St Kilda's Republica restaurant to reopen on Friday after fire
St Kilda restaurant Republica is set to reopen on Friday, six weeks after it was gutted by arsonists.
The entire interior, aside from the kitchen, was replaced as part of an estimated $1 million refurbishment, which is yet to be fully completed, after arsonists hit the venue on December 11.
It was the second time the restaurant had been fire-bombed in less than a month.
A Republica spokeswoman said management and staff were "devastated" by the second fire.
"Shocked, just couldn't believe it," she said. "It's been pretty hard."
Management spent $250,000 on repairs when the beachfront bar was fire-bombed on November 13, she said.
Police released CCTV footage of the December attack, depicting two men in white, hooded coveralls pouring fuel from jerry cans throughout the main venue.
The men lit the fuel, setting off a massive explosion, engulfing the restaurant in flames and fled the scene.
Police have linked the fire-bombings to bikie gangs angered by the restaurant's "no colours" policy.
St Kilda Police Detective Senior Sergeant Philip Hubbard said they were "satisfied" with the progress of the investigation.
"We've identified a number of avenues and we're following them," he said.
"At the moment, we're assessing a lot of intelligence and identifying links to potential suspects."
The restaurant spokeswoman said she could not comment on the police investigation.
"We just don't know anything and it's totally a police matter," she said.
Asked whether she was concerned there would be more attacks, she said she did not want to think about it.
"We just want to move on," she said.
She confirmed that the business was hurting after 158 bookings, affecting 2757 people, had to be cancelled at the busiest time of the year.
"We were just absolutely packed out, fully booked for Christmas parties in December," she said.
"It [arson attack] hasn't just impacted Republica and its staff, but the people that have planned Christmas parties, birthdays and celebrations that had to be cancelled."
The venue has been operating on a small scale in an outdoor area since December 29, but as of happy hour on Friday it will be fully opened inside.
The new fitout keeps the same layout, but uses a new colour scheme, furniture, flooring and lighting.
The spokeswoman said the venue would close again for a second refurbishment in winter to complete the works.
"We've got a lot of rebuilding to do, but we're looking forward to having a strong trade for the rest of the summer," she said.
"We've got lots of events planned being Australia Day, St Kilda Festival and Labour Day, which are always good times to be on the beach."
Source : The Age Chloe Booker January 21st 2015
