Revamp for Turf Club bistro

The Legends Bar and Bistro at the Bunbury Turf Club is set for a major overhaul after the announcement of State Government Racing Infrastructure Grants last week.

The Bunbury Turf Club will receive almost $100,000 to install a new kitchen, as well as an additional $40,000 to build an electronic gate for the float park on the corner of Brittain Road and Blair Street.

Hospitality manager Suzanne Clark said the kitchen upgrade would bring the club’s facilities in line with council regulations.

“Over the years as things have broken and we’ve become busier we have made do with a lot of add-ons and quick fixes — it was just crisis management really,” she said.

“Having an old kitchen you can sometimes get away with things which would not be allowed in a new building so this money will allow us to gut the kitchen and redo it in line with present requirements.”

Stainless steel benchtops, air-conditioning and commercial fridges, freezers and a dishwasher will be installed.

“At the moment all we have is a little pedestal fan so you can imagine how hot it gets in February,” she said.

“We also only have two little sinks to wash all the dishes in so having a proper dishwasher will speed things up.”

The new kitchen will also allow the club to cater to growing demand in the bar and bistro.

Clark said she was unsure when work on the kitchen would start, but hoped it would be completed in time for the 2014-15 racing season.

Racing and Gaming Minister Terry Waldron said the Racing Infrastructure Grants program was established in 2010 to help the development of racecourse infrastructure.

“The focus was initially on critical racecourse infrastructure, but it was expanded to include patron facilities which deliver significant revenue back to clubs,” he said.