ROYAL OAK TURNS A NEW LEAF

Cessnock’s Royal Oak Hotel is in fresh new hands again, with a Newsome-Horvath partnership finding new life in the old Oak.

Built in 1922 on a prominent corner in the gateway to the Hunter Valley, the large brick hotel features a bar, bistro, spacious rear beer garden, off-street parking, and a separate cafe point of sale.

Its restaurant has previously claimed prestigious accolades, in both the SMH Good Food Guide and at the AHA NSW and National Awards for Excellence in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

For eight years it was run by doctor-publican John Harvey, before he became embroiled in a dispute with the ATO in 2019 and listed the pub for sale.

But in early 2020 the Royal Oak was forced to close, with Worrells Insolvency & Forensic Accountants appointed, and soon for sale again, under instruction by the receivers.

Remaining dormant throughout the shutdowns and reopening, in April 2021 the troubled pub was sold to an unnamed but growing local operator, who reportedly already owned two other Hunter Valley freehold hotels and bought the Royal Oak as “a strategic property play”.

The leasehold operation has now been on-sold, through MQ & Associates’ Leonard Bongiovanni, to business partners Rahni Newsome and Kristi Horvath.

Around a year ago Sydney-born Newsome moved to Queensland to be with her daughter, and subsequently bought the lease at the Commercial Hotel in Biggenden, near Fraser Island, with Horvath.

They have now returned to NSW to take the reins of their second pub, which they say is an “icon for the area”. 

Having been closed for a while, it has taken some work for the family business to revive the Oak.

“We’ve put in a lot of elbow grease and love, to bring her back to life and wake her up,” says Newsome. 

When first contemplating the opportunity and what would be their business model, the women considered what people have been through during the pandemic, and settled on the fact that everyone has been so isolated.

“We thought that is our focal point – reconnecting people and putting them in a space where they can have those conversations they’ve missed out on in the last couple of years, and listen to some good music.”

Lacking the resources and budget of a larger group, the historic pub has begun reopening in stages, starting with the café, which has seen “good traffic” in its first week and allowed them to spread the word.

Tonight (29 April) the main bar reopens for the first time, accompanied by the new pizza menu.

In around a week will come the bistro and back bar, where live bands will play, and once things settle into a rhythm come plans to open the a la carte restaurant.

The pub enjoys a 3am licence, and is proudly sans gaming.

Newsome says the locals have expressed their disappointment that it closed, but are eager to see the new upmarket local, and she is set for the new challenge.

“A lot of people have been messaging us and interested, knocking on doors, waiting for it to reopen. I haven’t had anyone say anything negative.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to deliver on the excitement that everyone in the area has.”