Fresh Bennelong, Sydney Opera House restaurant site tender
A new tender has been announced for the Bennelong, Sydney Opera House restaurant site which was vacated at the end of 2013 by the Paddington-bound chef, Guillaume Brahimi.
“We have scoped potential improvements to the venue and will work with the new operator on those plans, while being careful to respect our obligations as a World Heritage-listed site,” Opera House chief executive Louise Herron said in a statement on the trust website.
It is now more than three months after the Stokehouse plans by the Melbourne-based Van Haandel Group dissolved given their decision opting instead to concentrate on rebuilding their burnt-out Stokehouse premises at St Kilda.
It will be a new, two-part tender commencing late next month.
Chef Matt Moran's Aria Catering will run Bennelong until sometime in 2015 as a premium functions venue while the tender process is being conducted.
Opera House Trust chairman John Symond wants an operator with a concept that embraces Bennelong’s unique qualities and magnificent setting.
Chef Guillaume Brahimi ended his 10-year tenure declining to bid declaring his fine dining style was unsuited to the required seven-day operation. But Ms Herron has affirmed the venue needs to be open day and night, seven days a week.
The Australian food columnist John Lethlean says those who expressed interest initially have gone "ice-cold" on the idea of an Opera House address where it has been suggested the trust was seeking a base rent of $700,000 to $900,000 a year as well as 5-8% of turnover.
A who's who of restaurant identities were believed to have vied initially for the opportunity including Vue de Monde's Shannon Bennett, Bill Granger of Bills, Maurice Terzini of Bondi Icebergs and the operators behind Quay, one of the tender finalists.
As announced last year, the Opera House is conducting public tenders for all its expiring food and beverage contracts in accordance with NSW Government procurement policy.
The Opera House received a strong response to the first expressions of Interest stage for the lower concourse bar and restaurant. It has now invited shortlisted applicants to participate in the second stage of the confidential tender process. Their offers will be finalised by late next month.
The existing long-term contract for the lower concourse venue expires at the end of August. The successful applicant is expected to be operating before the busy summer season later this year.