Turning 25 is often seen as a milestone, a time for reflection. But what if your '25th' is a business, not a person? Edgar's, a beloved pub in Ainslie, Canberra, is celebrating a quarter-century of serving the community, and it's thriving! You might even need a reservation to snag a table on any given night.
Co-owner Frank Condi attributes their enduring success to a key ingredient: adaptation.
"The biggest factor for that business was for it to evolve," he explains. "It didn’t open as it did today; it was a small corner venue with a BBQ in the kitchen and free-standing fridges behind the bar. It was pretty raw and basic.”
Edgar's has transformed from a humble downstairs pub into a multi-faceted venue, incorporating upstairs spaces like Wakefields and The Inn, along with Mama's Pizza, a traditional Italian wood-fired pizza joint. This evolution caters to diverse tastes, offering everything from upscale dining to classic pub fare and delicious pizza.
"You can now have a more upscale experience upstairs with food cooked over charcoal, the classic pub experience downstairs or a traditional wood-fired pizza, but the basics are that it’s a classic pub that anyone and everyone can go to, whether you’re wearing trackie pants or a suit.”
And this is the part most people miss... The goal was to recreate the atmosphere of those historic corner pubs found in cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Frank's vision was clear: to create a timeless establishment deeply rooted in the community.
"I wanted something that would outlast me, something classic, something that was a part of the community and Canberra never got those suburban corner pubs so we wanted to bring that to Ainslie," Frank shares. He dreams of Edgar's becoming a local institution, much like the centuries-old pubs of London.
Frank acknowledges the crucial role of the Ainslie neighborhood in their success. "We’re very lucky here in Ainslie: the IGA is amazing, that family has expanded the business tenfold, and we’ve got everything you need here. The doctor’s surgery, the laundromat, all the businesses that have been there so long and feel like they’re a part of the landscape.”
Edgar's, alongside the IGA, has become an anchor in this unique shopping precinct, creating its own little ecosystem. Frank also addresses the challenges facing the hospitality industry, such as changing consumer habits and rising costs.
"It’s about community engagement. We’ve got kids in the neighbourhood who grew up in the area and went on to work for us, and now they’re coming back here and having kids. The return business that feels like they’re a part of it really helps. We want everyone to feel like they belong there.”
But here's where it gets controversial... Frank envisions another 25 years for Edgar's, relying on the strong reputation built over the past two and a half decades. He hopes that Edgar's will become the kind of place people wish they had in their own neighborhoods.
Edgar's is located at 1 Edgar Street, Ainslie, and is open 7 days a week from 7 am to 11 pm, and to 11:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
What do you think? Do you agree that community engagement is the key to a business's longevity? Do you think Edgar's has successfully created a welcoming space for everyone?
