WITH music, wonderful food, a buzzing atmosphere and exceptional decor and architecture, the reveal of the Muswellbrook & District Workers Club’s new restaurant was a resounding success.
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Conducted on Tuesday night, the unveiling of the new section, dubbed ODEUM at the Workies, was met with jubilation from the packed crowd of guests at the venue.
President Tim Pike and general manager Scott Bailey were visibly chuffed with the reception and the seemingly endless supply of food was more than enough to keep patrons happy.
Lowering the freshly-installed wheelchair lift to create a makeshift balcony, the men addressed the party-goers and spoke about the journey they undertook to get to where they are now.
Despite Mr Bailey leaving the crowd in stitches for most of his time on the microphone, there was a notable sense of pride when he discussed their transition out of darker times.
Less than five years ago the club was in severe debt and had only $10,000 in the bank – the board even considered closing the doors.
But, they’ve enjoyed an amazing turn around, paying off the money owed, and are now making profits off the back of some smart business decisions.
The opening of the cinema drew in customers, and constant improvements and cash injections have been made, which led to the substantial upgrade of the cafe and restaurant.
Serving breakfast and tapas on top of releasing a new menu, they are looking to cater for all comers in the hope of gaining more support and members.
Nearing the end of the night it was obvious to see Mr Bailey was thrilled with the event, and said the substantial effort surrounding the project had all been worth it.
“It felt like it’s been an eternity (to get it built), but in reality we put about two years of planning into this and it took about ten months to build it,” he said.
“We thought long and hard about what we wanted to do here and clubs have got to diversify their income streams, they can’t just rely on the old school thinking.”
It’s clear the ingenuity and innovation has paid dividends for the Workers Club, and both the president and general manager made it clear they weren’t done yet, telling everyone to “watch this space”.