The Sandbar

What The Sandbar does

The Sandbar is a single-location beachside restaurant, bar, and function venue at 1 Scarborough Beach Road, Scarborough Beach, Western Australia. Founded on 31 August 2013 by Ben Randall following a public naming competition that drew over 1,200 submissions, the venue operates daily from 7am until late (including public holidays) and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. The venue hosts a recurring calendar of live music, comedy nights, quiz nights, and JazzConnect events, and also operates a dedicated cocktail bar whose 'Matcha Made in Heaven' creation by bar manager Marina Vidal won WA's Best Cocktail 2025 from the Australian Hotels Association and Don Julio.

The core product is dine-in food and beverage service, supplemented by four additional revenue streams: takeaway orders placed via the meandu.app platform, private functions and events for up to 130 guests with dedicated canape, pizza, and set menus, gift voucher sales (including a $50 newsletter-prize mechanic for Club Sandbar subscribers), and an award-winning cocktail program. The business uses no proprietary technology; operations rely on third-party SaaS (meandu.app for takeaway, nowbookit.com for bookings and gift vouchers). Distribution is exclusively walk-in and direct, with no delivery partnerships or franchise footprint.

Ownership and leadership are concentrated: Ben Randall has been owner and venue manager since inception; Lauren Nolan became a part-owner and Functions Manager in December 2022; the broader team includes a Restaurant Manager (Hayley Cavendish, ~7-year tenure) and two bar managers (Igor and Marina). The company is privately held, locally owned, employs approximately 55 people, and operates exclusively within Western Australia. No institutional investment, M&A activity, or expansion beyond the single Scarborough site is disclosed.

Name

The Sandbar

Legal name

The Sandbar Scarborough

Website

https://sandbar.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Sandbar is a single-location beachside restaurant, bar, and function venue in Scarborough Beach, Western Australia, founded in 2013 and serving food, beverages, live music, and private events to local residents and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Services

NAICS

Food Services and Drinking Places (722)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Rooftop Bars & Beach/Pool Bars (THAFAEAJ)

Keywords

• Beachside dining
• Restaurant and bar
• Live music venue
• Private function catering
• Cocktail bar

Headquarters

HQ city

Scarborough Beach

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Food & Beverage Sales: Core revenue from food and beverage sales through sit-down dining service. The venue offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus with diverse cuisine options featuring fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.
2. Takeaway Orders: Takeaway food and drink orders placed through external platform meandu.app, enabling customers to order for pickup.
3. Functions & Events Catering: Private event hosting with dedicated function spaces. Offers canape, pizza, and set menus for events. Catering for up to 130 guests with exclusive room hire options.
4. Gift Vouchers: Digital and physical gift vouchers sold to customers for use on future food and beverage purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Sandbar Scarborough is a beachside bar and restaurant overlooking Scarborough Beach in Western Australia, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily from 7am until late. It offers a diverse menu of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, an award-winning cocktail bar, weekly live music, function and event hosting for up to 130 guests, and takeaway orders through the meandu.app platform.

Product overview

The Sandbar Scarborough is a single beachside dining venue offering a unified hospitality experience centered around its restaurant and bar service. The core offering consists of beachside dining with a diverse menu of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Additional services include live music events, function and event hosting (catering for up to 130 guests), an award-winning cocktail bar, takeaway service, and specialized catering menus (Canapés, Pizza, and Set Menus) for private events. The venue operates as a single location without a modular product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beachside Dining Restaurant All-day beachfront dining venue overlooking Scarborough Beach, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus built around fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Open daily from 7am until late, including public holidays, for walk-in diners and takeaway customers.
• Live Music Events Regular live music performances featuring established and emerging artists across multiple genres, including scheduled weekly performances, comedy nights, quiz nights, and JazzConnect events at the Scarborough Beach venue.
• Function & Event Hosting Private event hosting for corporate presentations, birthday parties, and other occasions, with three function space options and capacity for up to 130 guests, including exclusive room hire.
• Handcrafted Cocktail Bar Handcrafted cocktail bar service featuring locally-inspired creations, including the WA's Best Cocktail 2025 'Matcha Made in Heaven' by bar manager Marina Vidal, made with local gin, Midori, matcha, lemon, and Sandbar's signature touch.
• Takeaway Service Takeaway food and drink ordering service for customers to order meals for pickup, delivered through the meandu.app platform.
• Function Catering Menus Specialized catering packages for private functions and events, including a Canapés Menu, Pizza Menu, and Set Menu tailored to guest count and event requirements.
• Gift Vouchers Digital gift vouchers available for purchase in $50 denominations, redeemable for food and beverage purchases at the venue.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• The Trustee: Perth bar and dining venue with multi-space layout (bar, restaurant, rooftop) and event hosting. Comparable WA single-operator venue with similar function/catering model and cocktail-led beverage identity.
• The Backlot Perth: Perth West Perth venue combining bar, restaurant, and live entertainment/events. Comparable WA independent operator with an event-driven, community-focused model and similar function-hosting capability.
• The Aviary Perth: Perth CBD multi-level bar and dining destination with rooftop, live entertainment programming, and private function spaces. Comparable on entertainment-driven foot traffic and cocktail-led positioning, though not beachfront.
• Petition Kitchen & Bar: Perth CBD restaurant and bar with seasonal menus, cocktail program, and private dining. Comparable WA independent hospitality operator with strong beverage-led positioning, though CBD rather than beachfront.

Direct peers

• Indiana Cottesloe: Cottesloe Beachfront restaurant and bar with all-day dining, takeaway, and event functions. Directly comparable premium beachside venue in the same Perth coastal dining precinct.
• Il Lido Cottesloe: Premium beachfront Italian restaurant and bar overlooking Cottesloe Beach, Perth. Comparable all-day beachside dining venue with strong beverage program and event/function capability in the same coastal Perth market.
• Bathers Beach House: Beachside restaurant and bar in Fremantle, Western Australia, offering casual dining with ocean views, similar event hosting, and a comparable 'destination beach bar/restaurant' positioning in the Perth market.
• Odyssea City Beach: Beachside café, restaurant, and bar at City Beach in Perth, Western Australia. Direct peer offering all-day beachfront dining with function/event facilities in an adjacent coastal suburb.
• The Paddington Alehouse: Family-owned Perth pub/alehouse previously operated by Sandbar founder Ben Randall (2003–2013). Comparable single-venue WA hospitality operation with similar bar-focused, community-driven model.
• Cottesloe Beach Hotel: Iconic beachfront hotel, restaurant, and bar overlooking Cottesloe Beach in Perth, Western Australia. Directly comparable single-venue beachside hospitality operator with all-day dining, live entertainment, and function spaces in the same metro market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sandbar-scarborough-beach

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Sandbar