Bojangles given green light after liquor licence rejection overturned

A Red Centre hotspot is set to reopen after a tribunal decided in favour of a liquor licence.

POPULAR Alice Springs saloon Bojangles can reopen after the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT) overturned the rejection of a liquor licence application.

In a review released on Wednesday, the Tribunal decided the applicant, SGRD Pty Lty, could be granted a conditional licence.

“The Tribunal considers that the correct, and preferable, decision is that SGRD Pty Ltd be issued a liquor licence with a public bar authority and a late night authority (from 12 midnight to 2am), which is subject to two conditions,” it read.

It specified liquor could not be “sold or served at the licensed premises during the 30 minute period immediately prior to the mandatory closing time”, and patrons needed to be capped at 250 (subject to exceptions).

The application was refused in September 2021 by the NT Liquor Commission because it wasn’t considered suitable for late-night trading with a liquor license.

It also decided the applicants didn’t have the capacity to “to safely manage the behaviour of Bojangles patrons after midnight”.

However, the Tribunal found the NT Liquor Commission’s decision “misstates the issue, and thus does not accurately identify or ‘apply the law’.”

“In our view the correct, and preferable, outcome in this matter is that a conditional liquor licence should be issued,” it said.

In response to the rejection, licensee Pearl Randhay said she and her husband/associate Rupinder Singh had the capacity to safely run the business.

The NTCAT review said: “Ms Rhanday said that, under their management, Bojangles would serve ‘tour groups, business owners, public sector, private sector, young people and families’ with an “upscale service and food experience that they can’t find anywhere else in town’.”

Ms Randhay and Mr Singh’s endeavour to revive the saloon and restaurant into a family-friendly venue has significant community support.

In October 2021, then-chief minister Michael Gunner made a rare show of support and said he would work with her to launch an appeal.

“For me, this was an application that made sense,” Mr Gunner said at the time.

“We have a policy of activation, so we want to see spaces get used and used positively, we want to see more late-night dining options for the people of Alice Springs.”

Bojangles opened in 1978 before closing due to Covid-19 restrictions in March 2020.