The hospitality industry has been rocked this week by an investigation by the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age into claims of rape, drug use and harassment that have levelled against Swillhouse hospitality group.

Swillhouse owns six Sydney venues – The Baxter Inn, Le Foote, Restaurant Hubert, the Caterpillar Club, Alberto’s Lounge and Shady Pines. The group also owned Frankie’s Pizza before it was shut down in 2023.

In a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald, Swillhouse group said: “It brings us pain and regret knowing that there have been instances where some of our employees have felt unsupported, unheard or at risk. In recent years, Swillhouse has made concerted efforts to better support the well-being of our workforce and create a more inclusive and safer workplace.”

In an Instagram post the company announced the cancellation of its inaugural Swillfest wine fair.

It said: “Our responsibility and focus right now is to our people and their wellbeing, and for this reason, we don’t feel it’s appropriate to go ahead with plans for the Swillfest on 21 September. We’ve decided to postpone the event. We will issue refunds to all ticket holders.”

Swillhouse CEO Anton Forte – who is himself not accused of any wrongdoing – stepped down from the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association on Wednesday.

The organisation released a statement that said: “At the Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association, we are committed to ensuring a safe and respectful work environment for all. We stand firmly against unsafe workplaces, sexual harassment, and any form of discrimination. There is no place for such behaviour in our industry.”

Gourmet Traveller made the decision to remove Swillhouse’s French restaurant in Sydney’s CBD Hubert from its annual restaurant guide due to the serious allegations published by the Herald.

In a statement, the Gourmet Traveller editor, Joanna Hunkin wrote: “This is not the first time we have taken such action. Over the last five years, several establishments have been omitted from our Guide and wider Gourmet Traveller coverage in the face of concerns they may not meet our standards of ethical workplace behaviour.”

“The print edition of the magazine has already been published, featuring Restaurant Hubert in the NSW Top 25 list,” Hunkin wrote. “However, it will be removed from all digital editions of the Guide.”

The Shout, National Liquor News, Australian Hotelier and Bars and Clubs released a statement saying they were united in their condemnation of any abuse or assault.

In a statement, the group said: “It’s clear the industry needs a cultural reset, from the top down. Starting with management teams there needs to be a clear message that none of this behaviour will be tolerated, that there is no sliding scale of what’s ‘just a bit of fun’, and what’s not acceptable. Workplaces must always be safe spaces for everyone.

“With a spotlight now shining on the hospitality industry and the behaviour of some of those who work in it, it is now more important than ever to collaboratively push for an industry where people are able to work without the fear of assault or abuse.

“When these allegations were first published on Wednesday, our team made the immediate decision to remove Swillhouse and its venues from the Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA).”

The revelations coincided with Broadsheet publishing an opinion piece by Nick Zavadszky, the creative director of Sydney-based hospitality group Odd Culture, titled Our Hospitality Industry Suffers from a Silent Sickness.

He said: “There’s an emerging awareness within the media and the industry itself of mental health challenges, and the crime, harassment, and problematic behavioural cultures affecting workers. Year after year I see another flash-in-the-pan concern, or a governmental response that’s a pittance in contrast with the magnitude, nuance and complexity of these issues. We’re aware things are not as they should be, and foundering to say so, or to throw something at it to fix it. So why haven’t we made much headway?

“The industry is suffering. It is ill, and the conversation is scary. For many years, I took great comfort in the fear of this conversation. Many years in which I lived in active addiction. I wish I could say it was quiet suffering, but I suffered very loudly. And the industry embraced my suffering with its deeply embedded culture of obliteration.”

“See, the suffering was not even recognised as such – rather, it was the cost of doing business, and I paid it gladly alongside others. I annihilated my stress and anxiety with alcohol and other substances, and I fit in very well for it. In hospitality, suffering hides in plain sight.

“Earlier this year, I woke up to the reality of what I have been doing to myself for over a decade. If it continued, I would die soon. I had come close many times.”

What’s next?

SafeWork NSW is currently investigating the allegations against Swillhouse.

“SafeWork NSW is making inquiries into the allegations raised in these media reports,” the agency said. “As these inquiries are ongoing, no further comment can be made at this time.”

A Swillhouse spokesperson said the company would be “fully cooperating” with SafeWork NSW’s inquiries.

Meanwhile at least two sexual assault allegations at the venues have been reported to NSW Police.

One of the anonymous sources from the Sydney Morning Herald’s initial article has since gone public – 2018 Australian Bartender of the Year Jenna Hemsworth. She alleged in the publication that she had been sexually assaulted while working at Swillhouse.

“My choice to remain anonymous until now has been to place the onus on the culture that allowed this to happen – not on me as a victim,” she said.

“I can sleep well at night knowing I’ve done all I can to make this industry a little bit safer than it was when I entered it. Can you [Swillhouse]? I hope you learn. And I hope you grow. And I hope to god this signals the beginning of the end of this cycle of abuse.”

Next month, Australia’s Sex Discrimination commissioner Dr Anna Cody will be conducting an in-person listening session with members of Sydney’s hospitality workforce, in partnership with food and wine advocacy organisation Women and Revolution, as part of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Speaking from Experience project.

“The consultations focus on workers who are most likely targeted by perpetrators, yet often not included in policy, research, and resources on workplace sexual harassment,” a spokesperson for the AHRC said. “This includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and racially marginalised communities, LGBTIQ+ workers, people with a disability, young workers, and other marginalised groups.”