'Iconic' Zinc restaurant to change hands
NEW OWNERS
ZINC Restaurant and Lounge Bar will be changing hands for the first time in more than a decade.
Owner Marco Piat will pass the baton onto locals Chris and Dani Bower after a wildly successful stint at the Macrossan Street venue.
“After 13 years of owning and operating Zinc it is time for us to step aside and hand over the reins,” Piat said.
“Our family is delighted to have Chris and Dani as the new owners of the restaurant and we feel it is now in very good hands.
“They have the experience to continue offering the Zinc experience and we wish them every success.”
Chris Bower was the restaurant manager at 2 Fish Restaurant Port Douglas from 2015 to June 2017, during his time adding consecutive gongs for the best seafood restaurant in Australia to his resume. He then leaped into the challenge of multi-venue, events based hotspot QT to broaden his scope and experience.
Both Dani and Chris have a rich history with Piat; Dani working as his apprentice chef when Zinc launched back in 2005, and Chris showcasing his passion for mixology. Chris also opened Piat's Finz restaurant in 2008, which he ran for six years.
Chris said they're excited to be taking over ‘one of the best venues in Port Douglas.’
“We’ve worked really hard for this and now we get the opportunity to do it for ourselves, which is fantastic,” he said.
“My wife has been a chef her entire career and I’ve been in the industry for 17 years now.
“It’s been something we’ve wanted to do for a very long time.”
The restaurant is on track to re-open in May and would aim to retain its ‘iconic’ character, according to Chris.
“It will still be called Zinc. It’s such a fantastic name and a popular venue in town with a very solid following,” he said.
“We will be making some slight changes to the décor and furniture and giving it a freshen up. All the menus will also be completely re-written.
“It will predominantly be fish and meat based options to align with the tropical experience people crave when in Port Douglas. Utilising the best products available and keeping it simple is key.”
For all updates stay tuned to Zinc’s Facebook page.
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