Image: The Richmond Club Hotel, Melbourne
Grand Finals weekend means a bumper weekend for publicans and hotels
One of the year’s biggest sporting weekends takes place this weekend with Melbournians set to be particularly distracted.
Local team Collingwood are starring at the MCG in the AFL Grand Final against Perth’s West Coast Eagles on Saturday with Melbourne Storm challenging the Sydney Roosters in the NRL Grand Final at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Sunday. Publicans in Melbourne are bracing themselves for a busy time and have been reminded by the regulator of their duties.
Pub group Sand Hill Road are busily preparing for the biggest weekend in the Melbourne sporting calendar with fans expected to flock to the precinct. Their Richmond Club Hotel alone has 110 kegs of Carlton Draught ready to be tapped, expecting to sell in excess of 19,000 pots by the end of grand final week, though fans are reminded to drink responsibly. The kitchen team are busy prepping for a record number of parma sales, anticipating up to 600 parma orders throughout the week weighing in at a whopping 150kg of chicken.
“This is by far the biggest and most exciting week of the year for us. Nothing can beat the electric atmosphere that the fans bring to the precinct, it’s contagious” says Venue Manager of Richmond Club Hotel, Ben McFarlane.
With a stable of iconic pubs including Richmond Club Hotel, Holliava and Posty on Swan Street in Richmond and Garden State Hotel and Waterside Hotel in the CBD, the group are working overtime and anticipate a record number of punters through the doors during the week.
The 2018 AFL Grand Final between West Coast Eagles and Collingwood will start at 2.30pm AEST on Saturday 29 September 9 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Live coverage starts at 2pm on Channel 7.
Melbourne Storm take on the Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium the following day on Sunday 30 September. Live coverage starts at 6:30pm on Channel 9 ahead of kick-off at 7:20pm.