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$200k makeover — and soccer club gets new-look bar
THE owner of a popular city cafe is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to revamp an Adelaide soccer club’s restaurant.
Adelaide City Soccer Club will use money from sub-leasing its Oakden restaurant to fund soccer programs with an Italian soccer team as well as start a team in SA’s amateur league.
A touch of Brunelli’s ... Brunelli Cafe director Teresa Bruno will open a new restaurant in Adelaide City Soccer Club’s former Oakden Central restaurant. Source: Supplied
The club has sub-leased its restaurant — The Oakden Central — to Brunelli’s Cafe director Teresa Bruno, and business partners Maria Sergi and son, Matthew Bruno.
Brunelli’s has cafes in West Lakes, Glynde and in the city.
The trio has given the restaurant a $200,000 makeover and have rebranded it Bar Social, which will include a beer garden, pizza bar and fine dining options.
Adelaide City President Dino D’Ottavi said the deal had “major benefits” because it would help bring members of Juventus F.C. to the club to run clinics.
He could not reveal the price of the lease, but said it was “a good bill for all parties”.
“The deal will primarily help junior programs because we recently agreed on a deal with Juventus in Italy and (it) will bring (its) coaches here and (run) soccer schools within the club,” Mr D’Ottavi said.
Business partners ... Maria Sergi, Teresa Bruno and Matt Bruno. Picture: Dave Cronin
“In terms of the bistro, we (have) not been hitting out targets as well as what we hoped for, so we thought leasing it out would be better.
“We are a sporting organisation and, traditionally, sports clubs do not manage these types of facilities very well.
“They are hospitality professionals … so it was a perfect fit for the venue to be managed properly.”
The club would still control “a large amount” of the site and would keep its pokie machines, he said.
Bar Social co-partner Matthew Bruno said the restaurant would bring a much-needed city feel into the suburbs, which he thought “was lacking”.
He said the Fosters Rd, Oakden, restaurant would attract new residents moving into areas like Lightsview.
“We were looking at expanding Brunelli's Cafe into the suburbs, but decided to go with something new and different,” Mr Bruno said.
“We decided to go out of our comfort zone and make this a live music venue, a woodfire pizza bar … and function destination.
“We are creating something new in the suburbs and … supporting Adelaide City at the same time.”
Bar Social is under renovation and is expected to open early next month.
Source: News Limited, 9th July 2015
