Shellharbour’s Ocean Beach Hotel set for a wave of changes under new ownership while keeping its seafood tradition

The new owner of the Ocean Beach Hotel in Shellharbour Village, the Feros Group, is looking to make major changes to the iconic watering hole while keeping its tradition of a menu that speaks of the ocean.

Licensee Ed Whitlam said the Feros Group, which already owns Sydney-based pubs and the Berry Hotel, began operating the Shellharbour premises on 1 July and was already making changes.

“The new food menu and wine and cocktail menu are already in,” Ed said.

“Physical changes you will see within the next month or two months will be re-oiling the deck and sanding back all the outdoor tables and redoing them as well, then repainting the inside area and getting new furniture.

“So, we have our immediate plans – a quick lick of paint and changing furniture – but that’s a stepping stone to a much bigger renovation later down the track, where we’ll reconfigure the venue a little bit and really make it shine.

“We will look at building a kids’ play area during the big renovation.”

Ed said they were also redesigning the kitchen, having already brought in a lot of new equipment for it.

“Customers won’t see it but what they will experience is food coming out quickly, not having to wait too long, and better-quality food,” he said.

“The menu is still speaking to the ocean so there’s a lot of seafood options on there.”

Ed said that included a seafood pizza, seafood pasta, a seafood platter, barramundi and the option to add salmon to most salads.

“It’s definitely still speaking to that seafood theme, but then it’s got the pub classics on there as well,” he said.

“Feros Group is very well known for big portions and value for money, so we’re rolling out a lot of what we call our two-for-one discounting.

“Once the chefs have all settled into the new menu, we’ll start rolling out specials like surf ‘n’ turf and that sort of thing – we’ll let the chefs get creative.”

Ed said the menu and team were under the tutelage of its group executive chef, who designs the menus for the group, works with suppliers to ensure the best-quality ingredients and trains staff to ensure consistency with the food.

“The Feros Group loves food and beverage – we’re very passionate about it in our family-orientated venues,” he said.

“We’re just looking to build on the foundations of the venue and really create a fantastic community asset that speaks to families.”

He said since taking over the hotel, which is steeped in history, having been established overlooking the harbour in 1929, he and his team had been warmly welcomed by the community.

“A lot of the people who live in the area come in here saying, ‘Oh, I’ve been coming to this venue since I was 18 years old’ and they’re now retired,” he said.

“So a lot of the locals have been able to fill me in on the way the pub used to be configured.

“I heard about the underground cellar here that used to be the hub for the whole Shellharbour region.

“It’s still there – you can crawl in and then stand up in there.”

He said the reason Feros had added the Shellharbour venue to its growing stable of properties was part of a larger plan.

“It’s part of the broader picture for the Feros Group, which is really to base ourselves in the Sutherland Shire and work our way down the South Coast area,” he said.

“Berry was the first step further down and Engadine and Heathcote are along the road down here, so Shellharbour and the Ocean Beach Hotel are perfect.

“And why wouldn’t we – it’s a really incredible venue and fantastic location in an up-and-coming area.

“With the apartments going in at Shell Cove, it means there’s so much potential here.”

To learn more and view the menu, visit Ocean Beach Hotel.