Wednesday marked a special occasion for the Royal Duke Hotel and Eatery as it celebrated its reopening.

The establishment was forced to close at the beginning of December due to flooding caused by a burst pipe.

Guy Ward, owner of the Royal Duke, says the reopening is taking place ahead of schedule.

"It probably should've been another month but we just felt a sense of responsibility to the community, our staff, and our customers to get open as soon as we can."

Ward says customers will notice a few aesthetic differences inside.

"We changed some of the boothing around a little bit, the seating, the flooring, that sort of thing. There's a lot of materials you can't match but I think we came fairly close to how it did look."

The Royal Duke Hotel and Eatery can be found on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Veterans Way.

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