Brian Lizotte is not ready to start singing the blues yet.
Despite attracting no firm offers for his legendary Lambton dinner club, Lizotte's, since he put it on the market in August 2022, he has decided to make adjustments and keep trading.
Lizotte put the building and the business on the market in August of 2022, announcing at the time he wanted to spend more time with his family, particularly as he and wife Jo had two grandchildren and another one due in 2023.
In February, disappointed in the lack of offers, he set a deadline of April for a sale, and said he would close the venue in July if he hadn't sold it. At the time, he stopped booking shows for the second half of 2023.
Now 60 years old, and having visited that newest grandchild, Billie Moon, in Ireland, he's weighed up his options and decided to trade on.
"I want it to keep going," he said on Tuesday. "I want the legacy to go on."
The property, listed through Colliers, features the 200-seat art deco landmark King's Theatre, built in 1910. The business offers a thriving nightclub featuring top international and Australian music acts, filling the house most nights, with the potential of drawing 50,000 customers a year.
Lizotte's holds a unique position in Newcastle's entertainment scene, operating as a shining beacon on Australia's east coast, providing an intimate venue for the best in music, booking top international and Australian performers, to be enjoyed over a meal.
In the next month alone Lizotte's will feature Eugene Hideaway Bridges, Brian Cadd, James Bennett, Steve Balbi, the Bondi Cigars, Russell Morris, Ray Beadle, Kevin Welch and Kevin Bennett with Angus Gill, Richard Clapton and Ross Wilson.
Brian's brother, known as Diesel, has played the venue nearly 100 times.
Acts who have played the club in its 14 years in Newcastle include Mick Fleetwood, Jimmy Barnes, Taj Mahal, Martha Wainwright, Steve Earle, The Whitlams and Keb Mo.
Global jazz and blues artists like Robben Ford and Eric Bibb have built it into their Australian touring calendar, plus a huge range of Australian performers such as Joe Camilleri, Josh Pike, Tim Rogers, Fanny Lumsden, The Angels, Daryl Braithwaite, Wendy Matthews and Ian Moss.
Revitalised and refocused now that he's made a business decision to keep trading, Lizotte will be announcing a slew of new shows from Wednesday, starting with the Jane Barnes Band (featuring Jimmy Barnes).
"We've got a stack of shows coming up," he said. "I've got some great shows to announce. It's going to be one announcement after another.
"As soon as I've done that, and let people know we're gonna stick around, I will still try and find a buyer, but it will be business as usual for now.
"We just keep plodding on, trying to find that new buyer.
"We'll come back with a vengeance because I've got so many shows... We just couldn't do it, until we find that right buyer, you're stuck with us."
He admitted the pending closure of the Cambridge Hotel, a legendary rock 'n' roll venue in Newcastle's West End, had added fuel to his desire to keep trading, to keep bringing top acts to the city, and hopefully booking some additional acts that appeal to a younger audience besides his bread-and-butter clientele, the Baby Boomer gneration, who love classic rock shows.
On the business side, Lizotte will be advertising for a head chef from Wednesday.
"I plan to do [trade] Thursday to Sunday predominantly," he said. "Once I've got it to a stage where I have a good night-time manager and head chef - I'm looking for a groovy head chef to take on, and get me out of the kitchen so I can concentrate on selling the business and making it ready to pass on."
Lizotte realised that advertising the sale of the business was tough on staff, who may have felt insecure about the future. But now he's doubled down on building his staff and their abilities.
"I think it's safe to say to say these days, with business I've got the more ready to go it is, the more likely owners will take it as it is," he said.
Of course, the flip side for him is good staff can run the business for him.
"I've got to spend that time nurturing it, training more people, so that then they can tell me, 'we've got this, so you can bugger off and go on your little trips' and have a bit of semi retirement," he said.
"That's what I want."
