QHA-Review_March_Digital

INSIGHTS
While still a hotel with gaming machines, TAB, live sports and a
smart yet casual bar and bistro, the venue also commits to a perfect
balance of fun and relaxation for all ages and personalities. Rick said
at the start, a lot of people disagreed with his decision and asked
why he would surrender the strip club licence and replace it with
lanes and bowling balls.
“The reality of it is, I didn’t see a long-term future in it. So we’ve got a
different model, and I think it’s more sustainable. We’ve got so much
repeat business now, which anyone in hospitality knows is the key,
so we are over the moon about that.
“Now that we also accommodate young patrons and their families
with the bowling lanes, we find people waiting at the door before
traditional opening hours and we are near capacity by 10:30am.
“We had a function the other day for a local accounting firm’s 10-
year anniversary. They invited over 100 people and to celebrate they
did a little bowling tournament. We opened upstairs and provided
food, beverages and prizes. It was very cool and exactly what
Central Lane is all about,” he said.
Rick’s decision led to a major renovation for Central Lane Hotel
which started in October 2020. Constructed by ICM and designed
by BSPN, the renovation improved the overall layout and atmosphere
of the pub – making it the stylish venue it is today and propelling it
into winning the Statewide Best Redeveloped Hotel award at the
2022 QHA Awards for Excellence.
Rick’s personal touches for Central Lane Hotel also included a
Banksy-inspired art piece on the side of the venue and a giant sign
of Castlemaine XXXX’s mascot, Mr Fourex, on the roof of the pub.
Rick said after Covid, they were on a tight budget, but BSPN worked
with them, and as a result they had a nice collaboration.
“The venue really needed a renovation. For example we had the
kitchen upstairs, so every bit of food we cooked we had to be sent
down in a dumbwaiter in a space that only allowed for eight plates.
The insufficiencies of that were enormous – especially when we had
tables of 20.
“So we moved the kitchen downstairs, and now we use the
dumbwaiter to send function food up, which is a lot easier. The
renovation also allowed us to remove external walls, create
a car park and so
much more.
“Former ICM builder
Michael Caughley,
who now works at
Caughley and Co, just
went over and above
as well. He was always
pointing out how things
could be improved, and
he never went home
until the job was done.
He did exceptionally
well,” he said.
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