The waterfront Billfish Cafe restaurant and bar in Auckland Westhaven Marina is for sale as a going concern business within leased premises.
“This hospitality business overlooks the biggest boating marina in the Southern Hemisphere,” says Carolyn Hanson of Bayleys who, with tourism and hospitality sales colleague, Mike Peterson, is accepting offers on the licensed business operation (but not the property) at 31 Westhaven Drive until 4pm on Thursday June 27.
The casual dining Billfish Café restaurant and bar is located at Z Pier at Westhaven Marina - between Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter and the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
“The business is licensed to serve about 100 diners over two levels,” Hanson says.
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Billfish occupies a 225.5sq m building area encompassing 117.2sq m of ground floor kitchen and dining space; with 41.4sq m of outdoor decking; and 66.9sq m of second floor cafe service area.
The food and beverage venture operates from its premises on a lease running through to 2024 and has designated customer car parks, as well as shared access to around 200 council-administered public car parking spaces. Billfish employs a mix of full-time and part-time staff members.
Hanson says the eatery has been operating from Z Pier for 13-years with annual profits recorded year-on-year consistently over that time. Z Pier, where the Billfish restaurant and bar is located, is the commercial hub of Westhaven Marina – servicing more than 50 charter operators and chandlery businesses.
The marina accommodates more than 2000 sailing craft and motor vessels – both moored and in stacked storage warehousing.
Westhaven is also home to four yacht clubs, in addition to the Ponsonby Sailing School, the Auckland Dragon Boat Club, the Etchell Fleet, and the charity Sailability which offers on-water experiences for people with disabilities.
“The northerly-facing al-fresco deck looks out over hundreds of pleasure craft moored at Westhaven Marina, with the Auckland Harbour Bridge beyond the breakwater, and the suburbs of the North Shore on the horizon,” says Hanson.
“Unless booked for private functions, Billfish operates for breakfasts, lunches and afternoon tapas on Tuesday and Wednesdays, then for breakfast, lunch and dinner service from Thursday through to Sunday.
“Billfish is very much a destination establishment, although the growing residential population of apartment dwellers in the Wynyard Quarter is bringing in a new clientele as occupation of the blocks increases.
“Weekend visitor numbers have grown significantly over the past five years with the construction of the bike path linking the Viaduct, Wynyard Quarter and Silo Park precincts with the Westhaven Marina breakwater and lower inner-harbour facing approach of the harbour bridge.
“There is also the opportunity to increase the number of weddings and functions hosted at Billfish through target marketing to that niche clientele,” Hanson says.
Peterson says that with the America’s Cup looming large in the summer of 2021, Billfish will be one of several waterfront hospitality establishments poised to see a growth in turnover from the corporate sector looking for food and beverage services directly linked to the racing.
“This can either be as a morning venue serving the likes of coffee and muffins before spectators head off for the day from Westhaven Marina; or as an evening entertaining venue when spectator craft and their passengers come back into port at the end of the day’s racing,” he says.
“If the past America’s Cup events are the benchmarks to go by, business will be corporate focused during the week, and then will be personal and leisure orientated over the weekends. this allows for venues such as Billfish to target-market their food and beverage options accordingly.
“The benefit of also having split foodservice areas means Billfish can operate two functions simultaneously, or allocate just the upstairs portion to hosting a private event or wedding while still allowing general public access to the lower floor and alfresco areas.
“That’s a flexibility many hospitality operations simply can’t offer because of their design lay-out.”
Peterson says the Billfish businesses will suit an already established cafe or restaurant operator with a marketing-orientated background; looking for a venue that will allow them to increase the number of hours they are open for.
A full suite of fittings, furnishings, cutlery, crockery and stock is included in the Billfish sale – making it a virtual ‘turn-key’ operation, he says.
