A Perth bar owner who launched a new venture just months before the pandemic hit has decided to sell up.
Colin Bell, who opened The Bunker Golf Lounge & Bar in September 2019, is taking extended time off work to recover from upcoming surgery.
He had long dreamed of opening his own pub but lockdown hit just six months after opening.
Now back up and running, Colin says he can’t cope with the workload while recovering from his operation to correct a prolapsed disc.
The popular South Street bar is somewhat unique locally in that it offers up two golf simulators and a pair of Formula 1 racing simulators.
But it was shut for almost a year due to pandemic restrictions, something Colin says has been a major challenge.
Surgery leaves owner with little choice
The big Liverpool FC fan, who decked out the premises with the club’s flags and scarves for the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, says the decision was tough.
“I’ve enjoyed my time running the bar,” he said.
“I’ve met some great people and made some great contacts.
“But I’ll need to rest after surgery and I’m working 70 hours per week. I can’t keep doing that.
“It’s full on with no days off.”
The 45-year-old suffered a prolapsed disc in January which is causing him severe pain.
He has opted to get private surgery due to the long NHS waiting lists for certain operations.
Having previously worked as a prison officer for 17 years, he dreamed of opening his own bar and eventually took the plunge, but at the worst possible time.
The former Bank of Scotland building, which had lain empty for around five years, was given a major makeover with state-of-the-art indoor golf lounges the big investment.
Industry ‘getting back to normal’
He said: “We were just starting to build a customer base and get things going when the pandemic began.
“Overall, it meant almost a year of closures. It’s slowly getting back to normal now but there’s still some customers that don’t yet feel safe going into bars with Covid still around.”
He added: “Selling means I can recover, spend some time as a househusband, and see my two children more.
“It’s jobs like cleaning the pipes once a week which takes up a lot of time but is really important if you want to serve good beer.”
The bar is a free house, meaning it is run independently from the breweries that supply it, and the building itself is rented.
