

– Dr Linda Ng Fat

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$4.95 inc GST $2.25 per unit + GST $54.00 per carton + GST

SPECIFICATIONS 250ml x 4 Pack 250ml x 24 Carton 128 Cartons per pallet

1800 KANGURU KANGURUENERGY.COM.AU

N

EW

NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

Kegstar’s business manager Nick Becker confirmed to Australian Hotelier he’s seeing a lot of on-premise enquiries for kegs beyond the craft beer movement, some of it driven by the rise of kombucha.

“We’re seeing spirits and kombucha starting to have more impact in draught,” says Becker. “Not necessarily in pubs, but in kegs.”

GETTING ON WITH DRAUGHT

Food and drink matching with soft drinks

ANGOSTURA GINGER BEER, LIME & BITTERS RECIPE • 150ml ginger beer • 15ml fresh lime Juice • 5 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters Glass: Highball Method: Add ginger beer and lime juice to ice-filled highball glass and top with bitters. Garnish: squeeze a lime wedge into the drink.

Energy drinks continue to evolve offering

36 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Over at MOJO headquarters in Adelaide, Buttery is equally enthusiastic about new dispense methods.

“We’re definitely looking at draught in kegs and in bottles,” he says. “[CCA] definitely see opportunities for draught and will be identifying the right locations for draught, it won’t be everywhere. 330ml bottles will be the primary source of delivering the product.”

Wherever there is demand, there will be intense competition for supply, and MOJO will have its work cut out for it against other brands keen to supply. One of those is Amplify Kombucha.

“Health and wellness have had a significant positive impact on the food and beverages industry in recent years,” says Emmeline Purcell, marketing manager with Amplify Kombucha.

“Consumers are more educated about health and wellness than ever before. They want more energy, less sugar and ever-greater functionality – and they are increasingly attaching importance to products that do so through what are seen as traditional, natural qualities.”

The same shifts in consumer attitudes towards naturally-derived drinks appears to have extended into the energy drinks space too.

“Consumers are also looking for drinks with low or no sugar, more natural ingredients and ingredients that actually provide a benefit to them,” says Kate Dalwood, chief marketing officer of Kanguru energy drinks. “The rise of premium gin seen through small distillers sourcing a range of botanicals shows that these trends also extend into licensed channels.”

For their part, Kanguru’s recipe includes five natural botanicals – Korean red ginseng, yerba mate, guarana, schisandra and green tea, along with complex B vitamins, taurine, caffeine and natural flavours. More than 90 per cent of the caffeine is derived naturally through the botanical ingredients, they say.

Whether it’s botanical-focused energy drinks or fermented kombucha with its probiotic properties, or next-generation mixer suppliers with a healthier angle, the innovation in non-alcoholic beverages in on-premise to meet increasing consumer demand is here to stay.

Discover the full range of food and beverage products

from Food & Beverage Media.

Hotelier AUSTRALIAN

AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL HOTEL INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

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NO.745 JULY 2018

vol. 35 no. 8 - SEPTEMBER 2018

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WHY LOW-ALCOHOL DRINKS COULD BE YOUR TICKET TO ATTRACTING MORE CUSTOMERS

BELVEDERE

Native connection A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DAVIDSON PLUM

Matt Pomeroy on terroir, rye and the way forward for vodka

Romance is dead

HOW THE TRUFFLE WENT FROM ADORED TO OVERUSED

WINTER COCKTAILS

Sugar rush

Keep your customers warm and merry

RUM

Ian Burrell on spiced rum as an entry-point

FLAIR GURU

The man behind Tom Cruise’s moves in Cocktail

PLUS: THE RETURN OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD BAR – JAMES IRVINE IN MEXICO – AUSTRALIAN SPIRITS

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THE TOP 5 DESSERT TRENDS EVERY OPERATOR NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT

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DESIGN AND BUILD

The Greenwood Hotel's main Chapel Bar area New cocktail arrival, Roll Can

FORMER SCHOOL RECEIVES MAKEOVER LESSON Chargrilled Tasmanian salmon

38 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

DESIGN AND BUILD FOCUS ON FOODSERVICE Given the impressive canvas Tilley & Wills were working with, they had two years of ownership to better understand the way the venue operated before getting stuck into transforming the space.

“Our food and beverage have come on leaps and bounds in the last year or two,” says Wills, “so we’ve extended the kitchen and given that a little more scope to be more creative with our menu. That’s important because it helps reinforce our food credentials.”

This was achieved by moving the kitchen’s wash-up area out of the main kitchen space, while keeping the bones of the kitchen in place.

There have been clear benefits – and reasons – for doing so.

“It gives a greater area for plating up and taken the messy factor out of the primary kitchen,” says Wills, “so we’re more efficient.” The need for efficiency is understandable given Friday afternoons see the kitchen turning out 600 meals in a 90-minute period. But beyond efficiency, there are also clear benefits to team morale.

“It’s the same as the saying ‘happy wife, happy life’,” says Wills. “If you’ve got a happy chef that makes everyone’s lives a bit more enjoyable.”

When the group’s chef is ex-AHA and AHA NSW chef of the year Brad Sloane overseeing the kitchen, clearly there’s an added incentive to ensure everything is working well in that space. But operationally Wills believes foodservice is crucial in providing the hotel with a unique point of difference.

“A lot of hotels have been renovated,” he says. “A lot of hotels present themselves well. A real way we can provide a competitive difference is through our food offering and our food connections.”

TILLEY & WILLS’ GREENWOOD HOTEL IN NORTH SYDNEY HAS A LONG HISTORY AS A FORMER SCHOOL AND CHAPEL. 26 YEARS AFTER WORKING THE BAR THERE, OWNER NICK WILLS REVEALS TO CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER HOW HIS DESIGN TEAM HAVE TAUGHT THE VENUE A LESSON IN STYLE AND EFFICIENCY.

T

he Greenwood Hotel in North Sydney is nothing less than a local icon. Built in 1878, it has a far longer history educating the masses than entertaining them. First used as a school and later a church, it wasn’t converted to a drinking hotel until 1992.

But with its striking pitched roof, vibrant sandstone brickwork and extensive heritage-listed detailing, it fits the bill perfectly as a hospitality venue. One half of Tilley & Wills – the duo behind Sydney’s Verandah – Nick Wills stresses the value heritage brings is far greater than any restrictions that result.

“The heritage factors were some of the hardest elements,” he says.

“We couldn’t touch the fabric of the building, but we really don’t want to. The challenge was to ensure people noticed the changes but you didn’t detract from the hero piece, which is that beautiful sandstone building.”

SJB Interiors’ designer Brooke Perry was tasked with making the most of this fabulous backdrop. The brief was clear.

“We were asked to respect the heritage of the building while creating a space that was suitable for groups and for a variety of functions and events,” says Perry.

This was achieved by using the existing architecture of the building to build on the textures and add colour to the spaces. “We found ways to complement the sandstone colour and make it pop with greenery and planting,” she says.

“We’ve created a different look and feel, a bit of a garden oasis,” agrees Tilley. “We’ve spent a lot of money on planting and landscape.”

“The architecture of the building is beautiful local sandstone and classic high, timber ceilings,” says Perry. “The design features throughout are intended to accentuate these features rather than detract from the existing architecture.”

TAKING THE PARTY INSIDE Tilley & Wills were also keen to address a key operational issue with the venue. “The hotel was always about the beer garden and the external areas,” admits Wills. “What’s really been lacking is internal space.”The outside has also been rethought, to maximise its potential.

“The external awnings are being replaced and we have introduced new umbrellas to the Northern courtyard,” says Perry, “to enable the outdoor space to be used right throughout the year. The furniture is also key – the outdoor furniture is all lightweight and stackable so the furniture can be moved around easily to accommodate different events and seasonality.”

Inside, the main pub occupies the central space, with two major halls running either side of it. While ‘The Chapel’ on one side remains the main bar – “that everyone loves and adores” says Wills – on the other side, they’ve achieved a new lounge bar.

This space was created by moving the gaming area into the old cocktail bar. “[Doing so] allows in a lot more natural light and it’s become a real feature,” says Wills.

“Opening up the space and reinstating the natural light has really drawn people into the space,” agrees Perry. “The banquet seating in the corner has been a success, it’s a great space for a casual drink.”

In the Chapel bar, Perry has used ‘Smeraldo’ Stone by Artedomus, “It’s a really calm and interesting material, which sits beautifully against the sandstone,” she says.

Over in the lounge bar, Perry has run with timber panelling and a mirror to reflect the light and accentuate the existing sandstone.

“The materials were kept quite restrained as we are introducing some interesting light features in the space and we wanted these to be the main focus,” says Perry.

“That space we’ve opened up in the lounge is for both drinking and dining,” says Wills. “During the day it’s a lot more dining space and in the evenings it turns into drinking.

“That will help take the seasonality out of the business, and help drive demand inside and add another dimension to the business.

“I’m really proud of the lounge. I worked at the pub 26 years ago when I was at university and that lounge area, which was originally the restaurant area. The subsequent owners cut it up and put a gaming room in there, which was detrimental for two reasons. Firstly it inhibited the

AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER NOVEMBER 2018 | 39

DESIGN AND BUILD

“We’re very cognisant that for every dollar you spend on site, you need to see a return – and we’ll get that return on investment,” predicts Nick Wills, one-half of operator Tilley & Wills

Courtyard area flow of that venue around that western corridor and it also blocked natural light in that part of the building. We’ve now got that back. There’s a new bar in that area that’s much more functional. There’s a door leading out to the garden bar, which is now operating for the first time ever.”

TACKLING TOILETS While it’s not always front-of-mind for operators, Nick Wills had a clear vision when tackling the toilet renovations.

“Fundamentally the toilets hadn’t been done in 25 years and I believe the condition of the toilets reflect the condition and quality of the operator,” he says.

“That’s something we’ve been very keen to do for as long as we’ve had the hotel. We’ve now done that, which is great.”

“We wanted the bathrooms to be quite fun,” says Perry, “so we used pink tiles and grey terrazzo on the floors and will include styling to add some real personality to these areas.”

GARDEN OASIS “The landscape designer ‘The Plant Room’ are working with a custom steel fabricator to make some great lighting features for the walls and for the lighting in the Lounge Bar,” says Perry. “Nick commissioned a great company in Melbourne called Loose Leaf to create a sculptural piece in the Chapel bar.”

“We’ve got a really amazing loose leaf feature in the Chapel,” agrees Wills, “which has been made from dried leaves. They’ve come from Indonesia and there’s a lovely dramatic feel to it that’s really enhanced the building and takes you on a journey.”

Balancing the inside-outside flow, ensuring the kitchen functions efficiently, giving the right impression from front of house to the bathrooms while blending heritage with modernity means the Greenwood Hotel is both a welcoming space for customers but also a sound business proposition.

40 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER

Gweilo.

Dystopia becomes utopian. Gweilo at the Evening Star has been transformed by Paul Kelly Design into a vision for the future.

CALENDAR

SPORTS FIXTURES NOVEMBER SEES THE SENSATIONAL TRANSITION INTO SUMMER SPORTS – HERE ARE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE MONTH AHEAD.

CRICKET

UFC

The short form of the game comes to the fore with the T20 series against India and South Africa for the Baggy Greens, all with ideal evening starts.

When: v South Africa, 17 November; v India, 21 November; 23 November; and 25 November, all at 7pm.

Channel: Fox Cricket.

Heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder and former world champion Tyson Fury face off in a massive showdown during a Sunday lunchtime.

When: 2 December, 11am.

Channel: Main Event.

A-LEAGUE

NBA

The first Big Blue of 2018/19 will be unmissable viewing between Victory and Sydney FC. When: Western Sydney v Brisbane, 10 November, 5:35pm.

Adelaide v Perth, 11 November, 5pm. 25 November, Sydney FC v Melb Victory, 5pm and Perth v Central Coast, 7pm.

Adelaide v Brisbane, 30 November, 7:50pm.

Channel: Fox Sports.

The tallest teams in sport keep dishing up those perfect lunchtime starts from across the pond in a schedule of at least five live games every week during the regular season.

When: Lakers v Cavaliers, 22 November, 12:15pm. Knicks v 76ers, 29 November, 11am.

Channel: ESPN and ESPN2.

NEXT MONTH

December sees the cricket season in full swing, with the Domain test series against India, the Rebel Women’s Big Bash League and the KFC Big Bash League.

When: Test series v India 6-10 December, 11am; 14-18 December, 1pm; 26-30 December, 10:30am. Women’s BBL has live games in December; and men’s BBL every game live.

Channel: Fox Cricket. *All times are AEST

42 | NOVEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER