Hotel & HospitalityChris ThomsonThu 02 Jul 26
WA’s Spud King Plans Hotel Beside One of His 17 Potato Sheds
A greengrocer known throughout Western Australia as the Spud King is branching into hospitality with plans for a 1500sq m hotel and beer garden beside his Spud Shed in the southern Perth suburb of Baldivis.
The Galati Group, founded and co-directed by fruit and vegetable grower and retailer Tony Galati, has applied to develop the pub at 124 Kerosene Lane, part of a larger plot known to City of Rockingham planning officials as the Spudshed group centre.
If approved by the WA Planning Commission, the 1467sq m hotel 40km south of the Perth CBD and 6km east of Rockingham would comprise a bar, restaurant, kitchen, function room, beer garden and TAB.
Outside the pub, designed by Perth-based Olk and Asociates Architects, would be a beer garden, smoking area, children’s playground and delivery yard.
According to the Galati Group’s development application, the pub would “complete” the Spudshed group centre and boost some of its “underperforming” businesses.
“While Spudshed functions as a strong anchor, underperforming tenancies and surrounding vacant sites have limited the development of an active main street,” said the application that is now being assessed by City of Rockingham planners.
“The proposed tavern is expected to catalyse the centre by introducing a complementary social and hospitality use that enhances activation, community focus and overall amenity.”
If permitted by WA’s licensing officials, the venue would trade Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 10pm and Fridays to Sundays (including public holidays) from 11am to 11.30pm.
The Galati Group comprises several companies and is best known for its Spudshed grocery chain that operates 17 shops across WA. Galati’s first outlet was a small shed that opened in 1998 on a farm also located in Baldivis.
A decade ago, Galati became known throughout the state for his protracted legal tussle with WA’s potato marketing corporation that tried and eventually failed to ban him from planting more than his allocated quota of spuds.
To protest the quota, Galati used free potato giveaways at his Spudsheds. The potato corporation was abolished in 2016 and Galati’s battle against it was celebrated by a musical at the Perth fringe festival in 2019 and 2020.
In 2021, Galati raised more than his trademark thick eyebrows by shaving them to raise $300,000-plus to help fight childhood diseases.
To the east of the site of the planned pub are a childcare centre and housing. To the north are bushland and a function centre.
According to renderings of the planned hotel, its name, at least at present, is The Last Local. There is another Last Local at Canning Vale in Perth’s eastern suburbs.
The Galati Group was contacted for comment for this story.
