High-profile businessman Rolf Mueller opts to restore Mooloolaba seafood restaurant instead of development

A tuna fisherman and prominent publican has opted against a lucrative waterfront unit development to restore the site of a former family favourite Mooloolaba seafood restaurant.

The Bridge Mooloolaba’s new head chef, Mahinda Panditha. Photo: Patrick Woods.

A temptation to cash in with a boutique waterfront unit development never entered longline fisherman Rolf Mueller’s mind as he set about reinventing a former favourite seafood restaurant.

The Gympie publican and former Mooloolaba-based tuna fisherman has refurbished the former The Bridge Seafoods site at Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba and will launch The Bridge Mooloolaba on November 5.

Mr Mueller bought the site four years ago and had tenants installed on a 12-year lease before Covid-19 struck.

The tenants had to hand back the lease with nine years left to run.

Mr Mueller said development had been an option, but one he never entertained.

Instead he was determined to recreate a venue where the locals “loved to go”.

The Bridge Mooloolaba staff members, apprentice chef Tania Hickmott, manager Elly Balwanz, owner Rolf Mueller, head chef Mahinda Panditha and bar manager Ben Van Woerkom. Photo: Patrick Woods.

“I love renovating places,” he said.

His son Ben will deliver fresh bugs and prawns virtually to the door with his Mooloolaba-based trawler, to keep the plates full at the venue which would open Wednesday-Sunday initially.

Mr Mueller said this model enabled him to maximise his number of full-time staff, which he believed was the best way to create the atmosphere which would deliver return customers.

The old The Bridge Seafoods site.

Several water-based businesses operate out of that pocket of Mooloolaba including Sunshine Coast Afloat and Scuba World and Mr Mueller said he was eager to work with them to create a “hub” in the area.

Mr Mueller said the nostalgia was a drawcard already with several bookings from former Bridge Seafoods customers eager to check out the new venue which had a designated bar and coffee area.

“We’re going to do it right so those people can come and enjoy the place,” Mr Mueller said.

Rolf Mueller and his family, Gympie publicans, decided not to develop famous The Bridge Seafoods site at Mooloolaba, and instead have brought it back to life as a waterfront seafood dining/bar spot dubbed The Bridge Mooloolaba. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Mr Mueller said he’d had “no reservations” about opening up a venue in the midst of the pandemic and he had a team of eight staff excited to establish the venue as a go-to for locals.

The former schoolteacher said there would be an emphasis on seafood in the restaurant, but there would also be steaks, share plates and tapas on offer as well as several taps of local beer.

The decision not to develop was a bold one from the jack of many trades who also owned the 133-year-old The Australian Hotel in Gympie.

He purchased the 1110sq m Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba property for just less than $879,000 in late-2017 and CoreLogic data revealed the median price of units in Mooloolaba as of August, 2021 was $662,951.