THE iconic Park Hotel may be a thing of the past but one of the men who bought the venue on the corner of George and Keppel streets is confident that its new look and name will be just as popular.
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The George Hotel will begin trading today, ahead of an official opening tomorrow night, following on from a test run on Saturday for the new owners and their families.
Matt Harrowsmith, proprietor of the Church Bar, and business partners Andrew Dunshea and Ryan Cooney have poured almost $1 million into refurbishing the venue they purchased in 2014.
It ceased trading in July as they began the lengthy task of updating it and changing its look and functionality.
“It has been a three-month process and involved a heap of work,” Mr Harrowsmith said.
“We’ve basically gutted the whole of the interior to give it a different lay-out.
“It is completely changed. We really want the George Hotel to be its own venue and not too closely associated with what the Park used to be.
“There was a lot that needed to be done to it when we took it on.
“As the development went on we found more things that we wanted to fix and improve to make sure that it lasts a long time, not just for five or six years.”
Like the Church Bar, there will be a major emphasis on dining at the George, albeit with a separate style and atmosphere to the pizza venue.
“There is a big focus on food. We’ve got a great chef and a seasonal menu that will change regularly, as well as daily things like Sunday roasts, weekly fish specials and different ideas like that,” Mr Harrowsmith said.
“Everything is going to be prepared in our kitchen – all the sauces and so forth, and we are using as much local produce as possible.
“Pork from Oberon, bread from Orange, fruit from Kelso.
“There’s going to be a lot of craft beers on tap, as well as all the main ones, a few cocktails, lots of boutique local wines and other wines from around Australia, as well as a few from overseas.
“We’ve got Fish River Roasters Coffee on board, too.”
“It is completely different to the Church Bar style-wise, though. It has the best courtyard in town and is basically an outdoor venue.
“This place had a totally different menu, a different atmosphere. We don’t want them competing with one another.”
Even after the significant changes that have been made, there is still room for more improvements, with the rooftop area still untouched.
Mr Harrowsmith revealed there could be plans in the pipeline to turn that part of the building into a separate bar, but for the time being he and his fellow owners are simply proud of what they’ve managed to date.
