The hip new Sydney bar without any bartenders

This trendy new bar has a hot location, a mouth-watering menu, a rotation of DJs and musos, and an exceptional range of beers, cocktails and wines… but it’s missing one usually important thing.

Bartenders.

Buddy’s in Newtown in Sydney’s inner-west opened six weeks ago to huge fanfare thanks in part to its novel self-serve operation.

“Behind the scenes, it’s not that much different in terms of the mechanics of the kegs and plumbing,” co-founder Duncan McGeoch explained.

“In terms of the self-serve technology, in a nutshell, when you come in, you grab a card from one of our staff, load it up with money, then tap on the screen over the drink of your choice. That’s it.”

A winning partnership

Long-time mates McGeoch and Jimmy Roe teamed up on the venture, combining their respective skillsets in the hospitality space.

Mr McGeoch had not long returned to Australia after five years in the United States working for a company that provides self-serve technology to venues.

“I helped open about 500 of them so I got to know the model inside out, as well as the elements that you need to make it really work,” he said.

Jimmy and Duncan are long-time mates who’ve teamed up to open a bar that’s an Australian first. Picture: Buddy’s Bar

Mr Roe spent several years as a rep for Good Drinks Australia, giving him a keen insight into the ever-evolving drinks market.

“I met Jimmy at one of his house parties and we’ve got a heap of mutual friends,” Mr McGeoch said. “A group of us went down to Dark Mofo in Tassie and the two of us got chatting about how fun it would be to open a bar.”

While searching for potential sites, they came across their home – previously the location of Newtown institution Lentil as Anything, which shut down during Covid – by accident.

“It wasn’t listed anywhere,” Mr Roe said. “The owner is this classic old-school landlord who just had a piece of paper in the front window ‘advertising’ it for rent.”

The vacant premises could’ve easily ended up like so many others on the famed King Street stretch – sitting empty for months or winding up as yet another nail salon or massage parlour.

“Talking to other business owners on the south King Street strip, they’re happy to have us here,” Mr Roe said.

A novel concept

Over several weeks, the pair got busy on the fit-out and roped in some friends to help, inspiring the name Buddy’s.

The layout of the bar has seen the moniker come to life, with the flow of tables and the long wall of taps seeming to foster a community vibe among punters.

Buddy’s Bar is the first self-serve venue of its kind at this scale in Australia.

“There was a place in Queensland a few years back that had self-serve taps but it was just a few and it was next to the main traditional bar, so it was just a novelty, and no-one really responded to it,” Mr Roe said.

“You’ve kind of got to go all-in, otherwise what’s the point?”

The self-serve wall allows punters to pour their own drink, choosing from an extensive range. Picture: Buddy’s Bar

There are currently 30 taps in operation offering 16 beers, six cocktails, five wines and a selection of non-alcoholic drinks.

Another 12 will eventually be installed upstairs to broaden the selection.

For those not confident pulling a beer or who’ve never tried, Mr McGeoch said a few features make the system almost foolproof.

“The taps are specially designed and imported from America. We’ve also slowed the overall speed at which the beer comes out at to about half. Both those things kind of mitigate the risk of too much foam.

“Then we have a beer wall ambassador who stands there talking to people if it’s their first time pouring a beer, giving them some tips.”

The pair opted for a small bar licence that allows for a capacity of 120 people.

A sketch showing the boys’ original vision for Buddy’s Bar. Picture: Buddy’s Bar

Complying with responsible service of alcohol requirements is something Mr McGeoch and Mr Roe took seriously from the outset.

“We get asked a lot of RSA. It’s a big one for us and it’s all built in,” Mr McGeoch said.

“Every three standard drinks, it’ll put a little pause on the card and a message comes on screen to go see a staff member, who activates them if they’re good to go again.”

Staff are on hand to help those new to pouring a beer. Picture: Buddy’s Bar

When it comes to food, they teamed up with some mates on a kind of sublet arrangement that sees two independent businesses operate seamlessly under one roof.

“The place has a huge kitchen that’s fully kitted out, so we’ve partnered up with Rub-a-Dub to create a menu ranging from beef nachos through to Italian-style flatbread pizzas,” Mr Roe said.

Even though the self-serve nature means traditional bartenders aren’t needed, Buddy’s Bar still has a roster of staff to ensure the experience is the best it can be.

“We’ve still got plenty of workers – people on the floor, people at the beer wall explaining the selection – taking the time to engage with customers.

“And we’re both there every day too.”

The response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive. Picture: Buddy’s Bar

The vibe is just as important, and the pair have roped in other friends who are musicians or DJs to provide entertainment.

“We’ve got a pretty regular schedule at the moment,” Mr McGeoch said.

“We’ve got DJs every Friday night, Saturday we kick it off a bit earlier and through into the night, then slow it down on a Sunday with a chilled live music vibe. We’ll continue to extend things into the week moving forward.”

Other spaces currently on the market

For those keen to get into the bar game for themselves, there are several tenancies currently for lease on realcommercial.com.au.

Sitting in the heart of uber cool Crown Street in Surry Hills in Sydney’s inner-east, this 151sqm retail space last operated as a food and beverage business so it’s ready to go.

The site sits on bustling Crown Street in trendy Surry Hills. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

It comes with a fully kitted out kitchen with range hood, exhaust, grease tap and cool room, a super long bar with beer taps and bar fridges, and the remnants of lush hanging greenery.

Located in a premium and high exposure spot at Shop 2 at 355 Crown Street, the space boasts a large glass windows, an abundance of natural light, and plenty of potential.

This vacancy offers the opportunity to open a new uni bar. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

Meanwhile at the Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne, this brand-new space perfect for a hospitality venture has just hit the market.

With 154sqm internally plus an 84sqm balcony, it’s one of the last remaining spots on the ground floor of the recently completed $200 million Building 168development.

It sits on the corner of Grattan and Swanston Streets in the heart of the campus, near the student union precinct and busy study spaces.

Other confirmed tenancies include Zambrero, Roll’d, Moonfishh Japanese, and more.

Also in Melbourne in popular St Kilda, occupying a prime spot on iconic Acland Street, this vacant site comes with 140sqm of internal space and a 15sqm balcony.

This tenancy occupies a prime spot on vibrant Acland Street. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

The site at 99 Acland Street has a range of possible uses, subject to approval, and is offered on flexible lease terms.