BACK-ALLEY PUB SCENE ON THE RISE
THE man behind a new back-alley “grunge” venue hopes the city small bar scene takes off – “once the Gold Coast gets the hang of it”.
Scott Imlach, who recently opened new Broadbeach speak-easy venue Soho Place, said he was weeks away from launching Night Jar in Burleigh with a $150,000 fitout and a focus on live music.
Like Soho Place, Night Jar has a small bar licence, the fourth issued on the Gold Coast, joining Southport’s Not Tonight and Tugun venue Hidden.
“I think small bars will take off once the GC gets the hang of them,” Mr Imlach said.
“They have popped up all over Brisbane and they will here too, the Gold Coast just has to get used to them.”
Mr Imlach, who is opening Night Jar with business partner Michael Craighead, had lobbied council for small bar licences for years before opening Soho Place.
Night Jar, at just 99 square metres, would have capacity for 100 including seating for 60 patrons.
“We are going along the lines of a party bar, a really good party music bar,” Mr Imlach said. The venue is behind Justin Lane in Burleigh with the entrance “down an alley out the back among the rubbish bins”, he said.