Hotels investing in luxury restaurants and bars
Buffet breakfasts may be a thing of the past in Sydney’s restaurants, with international hoteliers investing in luxury restaurants and bars.
Brasserie 1930 has developed a 120-seat dining room on the ground floor of Capella Sydney in partnership with Sydney restaurateurs Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt of The Bentley Group.
“The investment [The Capella Group] made into the hotel is probably larger than we’ve seen in Australia for a very long time,” Savage told Good Food Guide.
“And that extends to Brasserie 1930. The money they’ve spent on infrastructure for the restaurant has been huge.”
The project has cost $335 million and opened in the heritage-listed former Department of Education building.
It has been awarded two chefs hats by the Sydney Morning Herald chief restaurant critic Terry Durack.
The Capella Group has stressed the importance of local hospitality talent to create a competitive food and beverage offering.
“Hotels now realise they need the expertise of seasoned restaurateurs if they want to create great restaurants,” Savage said.
Former Biota head chef James Viles as executive chef at the Park Hyatt and former ACME chef Mitch Orr to lead the kitchen at Ace Hotel restaurant Kiln are two examples of hotels hiring great chefs.
The recently renovated Hotel Morris is also in on the action, with the soon to open Morris Bar bringing in chef Rosa Scatigna, the former senior sous chef at two-hatted restaurant Shell House Dining Room and Terrace.
Jarrod Walsh and Dot Lee’s first hotel restaurant, Longshore, is expected to open on 4 May 4. The pair behind hatted Newtown restaurant Hartsyard have partnered with Chippendale hotel The Old Clare. They were attracted to international hotel group Unlisted Collection’s security and support after COVID.
“I was always very sceptical of hotel restaurants, they’ve had such a bad reputation,” Walsh said.
“But small business has become so challenging … big hospitality groups can throw really high wages around [to attract staff] and independent operators just can’t compete.”
Similarly, John Giovanni Pugliano took on the role as executive chef at Swissôtel Sydney in October 2021 in part for the stability.
“In the past, hotels focused more on tourists and the corporate market. You’d just have to satisfy them for two or three days and then you wouldn’t see them for another few years,” Pugliano told Good Food.
“Now, that market share has changed. You have to appeal to local Sydneysiders as well because if they like something they’re going to keep coming back.”
Swissôtel is spending $2 million to overhaul of its lobby bar.
“Swissôtel lost its identity during COVID. The menus weren’t updated and the banqueting was stuck in the past,” he says.
“It was time for reinvention.”
Irit Jackson, 11th April 2023
