Auckland businessman Leo Molloy. New Zealand Herald photograph by Michael Craig
Auckland businessman Leo Molloy. New Zealand Herald photograph by Michael Craig
Hospitality giant and former Auckland mayoral candidate Leo Molloy has revealed the opening date for his new HeadQuarters establishment, as well as his grand plans for revolutionising the city’s viaduct scene.
Speaking with the Herald, Molloy said HeadQuarters Viaduct will be opening its doors on January 25 at the old O’Hagan’s Irish Pub on Customs St West.
Molloy said the new HeadQuarters will take on an “evolution” from the old restaurant and promises it will be more stylish.
“We’re trying to fill a niche in the market,” he said.
“Clearly Soul [Bar and Bistro] has a niche. Bivacco [Italian restaurant] has a niche. There are some other places in the Viaduct that do good alcohol-driven operations, such as Danny Doolan’s and Foxes is a good sports bar, Dr Rudis and [Saint] Alice are well-known for what they’re good for, great views and nice premises. But we think there is an opportunity to capture the market between Soul and Bivacco. We sit right in the middle.”
The old HQ was a pop-up, Molloy said, and he was reluctant to spend significant money on it.
“In the new instance, because we own the building and will be here forever, we’re not afraid to open the wallet and have a crack.
“It will be a lot more upmarket and stylish compared to the old one. There will be a significant music component but it won’t be thump-thump bass music. We’re taking a fairly aggressive position.”
The location of Leo Molloy's new HeadQuarters Viaduct establishment. Photo / File
The at-times controversial businessman revealed he and his three business partners now own an enclave of establishments an arm’s length away from each other, wanting it to be the heart of the viaduct.
Molloy, who owns 50 per cent, and his three business partners, who he says own the other 50 per cent of the new HeadQuarters, are renovating the establishment and creating a new fit-out and floor plan.
“[The new HQ] is wrapped into the other outlet [Little HQ] which is an arm’s reach, and we’ve just acquired the dairy so we have three there in the enclave,” Molloy told the Herald.
“It’s unclear exactly what shape it’s going to take but two will be for hospitality. One will be a mainstream bar with a good food component and the other will be for functions and events which has a capacity of 75 people. That will be Little HQ.”
Little HeadQuarters is just metres away from the new HeadQuarters Viaduct venue. Photo / Little HeadQuarters
The former Danny Doolans owner explained while the old HeadQuarters was a raging success, the plan is to make it more stylish.
The double-storeyed building will provide plenty of capacity for HeadQuarters, with Molloy saying they’re taking out the O’Hagan’s spiral stairwell and creating more space upstairs.
While paying tribute to other viaduct hospitality establishments, Molloy said he isn’t interested in competing with rivals, but he firmly has eyes on becoming the number one go-to destination on the viaduct.
So what will be HeadQuarters’ point of difference? Molloy says the layout of HeadQuarters will be inviting but that they plan to be the first place people think of when they want food after 10pm.
The old Headquarters bar, Viaduct Basin. Photo / Jason Oxenham
“It’s a huge rearrangement. They had a spiral staircase right in the middle that divided the room. It was an extraordinary design but I don’t understand what they were thinking. We’ve shifted the stairwell and opened the entire mezzanine floor up top... We’ve doubled the capacity and we’ve spent some serious money on the ladies’ toilets.
“I don’t want to compete with Bivacco or Soul based on price point or quality because they’re tilting on the fine-dining side, but I want to do good honest pub food.
“I do a different style of food. I use absolute premium cuts, I do substantial-style meals. Pub food but I tend to use the best cuts and fish, and I put in a really good hotline.
“I also want to be the number one player in town when it comes to after 10pm. People on the p*** say ‘go to the White Lady for a burger’, and I love the White Lady myself, but I want to be ‘that guy’ where people say ‘let’s go to HQ’ because they have full-time food on.
“Every other restaurant in town closes their main kitchen menu at 9pm because wages are getting out of control. I want to fill that opportunity and have staff on right until 2am and make the absolute best doner kebab that you’ll find. I want to be that guy.”
Auckland businessman Leo Molloy. Photo / Michael Craig
The move comes after Molloy closed the original HeadQuarters that directly overlooks the harbour in May.
Headquarters was established as a temporary restaurant and bar on its current site in 2016 on a short-term lease that was extended until earlier this year.
It was initially erected as a central Viaduct venue for the Lions’ Tour and subsequently went on to host a plethora of Viaduct events, including two America’s Cup celebrations.
