Momento Hospitality has sold inner-Sydney pub, the Friend in Hand in Glebe, to Reilly Group.
In a strategic move, Momento Hospitality has divested the Friend in Hand Hotel in Glebe, selling the pub to Reilly Group, which operates several pubs in Sydney’s inner west, including the White Cockatoo Hotel in Petersham, the Sydney Park Hotel in Newtown, and the London Hotel and Cricketers Arms Hotels in Balmain.
Momento Hospitality acquired the pub in 2021 off Young Family Hotels, around the same time they expanded into the inner city with the acquisitions of the Royal Albert Hotel in Surry Hills and the Nags Head Hotel in Forest Lodge. Having activated the Nags Head Hotel with a English gastropub offer led by the acclaimed Nelly Robinson – the nearby Friend in Hand was sold to focus on larger venues, like the newly opened Oran Park Hotel.
The sale to Reilly Group was negotiated by HTL Property’s Blake Edwards and Andrew Jolliffe.
Ray Reilly said he was “absolutely delighted” to acquire the Friend In Hand, telling Australian Hotelier that it was a natural fit for Reilly Group.
“It’s our pub, it’s entirely what we do. And what we’ve grown to learn about ourselves is that you know what you know, and it’s just our kind of pub. What we do is quite unique to other operators. So everything just stacked up and we said ‘let’s do it’.”
Reilly Group operations manager Scott Harrington added that the Friend In Hand was exactly the kind of pub the group liked to run.
“It’s a classic Aussie pub in a really engaged community. We love pubs in residential areas where we can really get to know the community and get involved.”
Geographically, the Friend In Hand also offered a missing piece of the puzzle for the group, better linking the Balmain pubs to the those in Newtown and Marrickville.
“It just joins the dots as well. It joins the suburbs up a bit for us as well. So it was a bit of a no-brainer for us in the end,” said Reilly.
“It will be a fun one to run. I’m really looking forward to getting involved with the Glebe community.”
Reilly Group are currently consulting with the local community, and will close the venue for renovation in January, with the aim to re-open the pub by the end of April. While the plans for the pub are still being worked out, Harrington said the group already had a couple of ideas.
“We’ll keep quite a bit of that great Aussie memorabilia in the pub, but we’ll give it a bit of a spruce. The main thing is we’re going to redo the food menu – get in all those Aussie classics that you love, at a really good quality.”
One immediate concern for Friend in Hand locals was the housing of the pub’s beloved mascot, a cockatoo named George. Harrington confirmed that George has been temporarily rehomed at the entirely appropriate White Cockatoo Hotel, and will return to the Friend in Hand once the renovations are complete.
“She’s already made herself at home at the White Cockatoo. Last night she took a cheeky bite out of someone’s burger, so she’s feeling comfortable!”