The Victorian-based Black Rhino Group took over the Moonta, Royal and Cornwall hotels in Moonta earlier this year, with residents shocked to then see the closure of kitchens at the Royal and Cornwall hotels.

President of the Moonta Seniors Club Maureen Wahlstedt said the only hotel in town now offering food remains the Moonta Hotel.

Locals have told InDaily that the Moonta Hotel’s kitchen has been known not to open on occasion, subject to bookings.

“A lot of senior citizens used to go to The Royal – it’s been pretty devastating and embarrassing for the town,” Wahlstedt said.

“We’re coming up to the busy season, it’s a tourist town and we’ve got nothing to offer – we used to have three options and now we have none.”

The Moonta Hotel, which still offers meals to customers. Photo: Google

Wahlstedt also said many residents looking for a meal are now driving to Port Hughes.

“I’m surprised one group was able to buy all three pubs – how do they survive, just on the pokies?” she said.

The situation was further exacerbated by a fire that tore through a local café, Café Capella’s, in September, leading to its closure. The café is due to reopen next year after the damage is repaired.

Tourists and locals still have a number of options for food in town, including cafes Nook & Nourish, Café Moonta and Taste the Yorke.

Besides the Moonta Hotel, a number of small businesses also offer other dinner options including Maggi’s Café Restaurant and Ye Old Café Moonta Bay.

Café Moonta will also be offering dinner over the holiday period.

Other dinner options include the Moonta Chinese Restaurant and Main Street Takeaway Moonta.

An email sent from local business Copper Trails Bike Hire to the Black Rhino Group in September, seen by InDaily, voiced similar concerns about the pubs.

“Since your organisation has taken over our three beautiful pubs in our township we have seen a slow decline in usage and subsequent closing of the kitchen in the Royal Hotel and other changes, as you deem necessary,” the email read.

“We have been witnessing comments from visitors and locals about how damaging the closure of the kitchens has been. The once majestic Royal Hotel and the Cornwall had lines of people coming in for a wonderful pub meal.

“People are looking for places to eat in the township but can not get a meal in two of your Hotels.  Even people staying at the Cornwall have to leave the hotel to eat.

“Could I implore you to please look at whom we could connect with and start this conversation before it is too late, as I am sure you would much rather have three vibrant Hotels than the dead and sad-looking Hotels they currently are.”

Copper Coast mayor Roslyn Talbot said numerous residents of Moonta had contacted her with concerns over the limited dining options.

“I’m really concerned there’s a real issue of places to eat in Moonta but we can’t decide who owns what business – it’s private business and they can run it how they like,” Talbot said.

“I would love to see more offerings in those hotels particularly given that in January the Copper Coast triples in population and, at this point, they’ll have no dining options.”

In May, the hotel media group PubTic reported that the Black Rhino Group paid an “unspecified” amount for the three leases, which range from 32 to 39 years.

Dave Tomsic, Black Rhino founder and CEO, told PubTic he was “very excited about prospects in Moonta”.

“It’s a beautiful town, with beautiful beaches, and I think we’ll do a lot there,” he said.

Australian Hotels Association General Manager Ian Horne said he was not familiar with the situation in Moonta but that the Black Rhino Group was not under any legal obligation to serve food.

“The law doesn’t require the provision of meals anymore: it used to, but in the 2015 review by the former government those obligations were removed,” Horne said.

“So for decades, of course, hotels had to serve food at minimum hours, and now they don’t. There’s a mixed opinion in our industry, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“In fairness to the operator, that’s a business model that they’ve decided to run with and they’ll commercially live or die by that.”

Horne said the industry was in the midst of a transition that had seen a boom in interstate investment in South Australian pubs.

“That’s meant a lot of people who have been in their hotels and simply couldn’t sell because no one wanted to buy are now seeing an opportunity to get out now. From their perspective, that’s a fabulous thing,” he said.

On its website, the Black Rhino Group, which runs 39 businesses across Victoria and South Australia, states all of its venues “have been established on three pillars: Cold beer, good food, and welcoming spaces”.

The Black Rhino Group has not responded to InDaily’s request for comment.