IRYMPLE Hotel’s new bar is on track to be completed in time for the pub’s reopening on Monday.
Bar manager James Kedmenec said the COVID-19 pandemic had provided the management with the opportunity to renovate the bar and he was excited about showing it to customers.
“Although it’s good to have a little bit of a break, I think it’s stretched on a bit too long with the coronavirus pandemic so we’re eager to get back to work,” he said.
“All our staff are pretty keen to get back into it as well.”
Mr Kedmenec said they had been working on the new bar since late April and were pleased with the results.
He said after this significant upgrade the staff were keen for a break from renovating once they started operating.
“We’ve been renovating for a few years now so we might see how this goes then I’m sure we’ll find something else we can start working on,” he said.
When the Irymple Hotel reopens it will be able to seat 50 people in its bistro, 50 people outside and 50 people in its bar.
“We’re lucky we’ve got fairly big spaces to work with so we can still have a decent number of people,” Mr Kedmenec said.
“The latest rule that you can have a beer while sitting at a table without a meal has definitely made us happy.”
Mr Kedmenec said when the hotel reopened it would stick to classic pub favourites and, once restrictions eased, would go back to providing the normal seasonal menus.
“It’s a little bit hard with the restricted numbers — you’ve sort of got to stick with your classic pub favourites you know people are going to like,” he said.
