Following extensive renovation of its Tuggeranong site, Canberra Southern Cross Club (CSCC) has launched Southbound Clubhouse and Grill.
CSCC food and beverage general manager Anurag Gautam said the redevelopment of the group’s Tuggeranong site was long overdue.
“We have 85,000 members and 40 per cent of our members live in the Tuggeranong area, so we owed them a redevelopment. We haven’t done a significant investment in this precinct for a very long time, so it was right,” he said.
As Gautam puts it, it’s been designed to be a “pub in a club” with a four-part dining precinct. There’s a central sports bar that can set up to 240 guests, and features a six-metre screen, and offers 300 spirits and 24 beers on tap, alongside a list of local wines.
A family area includes a playground, while the cafe offers sandwiches and pastries prepared daily by the in-house pastry chef. A 130-seater restaurant rounds out the offering.
According to Gautam, the Southbound concept was shaped by member feedback.
“We did a member survey and had focus groups to find out what our members really want. We had a lovely woodfired pizza but our members wanted somewhere they can go on the weekday, go with their family for celebrations, take the kids, and go in the valley if they wanted a nice and good feed without driving to the city and blowing up $150 on the tab,” he said.
The menu is anchored by classic club favourites, with steaks at the centre.
“The staples don’t evolve a lot so you’ve got steaks and steak and people like a good steak. It’s the sauces or the accompaniments is where you might tinker around. What we try and do is generally in the club is keep everything fresh and lighter. We’ve made a conscious effort to cater to women because they’re the decision makers.”
For Gautam, Southbound reflects a broader evolution in club dining.
Southern Cross has always been on the forefront. Our food turnover is bigger than our gaming turnover.
It’s a very unique. The club and board of directors have been visionary in the sense that if you get your food and beverage right, the customer’s footfall will. The ACT government is quite keen in reducing gaming … so we had to find alternative venues.
Look out for Club Management Spring to check out what’s starring on the menu at Southbound.