Cav’s steakhouse: Famous guests who dined at beloved Gold Coast restaurant

From Liberace to Andy Williams, famed Gold Coast steakhouse Cav’s has fed plenty of celebrities in its 36 years. But nothing compared to the night Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bodyguards arrived.

GOLD Coasters have been pulling up a chair and tucking into a steak at Cav’s for 36 years.

A Glitter Strip institution, the steakhouse has welcomed everyone from locals to movie stars, politicians and even the bodyguards of Russian President Vladimir Putin through its doors.

But this weekend Cav’s is being put out to pasture, closing its doors for the final time on Saturday night.

It’s the end of an era for Labrador and steak-lovers alike who have enjoyed its hacienda-like surroundings and beloved fibreglass cows.

Cav’s. Picture Mike Batterham

In coming weeks it will be demolished to make way for the Arleen Residences, a 13-storey tower with 79 units.

The story of Cav’s begins in 1984 when a 21-year-old Richard Cavill took over Labrador restaurant the Beef Baron Restaurant and redeveloped it to create the famous eatery.

Among the celebrities who dined there over the years were Liberace, Phyllis Diller, Robert Goulet, Andy Williams, Alan Bond, Christopher Skase and Stuart Wagstaff.

Cav’s has been an icon for many years.

Mr Cavill had fond memories of Liberace’s visit, which came during his 1984 tour when he played the Stardust Room at Seagulls, around three years before his death from AIDS complications.

The American pianist and entertainer, known as Mr Showmanship, was “low-key”, according to Mr Cavill.

“We have had a lot of big names, but I like to keep it private. A lot of big names come in disguise and we work out who they are but we don’t let them know we know,” Mr Cavill said in 2016.

Liberace, pictured during his final Australian tour in 1984, ate at Cav’s

“Obviously they want to go out and not get recognised so we make sure they don’t. When Christopher Skase was building Marina Mirage he was a great regular – it didn’t end that well (for him) but he always had a great vision for the Coast so I always looked up to him for that.”

Another high-profile diner was the King of Tonga.

Mr Cavill revealed he had to get a chair especially made for him because he was “so big”.

“I still have the chair upstairs. We built a chair for him, commissioned a chair,” he says with a laugh.

One of the most surreal moments in the restaurant’s history came in 2014 during the G20 summit when members of Mr Putin’s entourage arrived and booked out the whole restaurant.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo by Alexey DRUZHININ / SPUTNIK / AFP)

“All of Putin’s men were here – it was amazing. They just came in and took over. They rang ahead and said ‘we don’t want anyone there’. They came in at 4pm,” Mr Cavill said.

“It was pretty funny because they didn’t ask any questions – they just did whatever they wanted, they blocked off the whole carpark. I was like “how are my butchery staff and customers going to get in?”

Indy driver Will Power at Cav's Steakhouse with teammate Simon Pagenaud and Richard cavill from Cav's Picture: Paul Riley

“I ran next door and bought a carton of vodka. I came back but they were all drinking rum. I had to run back and get another carton of rum. Boy they had fun. There was about 12 of them.

“We served them all, looked after them well. Because we booked them at 4pm, we wanted to get them out for the night shift so we were throwing the grog into them and throwing the food into them.”

Labor MPs Christine Smith, Peter Lawlor and Peta Kaye Croft celebrate their win with a drink at Cav's Steakhouse at Labrador in 2009.

Over the years the famous fibreglass cows became an iconic image of the city’s north but were the frequent targets of thieves.

In early 2016 Mr Cavill announced plans to redevelop the site to create the tower development.

After years of delay, this dream will finally come true once the doors close.

But the Cav’s story won’t end this weekend – plans were in the works for a revived Cav’s in the new tower as well as a new location while the development is under way.

“The steakhouse has a new location which we are carefully keeping under wraps for the time being,” Mr Cavill told the Bulletin in September.

The tower which will replace Cav’s.