New life for former home of The Loose Caboose
One of SA’s biggest hospitality players has bought a beloved heritage building in Bowden, with plans to bring more upmarket dining to the suburb.
The Big Easy Group has acquired the Bowden Railway Station in Adelaide’s inner west, with plans to transform the space into a restaurant.
The 170-year-old building was formerly home to popular brunch spot The Loose Caboose, The Big Easy Group CEO Oliver Brown telling CityMag he hopes to open his new venue by April.
But he is tight-lipped on what might take up residence inside the Railway Station, only saying it might be similar to some of his other venues, like the East End’s Tarantino’s or French bistro La Louisiane.
“It’s such an epic spot,” says Brown, one of InDaily’s 40 Under 40 alumni.
“The Loose Caboose was such an iconic café back in the day and changed the trend of cafés.”
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He says the site came up for sale last year and “sat on the market for ages”.
“I think people were too worried about the heritage aspects, and it’s a bit of a nookie space,” he says.
“We just love it. I think you’re pretty lucky to get any building with character; it does half your fit-out for you.”
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While plans for the space were “under wraps for now”, Oliver says to expect something different from The Loose Caboose.
“It’s definitely going to be an evening concept,” he says.
It would fit neatly in with The Big Easy Group’s other plans for Bowden. The hospitality group – now seven venues strong – is looking to open another restaurant down the road in the upcoming nine-storey Muse Bowden development on the corner of Gibson and Third streets.
“We’re looking at it as an opportunity to create our own cluster – a micro-evening economy,” Oliver says.
“We want to create a bit of a night-time buzz out of the city.”
Jack Dascombe of Cushman & Wakefield, which sold the property, says opportunities like the Bowden Railway Station are “exceptionally rare”.
“Buyers weren’t purchasing a property; they were securing a piece of South Australian history with an established reputation and enormous future potential,” Jack says.
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