Big plans are brewing at the historic Dungowan Station as one of Tamworth's biggest hospitality chains prepares to take over the station's restaurant and function centre.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Central Hospitality (CH) Group will officially take over as the new operator for the function centre on August 1 with plans to expand the restaurant's hours, open three days per week instead of two, and start brewing pints in one of Tamworth's first microbreweries.
For patrons of the weekend-favourite, this means extended hours and new beverages are on their way.
Dungowan Station Owners Narree and Campbell McIntosh said the next phase of growth will be exciting and needs to be led by "the region's premier hospitality operator".
"We have other projects now coming to fruition, which is why it is important for us to focus our time as they materialise," the couple said.
"When we transformed the Dungowan Station woolshed into a restaurant and brewery, we had a vision for the venue's future, which is why we are excited to welcome Central Hospitality Group who share that vision and have the knowledge and experience to make it reality."
The McIntosh family has a long working relationship with CH Group Owner Jye Segboer, who supported the couple when they first revealed their plans for the restaurant in 2019.
"I've known them from being clients in our venues, as well as their other business and development around town, like the apartment complex next to the Tamworth Hotel," Mr Segboer said.
Since stepping down as president of the Tamworth Business Chamber, the businessman has become a fully-fledged property mogul, growing his hospitality empire significantly in the past couple of years.
The CH Group also owns the CH Boutique Hotel, Hopscotch cafe, Deco Wine Bar and Restaurant, Pavillion Function Centre, and the Pig and Tinder Box.
Mr Segboer also runs a hospitality consulting business, which operates statewide.
READ ALSO:
But the business owner says he isn't worried about spreading himself too thin.
"As the [CH] Group has continued to grow we've been able to bring on some excellent additions to our leadership team. Just recently we appointed two food and beverage operations managers who now oversee the daily operations of all the food and beverage venues," Mr Segboer said.
"That allows me the opportunity to focus more on the future development of the organisation and its overall operation."
The local business legend also said he hopes to finally bring to life a long-awaited, locally-brewed Tamworth beer, putting him in direct competition with Armidale-based microbrewery the Welder's Dog.
Dungowan Brewery completed construction in 2022 and its current operating hours are 10.30am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and by appointment for private functions Monday to Friday.
As for the McIntosh's, they will continue to run Dungowan Station's agricultural and farm stay operations and said they were excited to see what the CH Group can build from the seed the couple planted.
"We look forward to sharing a weekend beverage with our friends and clients on the other side of the bar from August," the couple said.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News