Good Group Hospitality Australia has fallen into voluntary administration, following the closure of several restaurants.
The group was the parent company to a number of notable restaurant chains, including Botswana Butchery and White and Wongs.
The appointed administrators, Andrew Sallway and Duncan Webb of BDO Australia, said an urgent assessment of the company's affairs had begun. They added that a restructuring of the business or its sale in totality were considerable options.
Good Group's restaurants have spread across three Australian states and have been classified as fine-dining locations. Botswana Butchery had high-end steakhouses in prime locations in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra, with steaks listed for as much as $500.
The Botswana Butchery chain originated in Queenstown. However, administrators said New Zealand restaurants would not be impacted. The group's Australia expansion came in 2022 just after the impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic. The group was predominantly present along Australia's east coast, with its Canberra Botswana Butchery only opening two months prior to its administration. Whilst Botswana Butchery restaurants continue to operate, other chains have ceased trading.
Its collapse came in the midst of a challenging time for Australia's hospitality industry, as business owners face the backdrop of the cost of living crisis. Good Group Hospitality isn't the only company to have announced voluntary administration, with chains such as Elements Bar & Grill, Oporto, and Bondi Pizza preceding the group. Major Victorian catering business, Legacy Hospitality Group, went into administration in October 2023, with debts in excess of $1.7 million.
Nation-wide chain Sushi Bay also collapsed in 2023, with its last remaining locations in Sydney, Darwin, and Canberra ordered to shut down following allegations that staff had been underpaid more than $650,000 over several years. In June 2023, a controversial chain, Karen's Diner, was liquidated with $4.3 million worth of debt.
The closures have caused severe job losses for hospitality workers, especially in the Sydney area.
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