By Triana O'Keefe, editor – Australian Hotelier
The controversial lockout laws imposed across the country have been blamed for various venue closures since their introduction.
Over the past few years, there has been a spate of closures with owners publically placing the responsibility on the regulations.
Last month, in a message on its Facebook page, Adelaide venue Dog and Duck Alehouse announced its closure.
It stated: “Dog and Duck with a heavy heart has to announce that as of today we will not be reopening. Many factors have come in to play with this decision. The biggest factor to this decision is the lockout law, it has changed the way people party – it has pushed people to go to their local hotels instead of coming in to town.”
Similarly, several Sydney venues have closed their doors since the introduction of the laws imposed by the O’Farrell government last year.
C-inc.'s Christopher Cheung placed The Bourbon on the market after paying $22 million for the venue and spending $10 million on renovations prior to the announcement of regulations.
“[The lockouts] affected our business at The Bourbon and, despite some commendable and creative solutions from our team to retain customer loyalty, Kings Cross continues to be tough,” Cheung told Australian Hotelier.
“The Bourbon Hotel is on the market due to our master plan being derailed by the legislation changes,” he said.
Further closures include The Sapphire Lounge, The Carlisle Bar, Trademark, Beach Haus, Club Bayswater, The Village and Flinders Hotel.