General News
16 May, 2026
Bistro remains closed due to licencing ‘technicality’
A popular destination for Avoca diners remains closed for meals as its owner battles the bureaucracy over a licencing technicality. Jo’s Family Bistro had been operating from the dining room at Avoca Country Golf Bowls Club four nights a week, but it was shut down due to a technicality seven weeks ago.
A visit from the Liquor Licencing Commission before Easter led to a notice saying that a sub-let agreement wasn’t in place between the bistro owner Jo Nurse and the licensee (Avoca Golf and Bowls Club) and ordered an immediate halt to trading.
Bistro owner Jo Nurse said while the club was running the bar and had the correct liquor licence in place, there was not a sub lease agreement between the club and herself.
“Nobody knew we had to have it,” she said.
“I can’t trade at all until it is all finalised and it is seven weeks today I was shut down and now it is going to be another month or so because I have to be interviewed by police,” she said.
Ms Nurse said the forced closure has put her in a difficult position.
“I can’t even tell you how much money I’ve lost. Losing Easter was a big hit as well as Mother’s Day. The bills keep coming.
“I just want to go back to work. It has been really hard both mentally and financially, the stress of it all and not knowing,” she said.
Ms Nurse said there was never any intention to flout the rules.
She said under the circumstances, a warning would have been more appropriate.
“They have made me feel like I’m a criminal. It (the sub lease) was something I didn’t know about, the club didn’t know about, the licensee didn’t know about. Instead of giving us a warning or saying get this process started, they’ve just gone ‘no you can’t trade’.
Ms Nurse believes the rules are overly complicated.
“The club can still open the bar but I can’t do anything even if the bar is closed. I can’t trade.
“Anything to do with the Liquor Commission is a nightmare,” she said.
“If we had known about this from the start we would have got the appropriate agreement.
“I’m not doing anything wrong, there just has to be this piece of paper saying there is a sub-let agreement between me and the licensee,” she said.
Ms Nurse said despite the setback, she is determined to reopen once the correct documentation is in place.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to work, getting back to normal,” she said.
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