The Duke of Enmore has a new master, with the leasehold interest sold to emerging Sydney operator James Thorpe.
The Thorpe brothers took on Darlinghurst beer mecca The Taphouse in 2017. They took their next step into Petersham’s Oxford Tavern in early 2019.
Enmore’s The Duke occupies a 430sqm block on the corner of Enmore Road and Simmons Street. It saw a major renovation in 2018 at the hands of Jaime Wirth, repositioned to offer craft beers, natural wines and an inner-west inspired pub bistro menu.
Sadly, Wirth did not reopen the business post-pandemic closure and the operation went to market late August.
Thorpe Hospitality cites “big plans” for The Duke’s future, taking the keys without the pokies, which were leased out by the freeholder. Work has begun on the new layout, making room for pool tables and arcade games, with a renewed food and beverage offering.
“We plan to bring our operating model of honest food and beverage to The Duke, to give Enmore the pub it deserves,” says James. “Good food, indie beers … the only gaming machines in sight are running Buck Hunter. Paradise.”
Complementing the Oxford’s hot American-influenced BBQ and the Taphouse’s classic English pub feeds, The Duke’s menu, designed by group executive chef Adam Cremona, will be Australiana-influenced, led by the smash burger (cooked on flat-top grill and smashed under a weight). This will front a selection of pub classics, plus full menu of vegan-friendly eats prepared in their own separated area.
Thorpe says his team has actually grown to almost twice its pre-COVID size, and their hard work during the shutdown has created the opportunity for success in Enmore.
“We pivoted the pubs to a food and beverage delivery service using our bartenders as drivers and riders, which was tremendously successful. We’ve come out of the period stronger than ever, and have the people power and the capital to take on a new project.”
Maintaining a dedication to all beer taps across the group being 100 per cent independent, Thorpe Hospitality sought other solutions by bringing brewing in-house, launching Oxford Brewing Racket.
“We started brewing our own beer last year, initially as a way to secure better margins without having to engage the large foreign-owned breweries, so the volume increase we will see there is very exciting.
“The additional revenue will mean we can invest more heavily in our areas of focus at the moment: compliance and marketing.”
Another newby is Sabrina Medcalf, bringing years of experience from the likes of Frankie’s Pizza and Tio’s to the role of general manager at The Duke, and praise as “an all-round legend” from Thorpe.
The transaction was executed by HTL Property’s Sam Handy and Blake Edwards, finding a new tenant and approval from long-time freeholder owner Charlie Mehanna.
“I set the boys the challenge of having a tenant in by Melbourne Cup Day, and they delivered with five weeks to spare,” noted Mehanna.
Agents report the campaign attracted 24 parties to formally inspect, yielding seven offers to purchase.
“We were inundated with enquiries over the course of this campaign,” says Handy, “and consequently are now discreetly working with several landlords to place these prospective operators within the right trading opportunities.”
Thorpe Hospitality is aiming to re-launch The Duke on Thursday, 22 October.
