The Loaded Hog
Inspired by a rural New Zealand theme, the Loaded Hog restaurants and bars offer the company’s own award-winning beers at locations throughout the country.
In 1996, having begun work with them on the One Red Dog franchises, we expanded our role with the Loaded Hog Group to include the construction of new Loaded Hog bars and restaurants in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Christchurch and Dunedin.
As well as managing the traditional building works, we were also involved in the procurement, co-ordination and management of specialist suppliers including beer supply systems, refrigeration systems, appliances, furniture, feature artistic works and sound systems.
As with the One Red Dog project, we were involved in assessment of potential premises, and finding a building with the right mix of character, location and convertibility was often challenging.
Rolling each bar out as part of a franchise arrangement often added to the complexity. Previously, the bars had been built as one-offs, with artists and specialists on site to install unusual features, such as cow hide seat covers. However with the need to replicate the look at different locations around the country, specialist parts were made in one place then sent to the site to be fitted in by contractors who had no specialist knowledge in the installation of the items.
To ensure that all of the artistic features could be rolled out across different sites and still achieve the required budget and quality, we developed documentation to improve the processes and, where possible, tried to work with the same team.
This meant that The Building Intelligence Group’s Project Manager needed to become expert in how these components all came together and then develop documentation to improve the processes.
Because of the dual purpose, the premises were subject to tougher compliance criteria than a normal restaurant. To meet acoustic compliance, the venues needed heavy doors and double-glazed windows, which had to be kept closed once the DJ came on. With no natural ventilation, some serious mechanical ventilation and air conditioning was needed to keep the dancers cool.
The Loaded Hogs have proved enormously popular, operating throughout New Zealand and even opening a spot within the America’s Cup complex in Valencia, Spain.