It’s an accolade worth a toast or two – Werribee’s The Park Hotel has been named Time Out’s 2018 Most Loved Local Pub in Melbourne as voted by the public.
Nick Christou and his wife Connie said they were stoked, surprised and overwhelmed by the honour.
“That’s a big achievement for us and the staff, it’s a massive accomplishment to be voted by the public,” Mrs Christou said.
When the pub opened six years ago in a three-way partnership between Mr Christou and two other investors, it’s sophisticated decor and extensive craft beer menu was unlike anything that Werribee had seen.
About three years in, Nick bought his partners out and Connie joined the team. Today, it’s truly a family business, with the couple’s son James working as front-of-house manager.
“Timing is everything, and the timing was right. I think the population was 148,000 at the time and we sort of thought, here’s an opportunity, it’s the right space and the right location. We wanted to come up with a unique offering that was different to the area, but we weren’t reinventing the wheel either,” Mr Christou said.
And there’s more to come. A wood fire pizza oven and another functions space are both in development for the pub, and the Christous are heading over to the US next month on a “study tour” to check out venues in New York, San Francisco and LA.
“A lot of it is just going to different breweries and different distilleries and seeing what’s going on in the industry and who’s doing what, and then we’ll come back with a fresh bag full of ideas. We’re always looking to grow,” Mr Christou said.
