Openings of new venues reinvigorate Ballarat hospitality industry after tough year

The Stables, a new indoor-outdoor venue on Doveton Street, opened on Friday night after the space was converted from The Highlander's function space to an open-planned bar.

With a new menu created by hatted chef Hugh Maxwell, formerly executive chef at Daylesford sister venue Perfect Drop, featuring Middle Eastern share plates, the venue is currently open on Friday and Saturday nights with plans to expand to Thursdays and Sundays down the track.

Chris Molloy, the owner of both The Stables and The Highlander, said the idea behind the venue was to create an indoor-outdoor garden space.

"It's really magical. There's lot of beautiful dimly lit lights and lots of trees everywhere and we've got live music on the stage," she said.

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"We had a lot of great feedback, people loved the space and we're excited about where it's going to go.

"It's quite a serene space, really. Because it's quite big, it's designed to be able to mingle.

"You can go have have a shared meal with some friends and listen to live music and mingle after that because it's not all segregated and allows you to meet other people as well."

Ms Molloy said the inspiration for the venue was to create a 'beautiful space where you can get a bit of everything'.

"It's about tickling all the boxes and making sure all the elements are spot on and making it a space that is really inviting for everyone and enjoyable," she said.

Like many hospitality businesses, 2020 was a tough year for The Highlander but it was made especially difficult by the timing of Ms Molloy's takeover of the business just two weeks before the first lockdown.

"We've all got different stories, we've all had it tough and it was a hard one to stomach but you've just got to be resilient and keep trying to improve and keep working hard and trust that it's all going to be okay," she said.

"We renovated during that time which a lot of people thought we were crazy to do but you have to continue to take some risks and it could've been a very different story but we're very happy with where we're at at the moment."

Ms Molloy said it was an exciting time for Ballarat's hospitality industry with customers having more choice than ever.

"There's a lot of development in Ballarat at the moment and it's an exciting time for the region and Ballarat is quickly becoming a food and drink destination," she said.

"There are a lot of venues with really cool interiors and we're really lucky to be experiencing Ballarat in these positive times, especially after COVID.

"We're quite blessed to be in this region, it's better than being somewhere at the moment that's struggling a lot more with getting back on their feet."

Brothers Louis and Teddy Powlett are also riding the wave of Ballarat's hospitality resurgence, opening a new 'cocktail social club', Renard, on the site of the former Faux Social Club on Mair Street.

Louis Powlett said he believed Ballarat was always on its way to becoming a regional food hub with the pandemic being just a speed bump on that road.

"In the broader scheme, people are moving from Melbourne and wanting more out of nightlife and hospitality in general and most of the operators at the moment are really trying to provide that," he said.

"I think it's trending that way and it's good to be operating alongside so many great venues and there's a lot more of a broader offering and a bit more pull for the town."

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