It’s been eight long years since the old building saw any life and part owner Bob Sibley said it was liberating to see it reach this stage.

“We’re very relieved and so grateful to the local people and local contractors for helping us get here,” Mr Sibley said.

The business officially opened at 10am last Friday and it attracted a curious crowd over the ensuing days.

“It was fantastic – you would always like more but the support throughout the weekend from locals and passers-through was very pleasing.

“Feedback has been very positive – there were a few opening day teething problems that we’ll fine tune a bit,” he said.

It’s been a labour of love for a year now and Bob said he and the other partners were content with what they’ve achieved to date.

“It was a big job with a very old building but we are happy with the final product and hope everyone else will be,” Bob said.

Fellow partner Justin Sibley said they were pleasantly surprised by the turn out.

"It was indeed a fantastic weekend, albeit without much sleep. We could not have anticipated that so many people would come and check us out on our first night.

“We were so happy to hear everyone loved the food, the craft beers and wine. Everyone seemed to love what we had done to respect the building's heritage and charm.

Justin said the next step will be to introduce Friday and Saturday night dining in the coming weeks.