Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre seeks hospitality operator for new café 

The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre (The Joan) is seeking a professional food and beverage operator for an exciting new café that will enrich the experience of visitors to The Joan. 

An upgrade to The Joan by Penrith City Council, will see a new 19 sqm café built in the atrium foyer, including 66 sqm of internal and external seating, to enliven the venue and provide all-day dining for the whole community to enjoy. 

Penrith Mayor Karen McKeown said as an important creative hub in Penrith, the upgrade of The Joan plays a starring role in our vision to revitalise significant spaces and places in our city.

Mayor McKeown notes “our community has been waiting in the wings to enjoy live performances at The Joan once again when COVID-19 restrictions ease. To support the recovery of the arts community Council is delivering an upgrade of The Joan to improve the amenity and enhance patron’s experience at the centre.   

“The new café will be the perfect place to grab a meal before a show or catch up over a drink at the bar to reflect after a performance. These facilities will deepen the audience’s engagement with the arts and broaden the patronage at The Joan. The external seating will also revitalise the Mondo, improving the venue’s connection to the adjacent Westfield Penrith.”

Hania Radvan, Chief EXecutive of Penrith Performing and Visual Arts (PP&VA said that recent community research had underscored the need for The Joan to offer a holistic experience for patrons, with a place to gather before and after performances.

“A sense of connection is central to people’s engagement in arts and culture, with the social experience of sharing a meal before or after a show, in a creative venue, deepening their enjoyment of a local night out. It’s also just fantastic for some of the many hundreds of parents waiting for children taking music or drama lessons to have somewhere on-site to relax and reflect. Being in a space like The Joan offers something additional to the everyday hospitality experience, so we are very excited to be moving ahead with our much-anticipated café,” Radvan said. 

Radvan added “we are looking for a café operator that will work closely with us to develop food and beverage packages that reflect our artistic programs. This is a fantastic opportunity for a hospitality operator to run a brand-new café in a popular arts and culture venue, with 122,000 people coming through The Joan each year.”

The café operator will also manage the newly refurbished Borland Bar, located inside the foyer of The Joan. 

Not just for patrons of The Joan, the café will be a popular place to meet with friends or family to enjoy quality café style food as well as theatre favourites such as ice cream. 

The Development Application for The Joan café has been approved, with construction set to commence in January 2022 and completion scheduled for March 2022.  

Council and The Joan are seeking an experienced food and beverage operator with the flexibility to cater to a wide audience in a dynamic venue that transitions from daytime café to an evening theatre bar. 

Interested hospitality operators can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) from 3rd November to 1st December 2021 via www.brainandpoulter.com.au/thejoanpenrith  

To find out more about The Joan visit www.thejoan.com.au  and to find out more about the café visit www.penrith.city/thejoancafe