The new offering is located in the Mid City Motel's former function room and separate to the original restaurant, which remains popular with its regular diners.

Marketing manager Lauren Orero said the family dining room and 'play palace' had received positive feedback since opening.

"The indoor play equipment has really piqued people's interest but we've had some really great feedback on the food too," Ms Orero said. "We're really excited about it. We're already talking about introducing lunch."

Ms Orero said the function room was an "untapped area just sitting there".

"It's probably going to evolve even more now that we know the demand's there," she said.

"We're really excited and I think the menu meets the needs of everyone there, as well as the actual dining atmosphere."

She said the new family dining room came about as a result of COVID.

"It was (owner) Gene's brainchild to bring in the indoor play centre and it was set up within a week or so," Ms Orero said.

"It was set up during COVID. I think a lot of people took that time to sit back and evaluate their businesses and look at how you could re-emerge a lot better than before."

The menu has had a change too, now boasting an American flavour, including 12-hour cherry smoked brisket, applewood pork ribs, burgers, buffalo wings and hot stone steaks.

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She said parents could dine right in front of the play centre, which was for children aged two years and up.

Ms Orero said the acoustics of the former function room helped absorb sound and meant it was comfortable and enjoyable for parents to dine while their children played nearby.

The venue has had a number of group and family bookings since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, she said.

"We wanted to provide a place for locals to use, not just motel guests of ours," Ms Orero said.

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