Isaac Zietek, left, and Nick Christou are the owners of the new Park Hotel in Werribee. 85645 Picture: KRISTIAN SCOTT
By XAVIER SMERDON
THE owners of Wyndham’s most talked about new business believe they have created the start of a new beginning for Werribee and Watton Street.
Passers-by have been crowding the footpath outside the new Park Hotel as they peer in the windows to get a glimpse of the interior.
The building the hotel occupies on the corner of Watton Street and Station Place was previously unused for several years after hosting several other pubs and clubs, including the Tudor Inn.
But Nick Christou from Werribee South and Isaac Zietek from Point Cook are determined to show residents that their venue is unique.
“We completely gutted the old venue and started again,” Mr Christou said.
“We’ve deliberately taken it as far away from what it was as possible.”
The Park Hotel has 150 beers, not one of them from a commercial company, a working keg room where patrons can see the beers being pumped to the taps and a brand new kitchen.
The owners have also focused heavily on security improvements, installing 30 security cameras in and around the venue and creating a strict set of rules of entry. These include no fighting, play fighting or talking about fighting.
“We’re very conscious of fitting in with the community and our patron’s safety,” Mr Zietek said.
“We wanted to create a place where people can come and have a drink or a meal and feel comfortable and safe.”
Both the owners said they felt the multi-million dollar redevelopment was a sign of things to come in Werribee.
“We’re banking on the fact that the area will continue to develop,” Mr Christou said.
“The council have been very supportive of us and we feel like this is the beginning of their vision for the area and hopefully a lot more people will get a lot more support.”
The second stage of the development will be to build a beer garden and a function space, with work already started on those areas.
