The Crown and Badger has closed its doors after operating on The Strand in Tauranga’s CBD for 26 years.
The “iconic” Crown and Badger pub has poured its last pint.
The pub has been operating on The Strand in Tauranga’s CBD for 26 years and shut its doors for good on Sunday. It entered voluntary liquidation yesterday.
Owner/operator Jessica Mackenzie has run the business for nine of those years.
Mackenzie told the Bay of Plenty Times the decision to close was “incredibly hard” and emotional.
“We’ve been battling for years trying not to pull that pin, taking every avenue you could possibly imagine, we’ve tried it and it’s hard,” she said.
Mackenzie said the pub meant so much to so many and it felt “weird” to close down.
“It’s horrible because I love hospitality and I love this bar so much, it’s my everything but Tauranga is just too hard to operate in.”
She described the difficult trading conditions in the CBD as a “perfect little cocktail of bad events”.
“Covid impacted the city massively, and consumer spending is down, inflation is up, and there’s a lot of uncertainty going into what is traditionally a tough time anyway – winter.”
Mackenzie said the pub had three or four terrible summers in a row, which meant it wasn’t able to sustain winter sales.
“Normally, a lot of venues around here will make money over summer and it gets us through winter. But if you don’t make the money in summer, what do you do?”
She said the Crown and Badger’s situation was not unique and most hospitality venues around town were going “backwards” every year.
“How long do we keep doing that for? How long do we keep pummelling money into a venue?”
Mackenzie said people in the hospitality industry were “so hopeful” and generally optimistic but the past few years had been hard on the business.
“I feel so bad for the whole of Tauranga because it’s such an iconic, cool venue, and everybody’s got a connection to this place, it’s wild.”
The pub shared its closure with its customers in a social media post.
“The Crown and Badger has poured its last pint and closed its doors for good,” the post read.
“To everyone who’s been part of The Crown, thank you. From the epic teams we’ve had to our fantastic customers, you made the place what it was.”
The post said the past few years had not been easy for the pub and the owners had “given this place everything” but it was “time to pull the pin”.
“We’re gutted, not gonna lie. But also really proud of what this little pub was and the community around it.”
More than 600 people had “liked” the post since May 3, and it attracted 250 comments, many of which shared memories of times spent at the pub.
Mackenzie said it was “amazing” to read all the stories that had been shared.
“You look through that comment section and how many people met their husbands and wives here, or had first dates here, or celebrated after work, or it was part of their everyday routine.”
She said the pub’s longevity defined its legacy.
“This was a place for the community, it had a real culture, and I think Tauranga is going to miss it.”
Mackenzie said her staff, who were now unemployed, understood the decision to close.
“I made sure to tell them it’s through no fault of their own, they’re talented people, and really good at what they do.”
An employee, who did not want to be named, said it was “heartbreaking” for colleagues but was a relief to get closure on what had been a “rough journey”.
“For some time, the Crown and Badger seemed to be pretty stable and untouchable – until it wasn’t anymore.
“We just weren’t making enough money, and that’s been a problem for years, for the entire CBD, not just Crown and Badger.”
The worker said the Crown and Badger was a longstanding fixture of the city centre and people had incredible memories there.
“It’s an enormous and deep blow to the immediate CBD economy and hospitality culture, you can not forgive, but you can get past it, as tragic as it is.”
They said it was significant when a “major player” like Crown and Badger had to close its doors.
“It means the problem is that deep and enormous that it’s taken down one of the major and longstanding businesses.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.