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Pubs

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James Cottam

This article profiles three successful bar and pub owners in Australia and discusses their experiences opening and running their businesses. It describes how Kieran Ryan and his friends opened Scratch Bar in Brisbane by recognizing the growing craft beer movement. It outlines how Tom Walker strategically acquired and redeveloped undervalued properties in Melbourne. And it shares how Justin Hemmes designs unique experiences around talented chefs and staff at his Sydney venues. All three emphasize the importance of finding the right location and providing a strong overall experience beyond just food and drinks.

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Ever wanted to own your own pub or bar? We spoke to three of the countrys coolest bar owners to find out how its done W O R D S JA M ES COT TAM 82 Jetstar.com ASK THE OWNER Insight A U S T R A L I A
Its one of the great Aussie dreams to have your own pub. To be master (or mistress) of your own watering hole, choosing your own crew and brew. It might sound great; beer at the twitch of a tap, all your friends hanging with you. Yet, no matter how you look at it, its going to be hard slog. So, whats it really like? What makes a great pub pump, and how do you keep the dream alive? For Kieran Ryan, co-founder of Scratch Bar in Brisbane, his journey started three years ago with a couple of mates, a love of craft beer and spotting a trend. It was just three old mates chatting about old dreams, says Kieran. We could see there was a new craft beer movement and Brisbanes small bar licences were starting it all just fell into place. We chose Milton as the location, in the shadow of the XXXX Brewery, because we knew the area had potential and we just took the bull by the horns. Whether youre running a pub empire or sole trading, potential and location are paramount. Tom Jetstar.com 83 SO C R A F T Y Scratch Bar owners Kieran (left) and Ben love Brisbanes craft beer movement
84 Jetstar.com Walker, Director of the Melbourne Pub Group, started out with Richmonds Great Britain Hotel back in 1984. Richmond was run down and the entry point was low, he says. You could already see the changes happen, gentrification was on the way. Its a tactic Tom has stuck with. The Melbourne Pub Group has stepped in (and sometimes out) of a number of venues including The Albert Park, Middle Park Hotel and Newmarket Hotel. Most recently they have been engaged in a slow makeover of St Kildas landmark Prince of Wales Hotel. Location and presence are most important, Tom says, Your building must be iconic and embrace the street. Find the under-utilised and remarket it. Justin Hemmes, helmsman of the Sydney Merivale Group, would agree thats good advice. One of the biggest changes in the industry is the patrons I love property, he says. Each site must have some magic about it. Though I cant tell you the magic, its a gut feeling. Merivales flagship offerings include Establishment, Ivy and Slip Inn. Most recently working over the magnificent Coogee Pavilion, they have plans for the beachside Newport Arms and the Queen Victoria Hotel in inner-city Enmore. A common trait for both Tom and Justin is multiple offerings for both food and drinks in the one designer location. Its a customer-driven practice with one of the biggest changes in the industry being the patrons themselves. The market has basically turned on its head, says Justin. Traditionally, 18 years ago when we started, pubs were pubs. Beverage was an element separate from food, from dancing, from entertainment and from design. Theyre no longer exclusive and a modern operator has to bring them all together. Tom has a similar outlook: The customers have changed and its about a strong experience. Its not just food and drink, its the whole package and if its thin they will see right through it. Toms Melbourne Pub Group took inspiration from the London-based, gastronomic-pub movement. The model proved a roaring success with patrons flocking back to redesigned venues, to try new food and drinks foreign to a traditional pub view. For Tom, its always about a strong point of difference. Some venues are party-based, B A R B A RON Tom Walker owns many popular bars, restaurants and hotels around Melbourne Insight A U S T R A L I A
86 Jetstar.com some fine dining, some sport-focused. It costs millions [to run a company like ours]soyouneedastrongbusinessplan. Operating on a far smaller scale, Scratch Bars founders followed a similar philosophy but threw plans to the wind. We had no model, we just had to stay true to our idea, says Kieran. The idea was to provide as many different craft beers as possible, a unique experience in Brisbane at the time. Justin, on the other hand, designs around his staff. Take, for example, what he famously did with Chef Dan Hong and the Mr Wongs restaurant at Establishment. The bustling, Hong Kong-style eatery quickly became a mainstay on the Sydney scene. Its not all beer and skittles, though. Justin in particular can recall a couple of scary moments. One of the first bars I did was the Slip Inn, he says. I spent a year getting it up on a shoestring budget in the dead end of town. We had 20 people on the first Friday and 22 on the next Friday. The next Friday we were filled to capacity and had a queue of 500 outside. Hell also admit to a few doubts about their newest success, the Coogee Pavilion. I was all excited, he says of a walk he took just weeks before opening. Then I realised Coogee was empty. I was petrified, but then we opened and it was the most amazing seven days. Kierans biggest shock was almost being sunk by success. We had queues down the road, he says. We didnt have sufficient cold storage and had to locate an off-site cool room quickly. Making mistakes is great for learning but getting it right is better. At the end of the day its about doing what you love. For Kieran, its the beer, the independence, the dream of your own thing and doing it yourself. Tom says: its dynamic, youre your own boss and the challenges will keep you going. But you have to love the challenges or it will eat you. As for Justin, he says its about the people: My job is to put a smile on the customers face. BRISBANE 8/1 Park Rd, Milton, Qld. Scratch Bar has one rule: No pretension. It serves craft and specialty beers in cans, bottles and on tap, as well as craft ciders, wine and spirits. Open Mon-Sun, 12pm-12am; scratchbar.com SYDNEY Merivale has bar, restaurant and hotel venues all around town, including the Ivy, Establishment, Hotel CBD, Coogee Pavilion, The Beresford, El Loco and Wynyard Hotel. Check them out at merivale.com.au MELBOURNE The Melbourne Pub Group also has bar, restaurant and hotel venues around town, including The Princes many venues, the Middle Park Hotel and the Newmarket Hotel. Check them out at melbournepubgroup.com.au Its not just food and drink, its the whole package TRY IT YOURSELF IN T HE C LUB Finding the right premises, like the Coogee Pavilion, is a gut feeling says Justin Hemmes Travel info Jetstar has great low fares to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Visit jetstar.com to book Insight A U S T R A L I A

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  • 1. Ever wanted to own your own pub or bar? We spoke to three of the countrys coolest bar owners to find out how its done W O R D S JA M ES COT TAM 82 Jetstar.com ASK THE OWNER Insight A U S T R A L I A
  • 2. Its one of the great Aussie dreams to have your own pub. To be master (or mistress) of your own watering hole, choosing your own crew and brew. It might sound great; beer at the twitch of a tap, all your friends hanging with you. Yet, no matter how you look at it, its going to be hard slog. So, whats it really like? What makes a great pub pump, and how do you keep the dream alive? For Kieran Ryan, co-founder of Scratch Bar in Brisbane, his journey started three years ago with a couple of mates, a love of craft beer and spotting a trend. It was just three old mates chatting about old dreams, says Kieran. We could see there was a new craft beer movement and Brisbanes small bar licences were starting it all just fell into place. We chose Milton as the location, in the shadow of the XXXX Brewery, because we knew the area had potential and we just took the bull by the horns. Whether youre running a pub empire or sole trading, potential and location are paramount. Tom Jetstar.com 83 SO C R A F T Y Scratch Bar owners Kieran (left) and Ben love Brisbanes craft beer movement
  • 3. 84 Jetstar.com Walker, Director of the Melbourne Pub Group, started out with Richmonds Great Britain Hotel back in 1984. Richmond was run down and the entry point was low, he says. You could already see the changes happen, gentrification was on the way. Its a tactic Tom has stuck with. The Melbourne Pub Group has stepped in (and sometimes out) of a number of venues including The Albert Park, Middle Park Hotel and Newmarket Hotel. Most recently they have been engaged in a slow makeover of St Kildas landmark Prince of Wales Hotel. Location and presence are most important, Tom says, Your building must be iconic and embrace the street. Find the under-utilised and remarket it. Justin Hemmes, helmsman of the Sydney Merivale Group, would agree thats good advice. One of the biggest changes in the industry is the patrons I love property, he says. Each site must have some magic about it. Though I cant tell you the magic, its a gut feeling. Merivales flagship offerings include Establishment, Ivy and Slip Inn. Most recently working over the magnificent Coogee Pavilion, they have plans for the beachside Newport Arms and the Queen Victoria Hotel in inner-city Enmore. A common trait for both Tom and Justin is multiple offerings for both food and drinks in the one designer location. Its a customer-driven practice with one of the biggest changes in the industry being the patrons themselves. The market has basically turned on its head, says Justin. Traditionally, 18 years ago when we started, pubs were pubs. Beverage was an element separate from food, from dancing, from entertainment and from design. Theyre no longer exclusive and a modern operator has to bring them all together. Tom has a similar outlook: The customers have changed and its about a strong experience. Its not just food and drink, its the whole package and if its thin they will see right through it. Toms Melbourne Pub Group took inspiration from the London-based, gastronomic-pub movement. The model proved a roaring success with patrons flocking back to redesigned venues, to try new food and drinks foreign to a traditional pub view. For Tom, its always about a strong point of difference. Some venues are party-based, B A R B A RON Tom Walker owns many popular bars, restaurants and hotels around Melbourne Insight A U S T R A L I A
  • 4. 86 Jetstar.com some fine dining, some sport-focused. It costs millions [to run a company like ours]soyouneedastrongbusinessplan. Operating on a far smaller scale, Scratch Bars founders followed a similar philosophy but threw plans to the wind. We had no model, we just had to stay true to our idea, says Kieran. The idea was to provide as many different craft beers as possible, a unique experience in Brisbane at the time. Justin, on the other hand, designs around his staff. Take, for example, what he famously did with Chef Dan Hong and the Mr Wongs restaurant at Establishment. The bustling, Hong Kong-style eatery quickly became a mainstay on the Sydney scene. Its not all beer and skittles, though. Justin in particular can recall a couple of scary moments. One of the first bars I did was the Slip Inn, he says. I spent a year getting it up on a shoestring budget in the dead end of town. We had 20 people on the first Friday and 22 on the next Friday. The next Friday we were filled to capacity and had a queue of 500 outside. Hell also admit to a few doubts about their newest success, the Coogee Pavilion. I was all excited, he says of a walk he took just weeks before opening. Then I realised Coogee was empty. I was petrified, but then we opened and it was the most amazing seven days. Kierans biggest shock was almost being sunk by success. We had queues down the road, he says. We didnt have sufficient cold storage and had to locate an off-site cool room quickly. Making mistakes is great for learning but getting it right is better. At the end of the day its about doing what you love. For Kieran, its the beer, the independence, the dream of your own thing and doing it yourself. Tom says: its dynamic, youre your own boss and the challenges will keep you going. But you have to love the challenges or it will eat you. As for Justin, he says its about the people: My job is to put a smile on the customers face. BRISBANE 8/1 Park Rd, Milton, Qld. Scratch Bar has one rule: No pretension. It serves craft and specialty beers in cans, bottles and on tap, as well as craft ciders, wine and spirits. Open Mon-Sun, 12pm-12am; scratchbar.com SYDNEY Merivale has bar, restaurant and hotel venues all around town, including the Ivy, Establishment, Hotel CBD, Coogee Pavilion, The Beresford, El Loco and Wynyard Hotel. Check them out at merivale.com.au MELBOURNE The Melbourne Pub Group also has bar, restaurant and hotel venues around town, including The Princes many venues, the Middle Park Hotel and the Newmarket Hotel. Check them out at melbournepubgroup.com.au Its not just food and drink, its the whole package TRY IT YOURSELF IN T HE C LUB Finding the right premises, like the Coogee Pavilion, is a gut feeling says Justin Hemmes Travel info Jetstar has great low fares to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Visit jetstar.com to book Insight A U S T R A L I A