The Lagoon managing director Andrew Harrison is preparing to farewell his family’s restaurant after 40 years. Photos: Supplied.
The Lagoon Seafood Restaurant is preparing to shut its doors after four decades, after the Illawarra institution was told its lease would not be renewed and use of the site would go out to public tender.
The family-owned restaurant nestled between Wollongong’s waterfront and picturesque parks has been the site of celebrations, controversy and countless challenges throughout its almost 40 years of operation.
Former Wollongong Lord Mayor George Harrison and his wife Vania started the venture in 1986, with the venue growing into an iconic spot for everything from major events to weekend coffee catch-ups.
Their son Andrew, now at the helm as managing director of The Lagoon, has been a part of the business since he was seven, but he wasn’t always destined to take the reins.
“I grew up seeing my parents work really hard, my mum especially worked nights, weekends, never had time with the family,” Andrew said.
“And I always resented the fact that my mum particularly wasn’t there because she was at the restaurant and always thought ‘I don’t want to become a restaurateur’.
“I went to university and did a marketing degree and then went and worked as a sports marketer in Sydney. Doing the job I just realised that hospitality was in my blood and I had a calling to come back and work for the family business.”
The restaurant faced significant obstacles throughout the years, including the site being substantially damaged and requiring rebuilding after a fire in 2001.
The Lagoon has been a part of Andrew’s life since he was a child – but he never thought he would take it over.
But Andrew said it was his experience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic that was the greatest challenge.
“This restaurant is pretty much open 24/7; our fishmongers start at midnight, our cleaners finish at 4 am sometimes, it never closes, but when it came to COVID, the restaurant basically had to lock its doors for the first time with no-one inside,” Andrew said.
“We had to change how we did business.”
Industry-wide struggles continue to have an impact.
“People are struggling with cost of living, interest rates, petrol and food costs, so people don’t have the money that they used to for discretional spend in hospitality, so that’s a challenge,” Andrew said.
For all the downs, there have been twice as many highlights.
Weddings, charity events, galas, business dinners, anniversaries and other special events have secured the venue in the hearts of many loyal customers in the Illawarra.
Now it could all come to an end.
The 20-year lease signed in 2006 expires next July, and Wollongong City Council has informed Andrew it will not be automatically renewed, but will instead go out to public tender.
“As much as I was prepared, because I’ve known 2026 was the year the lease was ending and obviously I’ve always planned that it might come to an end then, when that letter came it does really hit home that this was it and it was a shock to the system,” Andrew said.
Council anticipated there would be significant interest when it calls for tenders for the property.
“Under NSW Government legislation, council is required to undertake a competitive tender process to ensure we’re getting the best value for our community in council-owned buildings, services, and facilities,” a spokesperson said.
“We regularly carry out competitive tender processes for a diverse and wide range of opportunities including construction projects, the provision of services like road marking, as well as for cafes and food businesses in our buildings.”
After sharing the news with his customers online, Andrew was inundated with support and people sharing their love for the venue.
“It’s really heartening to hear the comments and phone calls and messages that I have received, because it just really hit home that it’s not just me that’s feeling this loss, it’s the whole community,” he said.
“It’s really nice to hear that The Lagoon’s been such a big part of everyone’s life since 1986.
“I’ve had phone calls from people that have said, ‘We got married there and we come every year for our anniversary – what are we going to do?'”
Council’s spokesperson said the “current tenant was welcome to apply, should they wish”, however, Andrew was still considering the best way to move forward.
“We may put in for the tender still, never say never; we’ll probably give it a good crack and see what happens,” he said.
Instead he’s focusing on creating memorable experiences with whatever time the restaurant has left.
“The next 10 months in the restaurant is very exciting because we’re going to be doing all our events as we usually do but there’s a bit of an underlying ‘this could be the last one’ spin to it,” Andrew said.
“We’re going to make sure that they’re bigger than ever.
“Next year leading up to the July deadline we’ll probably do a lot of reminiscing – we’ll bring back some old menus and have some parties.”
The new lease will be open to applications from late September.
