It's been 35 years since Neil Slater and his father, Terry, laid the foundations for Newcastle restaurant Scratchleys.
And this time - unlike the restaurant's 10, 20 and 30-year milestones - Slater is actually celebrating the occasion.
He's hosting the four-course (plus canapes) 35 Year Anniversary Dinner on October 18 with a menu designed to take diners on a culinary walk down memory lane.
It will be divided into three decades, with dishes reflecting what was on the menu at the time. First course, for example, is "retro 1990s" in theme: bugs and bacon, coconut prawn and prawn toast. The "retro 2000s" second course is pan-roasted barramundi on smoked paprika aioli with seeded mustard potato, bacon, shallots and kecap manis; and the "contemporary 2020s" third course is pan-seared eye fillet on parsnip puree with roasted baby root vegetables, mint gel and red wine jus.
"We're going to have a play with where we came from to where we are now," Slater told Food & Wine.
"It's going to be quite a playful night; champagne in the narrow section for the original Scratchleys, then dinner in the main restaurant, and then after dinner we'll open the doors to Battlesticks Bar for drinks.
"The three stages of Scratchleys.
"It's quite exciting to think that 35 years ago my dad and I were down there on the harbour, welding up bits of steel on an old ferry terminal, with no money, and getting Coca Cola to sponsor our chairs - they are still our takeaway chairs out the front of the restaurant, they've lasted that long.
"We got Streets Ice Cream to pay for our cutlery and we knocked down walls with sledgehammers.
"For 10 years it was a ferry terminal masquerading as a restaurant and then in 1999 we could actually build Scratchleys, the restaurant."
He speaks with fondness and pride about the restaurant and its transformation over the years, and rightly so. Three-plus decades in business is no small feat.
"How lucky were we that we didn't have to buy out the neighbours? We could expand our business on the same footprint, expand to the east and to the west, and still offer everyone a waterside table," he said.
"You can walk from one room to another, from Scratchleys restaurant into the function rooms and then into Battlesticks, and it's all in the one building.
"We use the louvres and the harbour as a natural air conditioner. We've got natural light rather than fluorescent lights; we've got some sun protection with the blinds that we pull down in winter so they attract the sun.
"We're all about about the guests' comfort and experience, and as long as we stay focused on that we'll be open for another 35 years."
Two words feature heavily in our conversation: consistency and continuity. Consistency is, Slater believes, more important to a restaurant's success than being "on trend or Instagrammable".
"Putting a piece of bacon in a milkshake, to me, is like 'Come on, you've got to be kidding me'," he said.
"To run a successful restaurant you have to have a clear idea of what its identity is and where you want to take it.
"It's not like you come here, to Scratchleys, and one week we're mad about pasta, and the next week we are mad about Spanish food, and the next week we decide we want to smoke meat and eat brisket - we are what we are and we're not trying to be all things to all people.
"We're just trying to be what Scratchleys is."
Slater also credits longstanding staff members with adding to the "consistency and continuity" of the Scratchleys experience.
"Danielle has been there for 33 years, Mel's been there for 23 years, Michelle has been there for 10 years, Jess has been there 15 years, Nathan has been head chef for 15 years. We've got this arsenal of great people around us and everyone has had a role to play in getting us to the 35-year mark."
Slater and his wife Donna are planning an extended European holiday in 2025, giving their son Jackson the opportunity to step up to the plate at Scratchleys.
Slater predicts his own role, looking forward, will be as a "guide".
"It's been an honour to contribute to celebrating families' memorable occasions over the years. Some people save up to come once a year, some people come twice a week," he said.
"Others bring their elderly parents, who can't do much walking, but they can come to the harbourside and sit over the water and watch the ships and everything that's happening on the harbour.
"It's been incredibly rewarding being able to grow a family business from nothing and being able to contribute to the social fabric of Newcastle in different ways."
