CHRISTIAN Tinelli, business partner and son of hospitality veteran Umberto Tinelli, is poised to launch a French-themed cocktail bar and cafe in the city.
In partnership with his wife, Lidia, Mr Tinelli hopes to open The Louve at Cape Bouvard’s new Alluvion building before September. It is spelt differently to the famous Parisian museum as The Louvre in Melbourne already exists.
A panini café will open for day trading in five weeks following a $150,000 fit-out.
An adjacent cocktail bar will serve cocktails, champagnes and French-Italian cuisine in the evenings.
The couple are confident a tavern licence to accommodate more than 120 people at the venue, currently being negotiated with the liquor licensing board, will be approved ensuring the $170,000 fit out of the bar can progress unabated.
And although it’s only their first formal hospitality partnership (they already jointly organise annual charity event Oysters and Champagne) both appreciate each other’s strengths.
“I think the combination of the two of us is just about perfect: Christian has the industry knowledge and I come in on the creative side, so it’s a great balance,” Mrs Tinelli said.
“[But] my husband thinks I do things with more grandeur than necessary,” she said.
Following the family’s success with Chianti on Colin, Campo di Fiore, Il Principe Gran Caffe, 4U in Subiaco and currently JoJo’s Café in Nedlands, Mr Tinelli said he wanted to offer something different.
“There’s a lot of Spanish tapas bars around Perth … so [our concept] gives a bit of variety to the market,” he said.
And he said Umberto has been very supportive as he humbly attempts to enhance the family stable.
“This was a chance for me to say to my dad, ‘Our business is doing really well in Nedlands, let me try and make the Tinelli hospitality empire a bit bigger’,” he said.
