After years behind two familiar Hobart waterfront names, Leo and Amelia Miller are preparing to unveil their biggest venture yet. With a new concept, a major investment and a changing hospitality landscape, they’re backing a different kind of night out for what comes next. F or Leo and Amelia Miller, closing the doors on two successful Hobart hospitality businesses wasn’t about walking away from an industry they had spent years building their lives around.
It was about deciding what came next.
After six years of Billy’s Burgers and their time running neighbouring waterfront stalwart T42, the couple could have opted for familiarity. Instead, they are preparing to unveil an entirely new venue on not only the former T42 site, but also the adjoining former Asian Gourmet space as well. This venture is one shaped by months of research, a significant investment and a belief that the way people experience hospitality is changing. The decision to close Billy’s was perhaps easier than outsiders might have expected for Leo, despite its popularity. “Because we made the decision so far in advance it was a bit easier, it wasn’t a split-second decision,” he says. “I just think Billy’s had run its course. Some businesses are around for 50 years and some aren’t, and it was great while we had it, we loved it, and it went well. “I think we did a good product and gave people a good experience, and feedback was always good. But we were just probably ready for something new.” Amelia agrees. The burger market that Billy’s entered had c h a n g e d considerably during its six years, with more
INDUSTRY FEATURE All in on somethin
LEO MILLER OUTSIDE ELIZABETH STREET PIER.
we’re sort of happy to move on to a different challenge,” she added. That challenge began, somewhat unexpectedly, while Amelia was waiting for knee surgery. At the time, the pair were considering upgrades to both Billy’s and T42. What they initially envisaged as a refresh soon became a much bigger conversation after a phone call from their landlord. “He came to us and said, ‘look, I think your more traditional hospitality model is getting pretty hard work’,” Leo says. “He’s from WA, he’s got a lot of commercial property around the country and a lot of tenants, and he said there were people doing some exciting things and some concepts going quite well. “So he suggested we head to WA and he’d take us to have a look at a few bits and pieces.” That trip became the starting point for a much broader research exercise. Leo and Amelia travelled around Australia looking at venues, concepts and changing customer habits, gradually piecing together what they believed
operators competing for the same customers. “ T h e r e ’ s so many businesses now who are competing in that burger space that
LEO MILLER WITH ONE OF BILLY’S BURGERS FAMOUS OFFERINGS
18
Tasmanian Hospitality Review August/September Edition
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator