The owners of the Temora Railway Hotel are aiming to open their doors next week.
Peter and Pat Ward have spent months and hundreds of thousands of dollars transforming the pub into what they hope will be a unique venue in the towns CBD.
Mr Ward says he is committed to opening in July in an effort to make a profit after pouring his heart and soul into the project.
The process has been nightmarish for the couple who have had to deal with a multitude of problems restoring the 100-year-old building.
“The process has been very difficult. It seems there’s always something requiring an expensive fix,” he said.
“I’d say we’ve invested $800,000 just in repairs and replacements alone and it’s starting to catch up with us.
“Fixing the electrical circuits, flooring, ceiling and plumbing has been at an astronomical cost. I never envisioned I would spend the sort of money that we have.
When a problem arises it never costs a couple of thousand – it’s always a five-figure sum.
“For me it doesn’t matter what day we open in that first week, I just know it absolutely has to be then. I’ve run out of patience and I’m fast running out of money.
“It’s causing a lot of concern within the family and management group and it’s not going to work if we don’t say ‘let’s just do it, try it and fix it’. That has to be our objective now.”
Despite the pressures, his passion and drive for the hotel hasn’t waned.
He says patrons shouldn’t expect the result to be anything akin to other venues.
“When it’s all boiled down it’s still only money and the love of what I’m doing is what makes the difference,” Mr Ward said.
“I want to build something people will walk into and enjoy. I want an outlet for families with a family-orientated atmosphere. Everyone is welcome in the hotel when it opens, but we don’t want our venue to be a place where alcohol fuelled mayhem occurs.
That’s why 76 per cent of our operations will be based around food.
This is not a place where people are going to be able to go and ‘get falling-down drunk’,” he said.
“We decided before we bought the pub that we would implement this business model.
Most hotels still have straight forward pub food.
Those that are a little more upmarket and are offering more food are the ones reaping the benefits.
“In addition, all food will be fresh, right down to the bread.
That’s what we want to do here.”
With opening day fast approaching, Mr Ward is now desperately searching for staff.
“I need 26 but I only have 12 who have shown an interest so we really need more,” he said.
“This is a great industry, particularly when you find yourself a good business to work in. It can be really rewarding.”
