Edgar’s is a linchpin of the Ainslie community. Photo: Edgar’s.
Maybe it’s just me, but by my 25th birthday, I felt like I had moved past my peak. A little less cool, a little weary and slightly out of touch.
But somehow, Ainslie’s corner pub, Edgar’s, on the brink of their 25th birthday, still has it, and on any given night, you’re going to need a booking to get a table.
Co-owner Frank Condi says that since opening in 2001, their ability to adapt to the market has kept them at the top of their game.
“The biggest factor for that business was for it to evolve. It didn’t open as it did today; it was a small corner venue with a BBQ in the kitchen and free-standing fridges behind the bar. It was pretty raw and basic.”
That evolution saw the premises go from the downstairs corner pub to incorporating two upstairs venues, Wakefields and The Inn, as well as a traditional Italian wood-fired pizza joint, Mama’s Pizza.
“It was all done to evolve with the market as it shifted; you can now have a more upscale experience upstairs with food cooked over charcoal, the classic pub experience downstairs or a traditional wood-fired pizza, but the basics are that it’s a classic pub that anyone and everyone can go to, whether you’re wearing trackie pants or a suit.”
Frank Condi says he wants everyone to be welcome … even in trackie pants. Photo: Tenele Conway.
The classic pub vibe was very intentional, and Frank explains that they wanted to replicate the feel of the historic corner pubs in cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
“I wanted something that would outlast me, something classic, something that was a part of the community and Canberra never got those suburban corner pubs so we wanted to bring that to Ainslie” shares Frank.
“You look at the English pubs in London, and they’ve been there for a hundred years, and there are all the stories surrounding them, and people’s grandfathers’ grandfathers went there.”
Well on his way to building that 100-year dream, Frank doesn’t take all the credit for their current success and feels they were extremely lucky with the choice of neighbourhood.
“We’re very lucky here in Ainslie: the IGA is amazing, that family has expanded the business tenfold, and we’ve got everything you need here. The doctor’s surgery, the laundromat, all the businesses that have been there so long and feel like they’re a part of the landscape.”
As Edgars has evolved, so has the menu and the range of venues. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Frank is proud that, alongside the IGA, they’ve become anchors of a shopping precinct that he considers its own little ecosystem. He also discusses the challenges facing hospitality and acknowledges that factors such as Gen Z drinking less and rising costs of living make for a tough business environment, but he believes their longevity in itself helps them get through.
“It’s about community engagement. We’ve got kids in the neighbourhood who grew up in the area and went on to work for us, and now they’re coming back here and having kids. The return business that feels like they’re a part of it really helps. We want everyone to feel like they belong there.”
Frank has all intentions of being in business at Edgars for another 25 years, and we’ve agreed that we will have a chat for the 50th birthday. Until then, though, Frank is banking on the reputation they’ve built over two and a half decades, which will carry well into the future.
“The feeling I want is that people come from out of town or from the southside or northside or wherever it may be and say, ‘I wish I had an Edgars at my local shops.’”
Edgar’s is located at 1 Edgar Street, Ainslie, and is open 7 days a week from 7 am to 11 pm, and to 11:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
