Local family to take over Lorne Bowls Club restaurant

TWO families from Lorne are aiming for the skies in their pursuit of culinary success at the Lorne Bowls Club.

The Mclldowie and Holloway families will run In the Skies Restaurant and Bar, which will specialise in Italian inspired food designed to share with friends and family.

The local family ran the Bowls Club restaurant for short period in 2019-2020 before the pandemic shutdowns.

Four and a half years later, two more children and one gallery business later, the team were in the right place at the right time to return to the wonderful venue.

 

Co-owner Anna Mclldowie said the group looked forward to the excitement laying ahead.

“We are pinching ourselves that it’s real, to be honest – it’s like every day it just dawns on me more and more what a unique, rare and special opportunity it is to run the Lorne Bowls Club.

“We aim to make it a location where you don’t have to think twice before dropping down to have a drink, a barefoot bowl, a snack, a cup of tea or a bowl of pasta – knowing you will be greeted by friendly faces, run in to people you know, meet new people or just find a spot to relax and watch the bowling/world go by.

“Our dream is for this venture at the Bowls Club to be a really sustainable long-term thing for the whole family, because we are not going anywhere soon! Hopefully the town will be stuck with us at the bowlo for the next 15 years.”

Ms Mclldowie said the restaurant and bar would work with the Bowls Club committee and bowlers to promote barefoot bowls and pennant bowling to the wider community.

“Of course, we are very excited to continuing the club’s proud history of being a friendly and accessible restaurant, bar, function venue and sporting facility for the local and regional community to utilise, enjoy and benefit from.

 

 

“Since we only ran the restaurant last time, we didn’t have that much to do with barefoot bowls or pennant bowling, so we are excited that this time we will be much more connected to the bowling side of the club. It offers such great physical and social health and wellbeing opportunities for the community.

“We also hope to build on the club’s reputation as a place where holiday makers, travellers and people new to town can find a welcoming place to connect in with the community and place.

“We hope we will fit into the Lorne community gathering place/hospitality ecosystem well.”

The restaurant will open in late September four to five days a week.

It will open for drinks and tea and coffee in the mid afternoon, and be open for dinner plus Sunday lunch.

After Boxing Day, the team plan to be open every day and night.

For more information, head to facebook.com/intheskiesvenue