DAILY TELEGRAPH 9TH SEPTEMBER 2024
Pictured at one of his pubs, The BellÃs Hotel at Woolloomooloo in Sydney is Arthur Laundy.
Many of the pubs he owns remain as they have been for years un-renovated with only minor updates.
Picture: Richard Dobson
From pie ovens to fine dining, renowned publican Arthur Laundy has witnessed the radical evolution of Sydney’s pubs across his extraordinary 64-year career.
Raised in the industry to owning his own empire, his six decades of experience have enhanced his eye for market success as well as his insight to the key factors driving the future of the pub and hotel industry.
“The hotel industry at the present time – we have so much red tape,” Mr Laundy said.
“I’ve been a hotel keeper now for 64 years and I’ve never had that before but in our days it drives you mad and it costs you money.”
According to Mr Laundy, laws in the hotel industry continue to be changed, with red tape holding up projects, taking time, money as well as possible employment opportunities away.
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Publican Arthur Laundy with his daughter Danielle and husband Shane Richardson at Watsons Bay Hotel. Image: Jane Dempster/The Australian.
“You spend so much time answering questions that can be about anything to the government and all of this type of thing, it’s unbelievable,” he said.
“If I want to do something, I’m going to employ builders, I’m going to employ people in the industry and when I’ve got it open I’m going to employ a lot of staff and they should do something about it, it should be modernised.”
Mr Laundy has experienced many changes throughout the evolution of the pub landscape, dating back to prior to his first pub licence at the age of 21 in 1962, at the Crossroads Hotel at Casula in Sydney’s southwest.
“In the old days when I was working in hotels with my mum and dad before I actually took my first license – hotels operated from 10 in the morning until six o’clock in the evening and then in 1956, 10 o’clock closing came in,” he said.
Mr Laundy said this meant the hotel would close between 6:30pm and 7:30pm to clean and then reopen.
“That was later abolished thank god,” he said.
“You’d clean the hotel, kick everybody out, they’d go home and have dinner and you’d expect them to all come back again, so that didn’t work.”
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Mr Laundy pictured at one of his pubs, The Bells Hotel in Woolloomooloo. Picture: Richard Dobson
And in a surprise shift into another form of traditional entertainment, it has been revealed that Laundy had bought Nine Radio for $56m.
The deal includes Melbourne’s 3AW and Sydney’s 2GB.
Laundy also revealed that the measure of the chaos that the local [military] recruits brought with them to the Crossroads Hotel back in the day, was also a measure of how well the pub was travelling financially.
“If I hadn’ had four or five fights by the end of the night on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, we just weren’t busy enough.”
The decades following saw the introduction of other significant changes such as single bottle licenses, random breath testing to Sunday and late trading, that also came with the need for security.
The Crossroads Hotel at Casula, Sydney, back in the day.
“In my days, I wouldn’t have been able to spell the word security,” Mr Laundy said.
“We never needed security in my day in the hotels and I mean from the 60s, but then 10 o’clock closing came in and it’s now essential.”
In today’s market with multiple competitors, Mr Laundy said there are a couple of ways to ensure a venue stands out including the beauty of the hotel and the atmosphere it offers.
“That’s normally done with renovations such as we are doing at Watsons Bay now,” he said.
“It goes back to several things, good beer – it’s essential that you must keep your beer lines clean.
“You must give them good beer, you must give them good service and you must make your premise clean, neat and tidy particularly toilets and all of this type of thing.
“All of that which are pretty simple sort of things, but it’s got to be done.”
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Publican Arthur Laundy (middle) with Stuart Laundy, Danielle Richardson, Justine Laundy and Craig Laundy. Picture: Richard Dobson
According to Mr Laundy, good service, pleasant staff and sponsorships are also important, Mr Laundy currently sponsoring roughly 450 social clubs including cricket clubs and football clubs.
“They are all essential now in the running of a hotel,” he said.
When it comes to the future of pubs, Mr Laundy shared some insight into some of the driving factors for success.
“I would hope it continues to improve,” he said.
“If we can continue to maintain the hotels in the manner that they should be, if we can give good service, good beer and the product that we sell – I think that’s the direction we have to aim for.
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Publican Arthur Laundy shares his experience and insight into success. Image: Jane Dempster/The Australian.
“You see in hotels now very large television screens and sports is such an enormous part of the Australian culture – to do what we can do to enhance what they see on these big screens and all of this type of thing I think is us keeping up with the race.”
Mr Laundy also shared some of his most crucial lessons learnt throughout his time that have shaped his success.
“They would be things like, if I hear of a slack person working for me, I will certainly do my best to improve his or her behaviour to more impress the customer and I’ll hear about it,” he said.
Renovations were another factor needed to keep the hotel “as it’s entitled to and should be”.
“Keeping up with the standards is most essential and the hotels that do that are the successful hotels,” he said.
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Arthur Laundy. Image: Jane Dempster/The Australian.
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Mr Laundy said in the market today, factors including social media can affect a venue as well as put needed pressure on its standards.
“People can ring up and say the food was fabulous or the food was terrible and that type of thing,” he said.
“All of those things can affect you so it’s essential that they are addressed at all times.”
This was particularly apparent to offering “good food”.
“When I was first in the hotels, the hotel supplied a little pie oven and we gave them the choice of sauce,” Mr Laundy said.
“Now, we are restaurants and we are expected, counted on and valued on what sort of meals we get.”
Mr Laundy also offered some insight into Sydney’s pub landscape in focus.
“I think Chris Minns is trying his hardest and he is doing a great job,” he said.
“He’s now giving the drinker more entitlements – what he is trying to do is relax the laws a little and I think it is very beneficial, his efforts are great.”
In a statement to the ASX, Nine confirmed the sale of its radio assets “to the Laundy Family Office on a cash and debt free enterprise value of $56m”.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Laundy said he was a hospitality man and normally stays in his lane but was looking forward to what the future holds.“We are excited for this new venture,” he said.
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