Finishing touches put on new bars at The Terrace
March is bringing a flurry of activity to a soon-to-be Christchurch hospitality hot spot, with the precinct’s second outlet opening its doors and several others set to follow.
Following the launch of Botanic restaurant and bar a fortnight ago, Craft Embassy yesterday became the second hospitality business to open in the $140 million The Terrace, a central Christchurch hospitality and office precinct.
They will be followed in upcoming weeks by businesses busy fitting out premises, including Terrace Tavern, Teppanyaki restaurant Awa Terrace, Bangalore Polo Club and Mexican restaurant Chihuahua. Others to open include Sal’s Pizza, Velvet Burger and Juice Fusion.
Craft embassy co-owner Seth Hamilton said his business would offer ‘‘craft beer, good wine and great food’’ with capacity for about 200 patrons.
‘‘I think the timing is good. There’s getting to be a bit of energy around the city’’, Hamilton said.
Botanic owner Daniel Taiaroa welcomed the new openings, saying it would be ‘‘good to have a bit more action’’ in the precinct.
In all at least 17 hospitality businesses will occupy The Terrace over two levels of indoor and outdoor space.
Construction fences were coming down and the precinct’s public spaces, such as laneways and air bridges, were open to the public.
‘‘Joe public can come in and have a look, people may not realise we actually are open,’’ said The Terrace owner Antony Gough.
The businesses want an older patronage than those attracted by Gough’s pre-earthquake The Strip on the same Oxford Tce site. He said each of the new outlets would have their own feel and owners were each spending between $1m and $4m fitting out their premises.
‘‘For hospitality, you need a bit of variety so you can bar hop a bit. Businesses that are isolated can struggle.’’
The restaurants were all run by experienced operators and many were in The Strip before the buildings were destroyed by the earthquakes.
Craft Embassy is run by a group headed by Clive Weston, Terrace Tavern by Richard Sinke, Bangalore Polo Club and an attached bar by the Vieceli family, and Chihuahua by Tony Astle.
Hamilton’s Lawrenson Group, who have 16 outlets in the North Island, will open a yet-unnamed business in the complex’s Westpac bank building.
‘‘We wanted operators who know what they doing, not just people having a go,’’ said Gough.
The complex also has about a hectare of office space. Insurance company Sovereign was already in residence, with Westpac bank and accountants KPMG moving in during April. Gough said he was in ‘‘discussions with tenants for the rest of the office space’’. Shops, including an ice cream parlour, would face Cashel St.
The last piece of the puzzle would be a 24-hour parking building with shops underneath on Hereford St, which would be started soon and due for completion next year. A vacant space on Cashel St might be turned into a small park, while a spare Hereford St plot could later house apartments. Gough began planning The Terrace in 2011 and started construction in 2013 with a hoped-for 2014 opening.
With bank funding tight and office leasing tough, work stopped and restarted several times and Gough bought in family members as financial partners on the project.