Celebrity chef George Calombaris has put much of his restaurant empire into voluntary administration.
Advisory and investment firm KordaMentha has been appointed as administrators of 22 companies in the Made Establishment Group, which KordaMentha says operates 12 restaurants and food venues in melbourne” data-link-name=”in body link”>Melbourne.
About 400 employees are set to lose their jobs.
The only part of the business excluded from the appointment is a chain of four Yo-Chi outlets.
The administrators said in a statement that employees had been paid outstanding wages and superannuation up to the date of KordaMentha’s appointment.
Calombaris posted on his personal Instagram account: “To all my team, I truly regret it has come to this. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your loyalty and friendship. On a personal note, the last few months have been the most challenging I have ever faced.”
His family property in Melbourne’s affluent Toorak has also been listed for sale.
Real estate firm Kay and Burton has confirmed the property has been listed for an expression-of-interest campaign.
The decision to shut down the chef’s business comes after it emerged last year that Made Establishment staff were back-paid $7.8m in wages and superannuation in 2017.
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