Move to register ‘worst’

The family behind a heritage hotel dubbed “Brisbane’s worst vegetarian restaurant” has applied to register a trademark for the Gold Coast.

The Power family, operators of the Norman Hotel and namesakes of Power’s Bitter, have run the steakhouse since 2015 and applied to trademark “Gold Coast’s worst vegetarian restaurant” in August.

As well as applying for the new slogan, the Norman has applied for a pluralised version of the original: “Brisbane’s worst vegetarian restaurants.”

Despite the trademark move, Norman Hotel marketing manager Tania Cousens said the pub had no “current plans” to bring their meaty menu south. Ms Cousens said it was a way of “simply protecting our brand”.

The Norman has not registered trademarks for the slogan in any other town or city.

The Gold Coast’s pub and restaurant dining scene has grown in the past year, despite going flat during Covid.

Newcomers in the past 12 months have included Tank Bar & Dining at Palm Beach, Southport Pavilion, Currumbin Valley Brewing, Blowfish Ocean Grill + Bar, Kirra Beach House and the Kirra Beach Hotel.

A new take on an old pub, the Queen’s Arms Hotel is also scheduled to open this year at Southport’s Queen Street Village retail complex.

The Norman Hotel has been pouring beers at Woolloongabba for 135 years, since it was built by Robert Heaslop and named after Queensland governor Sir Henry Norman.

Although the pub does have a vegetarian menu, steaks are the centrepiece for the majority of its dishes.

When his family bought the pub for $7m in 2015, Bernie Power said the watering hole was generating more than $7m a year in revenue.

Mr Power was a veteran Brisbane publican when he opened a brewery at Yatala, debuting his namesake bitter in 1988 and gulping up 20 per cent of the state’s beer market.

Carlton and United Breweries launched a tribute brew, Power’s Ultra Smooth, last year. The company behind the Norman Hotel is directed by Bernie Power’s nephew James Power.