Southern Man & the Pride of the South

Southern Man & the Pride of the South

A change of career for former All Black Tane Norton will see him getting on the other side of the bar and running Bealey’s Speights Ale House and Restaurant.

Formerly the Gainsborough Motor Lodge, and more recently Outlaws Restaurant, Bealey’s is part of the Pacific Park accommodation complex, which has recently undergone a major transformation.

The 65 rooms onsite have been tastefully refurbished and the building’s exterior painted in muted colours. Added to this is the major redevelopment of the Bealey’s restaurant and bar interior on Bealey Avenue. The surrounding grounds have been landscaped and planted with native tussocks and high country flora to create a high country ambience.

“The great thing about Bealey’s is that travellers or locals don’t have to go into town to enjoy a drink or meal. Instead they can book into the adjoining Pacific Park accommodation complex and walk through to the bar,’’ says Tane Norton.

“While we are keen to attract local and provincial sports groups and clubs to the accommodation, Bealey’s is the ideal meeting place for people who live in the neighbourhood,” says Tane Norton.

Tane co-owns the business with son Richard and local businessman Max Bremner, who has established many successful theme bars around Christchurch.

Bealey’s Speights Ale House is named after early settler, pastoralist and Superintendent of Canterbury, Samuel Bealey who lived in the area. Bealey’s identity and likeable personality were seen as ideally suited to the popular Speights Ale House & Restaurant brand, which is also given to the tree-lined Bealey Avenue.

From Auckland to Queenstown, the success of Speights has seen it become New Zealand’s most popular beer, and the complementary menu has proven a hit with customers who want to match their meals with the right Speights ale.

“We’re looking to create a unique bar, where, from the moment you walk through the door from your room or off the street, you feel welcome. We are trying to make Bealey’s a place where you can bring friends or family and have a great dining experience and time out,” says Tane Norton who is no stranger to hospitality, citing the recent Lions tourists who stayed at Pacific Park as: “Enjoying their stay because of the personal
hospitality shown.”

Bealey’s Speights Ale House and Restaurant, 263 Bealey Avenue, is open daily, serving full breakfast, lunch and dinner, and brunch on Sunday.

ENDS

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