Manager Ned Scanlan says the renovations will boost the club’s community appeal. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The RUC at Turner isn’t what you might expect from your average bowl-o. There are still plenty of retirees bowling up a storm on the greens by day, but in the evening and on weekends the club has become a local favourite for the wider community, with families coming in for meals, and students using it as a launch pad for a night out in the city.
Manager Ned Scanlan said the RUC at Turner was lucky to be in a great location for a diverse range of customers.
“It’s really important to us. We want everyone to feel welcome,” Mr Scanlan told Region Media.
“Young uni students right through to long-term residents … post-Christmas [we had] families connecting down here on Boxing day, watching the cricket, having three or four generations sharing a meal.”
The bar remains fully operational while renovations are wrapping up. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Mr Scanlan explained that the original set-up of the club wasn’t working efficiently to serve the expanding customer base. So they’ve embarked on some ambitious renovations to change the layout to allow for more people and a little extra elbow room.
“We’ve increased our internal footprint by about 40 per cent. So that’s allowed us to have a little bit more comfort and space for the customers, especially on bad-weather days,” he said.
The final piece of the puzzle is upgrading the kitchen, where everything but the pizza ovens has been out of action for a couple of weeks. Fortunately, they’ve teamed up with local favourites Grease Monkey, who have parked their food truck out front to keep the burgers, chips and fried chicken pumping.
Mr Scanlan said they were really keen to have Grease Monkey come to help out over that gap because it was such a recognisable local business and they were confident the team was up to the job.
“They’re an efficient and quick business. They know how to do it!”
The Grease Monkey truck will stick around at the RUC until 22 January, when the kitchen renovations are complete. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The bar is still pouring beers inside, and pizzas are also available during the renovations. The Grease Monkey van will be parked at the RUC until 22 January and the fully renovated kitchen will open after that. The revamped space will allow them to serve the increased customer numbers with shorter waiting times and great quality.
Good news for sports fans: the new renovations will also include a Sports Pit with extra big screens to watch the game of the day. Mr Scanlan joked that there were “more TVs than a Harvey Norman!”.
The RUC is a popular venue for students, families and bowlers. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The renovations and increased customer base have helped to maintain the greens and create a great clubhouse atmosphere for the venue’s bowlers. It’s given the club a new lease of life and created myriad benefits for the whole community, whether you’re an old-school bowler or the barefoot-with-beer type.
“The bowlers are right on board now … they’re a thriving bowling community,” Mr Scanlan said.
The RUC at Turner is at 54 McCaughey St and is open from 11 am until late, seven days a week.
Grease Monkey will be parked at the RUC until 22 January and is open daily from midday until late.
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