QHA_April_Digital

INSIGHTS
“We finally had the restaurant fully renovated in
2020. We did a soft opening for some women in
mining on the Friday night and were like ‘Woohoo!
We’re up and running!’ and then Sunday, when
Covid hit, we were closed,” she said.
The complications of Covid certainly didn’t stop
the power couple and their hopeful little pub. Last
year, Noel and Jane carved a name for themselves
into the industry when The Rix took out Best
Regional Hotel Bar while its restaurant, The Beast
& Barrel, picked up Best Regional Restaurant at
the 2022 QHA Awards for Excellence.
Now, the Jesbergs of The Rix are continuing to
introduce new things to the town while working
with local businesses. Noel said one of their new
avenues they are busy exploring is dry-aged meat.
“No one is doing it in this region I think. We are
going to try and do our own spin on it and just
bring something different to a rural town. We’re
definitely trying to keep everything local with a
marvellous butcher.
“We are known as the best now, and it’s good. It’s
something we tried hard to be and it’s something
we pride ourselves on, I suppose. It’s a huge
honour, especially in the bush – it’s great to be
known as the best steakhouse in town,” he said.
The Rix Hotel’s success is a real testament to
the couple’s effort in creating a modern country
pub that appeals to locals, tourists and even the
pickiest of graziers from Charters Towers.
“We absolutely love collaborating with local
farmers, trying to source different things and
bringing new things to the town – it is exciting.
“We always want to just introduce something a
little new, because it’s important to keep fresh. In
business, you need to keep reinventing yourself to
some degree,” Jane said.
QHA REVIEW | 36
Listen to the complete interview and more
on the Here’s Cheers podcast available at
qha.org.au or your normal podcast apps:
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