Romantic dinners, partying with friends in a private courtyard, or celebrating weddings and special occasions – Spirit House is a perfect recipe for a dining experience to remember.
When the sun sets on its lush tropical gardens and reflects on the tranquil pond, Spirit House transforms into a magic wonderland which will take your breath away.
As the Sunshine Coast’s most awarded Asian and Thai restaurant and cooking school, Spirit House is the pinnacle of cuisine and culture.
We spoke to Acland Brierty, co-owner of Spirit House, who shared his personal insights into what it takes to be one of Queensland’s leading restauranteurs.
When it comes to amazing food and surroundings, Spirit House is a Queensland institution.
For almost three decades, the restaurant has been an iconic dining experience and is considered one of the state’s finest for its Pan-Asian cuisine and flavours and highly popular cooking school.
The moment you walk through the gates of Spirit House guests embark on a food journey that goes well beyond the plate. Its tropical gardens and tranquil lagoon will whisk you away on an Asian getaway – without the flight.
As owners of this acclaimed and iconic restaurant, it’s safe to say Acland and Blake Brierty know a fair bit about customer service, family businesses, and identifying new revenue streams.
When asked about Spirit House’s point of difference, Acland was quick to point out that they didn’t just want to create a place to eat, they wanted to create a unique and holistic experience.
“Spirit House offers a restaurant, a cooking school, tours, a retail store, and even an online store. It’s a little taste of Thailand, situated on a few acres around a luxury pond,” said Acland.
“For Spirit House, it’s always been about creating fun businesses and not just trying to make money the quickest way, but rather what would be the most enjoyable thing to do. And I believe it’s this mentality and ethos that has allowed us to grow into such a multi-faceted business.”
When asked about how the Spirit House has grown to be so successful, not only did Acland credit his parents, who are the original founders of the business, he also acknowledged his loyal staff, customers, local community, and partners, including Nexia Australia.
“When my parents were running the business, they were operating with a small business mentality. Nexia has always advised my folks that they needed a stronger corporate structure, and that our corporate structures were too vulnerable. As we looked to the future, they were encouraging us to get set up now – we’d rather be looking at it, rather than looking for it,” Acland said.
“Working in partnership with Nexia isn’t just about going through taxes, it was looking at the business holistically – in the true sense of the word.”
After mum passed away, my father was diagnosed with dementia. The business was at a vulnerable stage, and it was a very emotional period. But Nexia stepped in and helped us get the right legal systems and structures in place to make sure it was just focused on the business but also personal and family circumstances. At the end of the day there was an emotional side, but Nexia allowed us to be pragmatic about what we should do.
“They’ve also been an outstanding sounding board. As we’ve experienced significant growth, it’s been really nice to have such a well-resourced firm to rely on.”
