Susanna Freymark
Why would one hotel group want to own three pubs in the same town — all within walking distance of each other?
Kofuku Hotel Group has bought the Cecil, the Tatts and the Commercial in the centre of Casino.
Group general manager Diego Godoy who has moved from Sydney to Ballina explains the thinking behind the move.
It’s about creating a hub, Mr Godoy said.
The concept is that each pub will appeal to a different demographic.
The plan is for the Cecil Hotel to offer a cafe, restaurant and entertainment until 2am with DJs spinning tunes at Retro Cecil — especially appealing to the younger crowd.
The Tatts is a “boozy pub,”Mr Godoy said.
There is pool comps, poker, sports on the screen— a working man’s kind of pub.
The Commercial Hotel which is closed and will be renovated will have the biggest changes made to it.
“We want this to be a pub for young families,” Mr Godoy said.
Out the back of the pub, are former stable rooms.
Mr Godoy said one of the rooms will be turned into a mini arcade for children — and it will be free.
“We’re going to build a big playground for the kids,” he said.
“I’m trying to do something different.”
An Italian restaurant upstairs with views over Barker and Walker streets is likely to be the talk of the town.
The Commercial will sell sushi in a cafe downstairs. The garden with seating will be revamped and will remain pet friendly.
Mr Godoy used the example of gelato and how a town can have several gelato shops that offer different flavours and there can be another shop that sells soft serve ice cream. He doesn’t see the three pubs as being in competition with each other because they each offer something different.
In the Casino hub, people can eat at the Commercial or go to the Tatts to see a live band and later in the night, they can go to the Cecil and dance the night away until 2am.
Mr Godoy has a chef, from Sydney, on board.
The renovations at the Commercial will take a while and be done in stages with the cafe being done first and opening in January next year.
Inside, Mr Godoy wants to open up the space, get both fireplaces working to offer mulled wine by the fire in winter and create a sports bar at the back.
It’s an ambitious plan to create this hub.
“I’m standing on the hill, it could fail,” he said.
But it could succeed and transform the pub scene in Casino CBD.
In South Casino there is the Charcoal Inn, recently renovated and on Walker Street, the Casino RSM is doing up the Royal which will have accomodation and an outdoor garden.
Mr Godoy wants the pubs in the hub to be so appealing people come from Lismore, Ballina and beyond to visit Casino.
Visitors are certainly going to enjoy the views from the balcony at the Italian Restaurant at the Commercial.
“I want to improve the town,” Mr Godoy said.
