The Big Chill is a fully fitted and fully licensed hospitality venue on a prominent corner site at the intersection of Yule Avenue and Clifton Road, Clifton Beach, one of Cairns’ established Northern Beaches suburbs. The venue presents a rare walk-in trading opportunity: the commercial kitchen, bar, refrigeration, indoor and outdoor furniture and point-of-sale system are all in place, and the liquor licence is already issued and currently trading.
While The Big Chill Clifton Beach itself opened its doors on New Year’s Eve 2025, the brand’s pedigree runs considerably deeper. It was honed on the beaches of neighbouring Palm Cove, where Chill Cafe first opened on Christmas Eve 2009, later evolving into Chill at Portofino, an iconic Palm Cove beachfront dining precinct combining an Italian restaurant with a strong casual cafe and cocktail bar identity. That same rustic-excellence DNA, and a loyal following of more than 4,500 local and interstate social media followers, now carries forward into the Clifton Beach site.
The venue operates as a coastal dining and cocktail destination, with a menu built around fresh seafood, wood-fired pizzas, house-made pasta and share plates, complemented by a cocktail-led drinks list. Current trade is dinner-led with a happy hour offer, Monday to Friday from 5pm and Saturday to Sunday from midday, seven days a week.
The licence held is a Commercial Other – Subsidiary On Premises liquor licence, permitting trade from 10:00am to midnight, seven days a week. This licence class, combined with the fitout already in place, materially reduces the time and capital an incoming owner would otherwise need to open a comparable venue from an empty shell.
The business trades under a secure lease structure: an initial 5-year term with a further 5-year option, giving an incoming owner up to ten years of tenure certainty, backed by a highly supportive landlord relationship already in good standing.
Importantly, the business runs independently of an active owner-operator. Front of house is led by manager Karl O’Brien and assistant manager Mahli Taylor, both permanent, salaried, seasoned hospitality professionals, supported by casual wait staff Monday to Friday and running Saturday and Sunday lunch and dinner service together. The kitchen is run by a head chef with a supporting pizzaiolo, with the menu structured for a two-person kitchen team plus a kitchenhand as required, and a weekly preparation day. This gives an incoming owner the option to step straight into daily operations or to hold the business at arm’s length under its existing management.
The Big Chill sits within a precinct that includes an affiliated café operation trading nearby on Arlington Esplanade, pointing to an established local dining habit in the immediate Clifton Beach catchment, supported by both a resident population and consistent Northern Beaches tourism traffic.
The Opportunity
This listing is being offered at $200,000 plus stock, a price that reflects the opportunity to acquire a trading-ready licensed venue rather than the cost of building one. For context, a commercial kitchen and bar fitout of comparable standard, built from an empty tenancy, routinely costs well in excess of the asking price here, before a liquor licence application has even been lodged, let alone approved.
For an owner-operator, the pathway from settlement to opening night is measured in weeks rather than months. For an established hospitality group, this listing offers a second or third site in a proven Cairns Northern Beaches location without the lead time a new licence application currently carries in Queensland.
Inclusions
Full commercial kitchen equipment
Bar fitout and refrigeration
Indoor and outdoor furniture
Point-of-sale system
Liquor licence, issued and currently trading
Lease: 5-year term plus 5-year option
Stock at valuation on settlement
Location
Clifton Beach forms part of Cairns’ Northern Beaches, a coastal corridor favoured by permanent residents and visitors staying north of the Cairns CBD. The corner position at Yule Avenue and Clifton Road provides visibility from two approach directions, supporting both local resident trade and passing tourism traffic across the year.
Years trading / history: The Big Chill Clifton Beach opened its doors on New Year’s Eve 2025. The brand’s roots go back to 2009, when Chill Cafe first opened in neighbouring Palm Cove on Christmas Eve, later evolving into Chill at Portofino, an iconic beachfront dining precinct blending an Italian restaurant with a strong casual cafe and cocktail bar identity. That heritage, and a following of over 4,500 local and interstate social media followers, carries directly into the Clifton Beach site.
Staffing: The restaurant is staffed by manager Karl O’Brien and assistant manager Mahli Taylor, both permanent, salaried and seasoned hospitality professionals. Front of house is supported by casual wait staff Monday to Friday, with Karl and Mahli tag-teaming through the week and running Saturday and Sunday lunch and dinner service together. Back of house is run by a head chef with a supporting pizzaiolo covering plating, desserts and dishes, with the menu structured for a two-person kitchen team plus a kitchenhand as required. Previously the head chef has been salaried with two supporting casuals and a third kitchenhand when needed. There is a weekly preparation day, usually Wednesday, from 2pm.
Rent and outgoings: Set out in the lease documentation already provided as part of the sale data.
Stock value at settlement: Perishables, beer and spirits sit at approximately $2,500 to $3,500, payable in addition to the $200,000 asking price.
Trading financials: Available via the POS reporting data already provided, to be shared directly with qualified buyers upon execution of the confidentiality deed.
Owner involvement in day-to-day trade: Confirmed. The business is run independently of an active owner-operator, under the management structure outlined above.
Supplier and landlord relationships: Extremely sound, with a highly supportive landlord. All supplier details will be included in the sales data, and all relationships are in good standing and transferable, reflecting the brand’s strong history in Far North Queensland. The venue’s partnership with Macalister Brewing is one example of the calibre of these relationships.
Why is the price set where it is: this one we can answer with confidence. It reflects the value of a trading-ready fitout, an active liquor licence and an established management team, priced to move faster than a from-scratch build would ever allow.
