Bravo: Two become one

Downtown Tauranga's pedestrian mall will soon be taking on a new look following the refurbishment of the well-known Bravo Restaurant.

Owners Jack and Nancy Hogg are moving the business of the neighbouring Encore cafe into the Bravo premises on Mid City Mall (Red Square) - as well as sprucing up the restaurant itself.

Bill and Frances Campbell, operating on the other side of Encore, will take up the space vacated by the Hoggs and expand their Fancy That souvenir and gift shop.

The Hoggs will finish up with a cafe within a restaurant and it will all be called Bravo.

"It's big investment and something we believe in," said Nancy. "We've had Bravo for 11 years and it was ready for a refresh. It will be aesthetically different with more colour."

With the designers and contractors lined up, Encore closes next Saturday and Bravo next Sunday night. In a four-day turnaround, the new-look cafe and restaurant will be up and running on Friday, May 4.

"You don't want to be closed even for a week," said Nancy, past president of the Bay of Plenty Restaurant Association.

The interior of Bravo will be opened up with the removal of the bifold doors, dummy wall and shutters and replaced with one row of glass doors on the street frontage. The interior will also be redecorated, organised by Sally Lines of Tauranga-based Urban Lounge, and the Hoggs will nearly double the outdoor dining.

The tables and chairs on the mall will cater for about 50 people, instead of the present 36. The cabinet food from the Encore business, which specialises in gluten free, will be displayed on one side at the front of the building.

A coffee-making machine will open up to the footpath and people walking past can order their favourite cuppa.

The Hoggs have owned Encore for nearly six years and Nancy said: "The first four were good years and the last 18 months reflected the downturn in the economy and the pedestrian count in the downtown."

She said the rental for Encore took up 19 per cent of the annual revenue compared with the industry norm of 6-7 per cent and when a restaurant or cafe reached that level it was time to look at making changes.

The Bravo site has already been transformed from the Star Hotel to Oak and Ale Bar and then the restaurant.

The Hoggs first owned the Harbourside Restaurant before taking over Bravo and Encore. "Jack was a sailor and sitting on the water at Harbourside was an appropriate place to be," said Nancy.

The third owners within nine months, they ran the Harbourside restaurant at the southern end of The Strand for 15 years before selling the business and building to Shane Armstrong, the founder of the Grumpy Mole Saloon chain, in 2007. The Hoggs also bought Greerton's Heineken Bar three years ago. Recently, Barkers Mens Clothing and Living & Giving moved out of Mid City Mall, and Bill and Frances Campbell believed it created an opportunity for their business.

They will be punching out a wall in their existing shop on the corner of Devonport Rd and Spring St by the end of May and doubling their space in the Encore area. "We will be expanding our product range and moving into general gifts to take up the void left by Living & Giving," Frances said.