New Sunshine Coast restaurant swamped with over 1000 bookings in 24 hours

Sunshine Coast chef and businessman Tony Kelly has opened the doors to his newest fine-dining venture in Mooloolaba — ‘the ultimate Rice Boi package’. See inside it here.

RB Dining has opened its doors in Mooloolaba.

The Sunshine Coast’s newest restaurant has received over 1000 bookings in its first 24 hours of being open.

Sunshine Coast chef and businessman Tony Kelly - creator of Rice Boi, Giddy Geisha, Market Bistro, Spero, Bocca Italian and Piggyback - has opened the doors to his newest restaurant, RB, upstairs at The Wharf in Mooloolaba.

The modern Asian, fine-dining style restaurant officially opened for trading on May 12 after Mr Kelly announced his plans for the venue in March.

“We’ve taken over 1000 reservations in the first 24 hours between Friday and probably the next five weeks so it’s been extremely well received and we’re extremely happy,” he said.

Inside the Sunshine Coast’s newest restaurant ‘RB’.

The chef-by-trade, who now owns 10 restaurants, said he was opening RB after numerous calls from the public.

“For Mitch Smith and Elyza Molloy, who are my business partners in Rice Boi, we’ve been talking about doing something a little bit more formal for a while now and we’ve really given people what they’ve been asking for,” he said.

“For so long now we’ve had the punters asking what they have had to do to get Asian food in the calibre of Rice Boi but where they can make a reservation or get a nice wine list or even get more comfortable dining.

“I guess if you take that foundation of smart, modern Asian food and just elevate it to a more formal setting it’s the ultimate Rice Boi package I guess.”

Some of the food and drink available at RB in Mooloolaba.

The 300sq m venue, manned by 30 staff members, features a 60-seat restaurant, a cocktail bar seating 30-40 and a 14-seat private dining room.

Mr Kelly said customers will have to walk through old fire escape doors and up a concrete staircase to enter the dark, moody-style restaurant, sitting above existing stores El Bigoton and Fudgees.

“We’re super stoked to open and super proud of how it’s all been received from the Sunshine Coast community,” Mr Kelly said.

“We never in a million years would’ve thought of getting this many bookings, initially we were looking at just trading nights and maybe even closing for a couple of days but seeing the ferocity of how quickly people are jumping on and making bookings has helped us decide to stay open every single day.”

The venue is open seven days a week from 11.30am to 9pm and is located at Level 1, The Wharf Mooloolaba, 123 Parkyn Parade.

Originally published as New Sunshine Coast restaurant swamped with over 1000 bookings in 24 hours