SPORTS CAFÉ is dropping the sports and going Public.
Gina and Nick Mills of Chicago Sports Café fame purchased the bar on Courtenay Place from defunct owners CEA Trading in July, with the intention of giving it a makeover.
The new restaurant/bar is named Public, and will be open next week.
General manager Nick Matthews says Public will be completely different from the former Sports Café.
“We’re not going to focus on sport anymore, it’s going to be more of a contemporary dining bar. We still have the ability to show the big games though,” he says.
He says the Mills have kept old Sports Café staff, recruited some from Chicago Sports Café, and hired some fresh faces.
“They asked staff and managers what they thought [needed to be done] because many staff have been here a long time,” Matthews says. “[Public] will have an outdoor area with a fireplace and an 84-inch TV. When you come in the bar will be in the same place, but it’s now a different colour. To the left of the bar is the restaurant, and on the right side of the bar is a private function area and a space that can be used as a chill out area.”
He says the atmosphere is going to be more relaxed than that of its predecessor, but Public has kept the stage so it can still host bands and dance acts.
“I’d like to get a few more local bands playing – there’s some good ones around. At the moment though we’re just going to see how things go. It’s definitely going to be classy with textured wallpaper, timber and nice lighting,” Matthews says.
And, like the name suggest, he says Public will be for the people.
“We’ve got a lot of things people can share. We’re going to be doing punches, cocktails and shots to share, as well as food.”