Meating Room owners: Hamish Walker, Phil Sacksady and Robii Khalil. Photo: Supplied.
When Region food writer Michelle Taylor visited Weston institution The Meating Room recently, she was unaware that this might be one of her last visits.
After publishing her writeup, Region was contacted by the owners of The Meating Room to inform us that they’d made the difficult decision to close at the end of April, marking the 10th anniversary of when they opened the doors.
Co-owner Robii Khalil said that over their decade in business, the support of the local community has kept them going.
“The reason we’ve been going for the last 10 years has been because of the support from our regulars and our locals,” Robii told Region.
“We still get the same regulars in every week for a beer after work. And we’ve put in a lot of hard work to keep them coming: changing up the menu, the barbecue offerings, doing theme nights.”
Meating Room has become something of a local institution. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Like many hospitality businesses, The Meating Room had a difficult time during COVID. Pivoting to takeaway kept the doors open, but surcharges and fees from third-party delivery apps meant they weren’t really making much of a profit. And the following years haven’t been easy.
“We clawed our way back for a while, but the last 18 months have been up and down. And the cost of wages goes up every six months, the liquor tax goes up every six months so our profits just get smaller and smaller every six months.”
Along with co-owners Hamish Walker and Phillip Sacksady, the trio were unable to come to an agreement with their landlord to renew the lease, so they’ve made the “agonising decision” to shut up shop at the end of April.
A portrait of Meating Room owners: Robii Khalil, Hamish Walker and Phil Sacksady. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
While it’s a bittersweet end to the business, Robii has plenty that he’s proud of throughout the years – from the way they turned a struggling location into a thriving local hub, to the community support they’ve been able to provide to local sports clubs.
“And I’m proud that the three of us have kept up that relationship over 10 years without fighting, especially because we weren’t really that close when we started.”
Robii also acknowledged the impact that their staff have had on the business. Several of their kitchen staff have been with them since the early days, and he says they’ve had very little turnover in the front-of-house team, which is a good sign of happy staff.
Smoked meats may still be on the menu as co-owner Hamish considers taking on a food truck for his barbecue meats. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
The future is still uncertain for the trio. Robii and Phil have taken on jobs in IT recently, and Robii says that after spending most of his life in hospitality, he’s enjoying the stability of an office job. Chef Hamish might turn his barbecue skills to a food truck venture.
Regardless of what they do in the future, Robii, Phil and Hamish would love to see anyone who has enjoyed what they have done over the years for one more beer and a meal before they close the doors.
The Meating Room is located at 45 Liardet Street, Weston. They will close at the end of April. Follow The Meating Room on Instagram or Facebook.
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