Rob Roy is for sale. Harcourts listed the historic building on their website on Feb 21, calling it “an icon of the local dairy and ice cream scene.”
Critic Te Ārohi swung by Rob Roy and had a yarn to owner Liz Watson, who was forced awake before 6:30am (after a big night at the Pink concert) to do a TV interview. Critic came round at the much more respectable hour of 11am. Liz told us, “It’s been 16 years, 7 day business, a lot of hours but there will be aspects that I will miss.”
“The dairy wouldn’t be the same without [the students], I wouldn’t have introduced the ice cream parlor if it wasn’t for the students and this area,” she said. The business reportedly had a one million dollar yearly turnover prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. You don’t need a BComm to know that’s a lot of $3 ice cream scoops – seems like a pretty solid investment if you’ve got a spare million.
In case the deal wasn’t sweet enough already (heh), the complex includes a tenanted two-bedroom flat, carpark, and small storage shed. Yes, buying Rob Roy dairy would technically make you a landlord but then again: unlimited ice cream.
Rob Roy will continue standard business while it’s up for sale. Keep an eye out for changes in the coming months. The building has the capacity to be converted from its original function — maybe even into a student bar?