Veteran Matthew Sen is stepping back from one of Sydney’s celebrated beer-driven pubs, offering up the Forest Lodge Hotel, aka ‘The Flodge’, in Sydney’s inner west.
Originally built in 1866, on a prominent corner of Arundel Street – which was at the time the original alignment of Parramatta Road, the main thoroughfare of the colony of NSW – the Forest Lodge was the last pub where travellers could rest before climbing the last big hill before descending into Sydney Town.
More than a century and a half later, the Forest Lodge benefits from strong visibility, pedestrian exposure and ease of access in the dense inner-city catchment of Forest Lodge and Glebe, proximate to Sydney University, Broadway and the CBD.
The pub provides an efficient single bar service public bar, gaming lounge with four machines, a well-equipped commercial kitchen, and dining and function areas, including popular outdoor parklet seating that enhances its street presence.
It is also highly regarded, with a strong brand identity, as a specialist in boutique and craft beers, showcasing a curated range of Australian and international brews on tap. It was winner of Best Tap List at the 2024 Beer & Brewer Awards, and has a reputation for collaborations with specialist brewers.
The Flodge sees a broad range of customers, attracting local residents, university students and corporate clientele, generating around $62k in weekly revenue.
On offer is a new five-year lease for the ground floor operation, with a five-year option and annual rent review at CPI or four per cent.
Sen has been a hands-on owner-operator at the Forest Lodge for years, and is looking to take a step back from the bar and let fresh eyes take the reins.
The sale of a well-established hotels in the tightly held inner west is rare. Sen has engaged Manenti Quinlan’s Leonard Bongiovanni to market the historic pub.
“The Forest Lodge Hotel represents an outstanding opportunity for an incoming operator to take control of an established venue within one of Sydney’s most desirable inner-west hospitality locations.”
