What allegations have been made against Swillhouse venues?

Yesterday, a series of accusations concerning toxic workplace culture were made against Swillhouse, one of Sydney’s leading bar and restaurant groups. 

Since then, CEO Anton Forte has stood down from his position on the board of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association, Gourmet Traveller has announced the removal of Restaurant Hubert from its upcoming NSW Top 25 list, and sponsors, artists and partners have abandoned the group’s first major festival, Swillfest.

First published in this Sydney Morning Herald news article, the accusations made against Swillhouse’s workplace culture include excessive on-the-clock drug and alcohol use, sexual misconduct, and inadequate leadership. 

One former Hubert bartender who is currently seeking legal action said she was raped in the restaurant toilets by a fellow staff member after being made a cocktail featuring 10 different gins: “I got completely blackout drunk and blacked out and came to with him raping me in the women’s bathrooms at work,” she said in Sydney Morning Herald’s investigative report. 

A different Hubert bartender said she reported being sexually assaulted by a colleague at home to her supervisor, only to be told it was her own fault for drinking. 

“The people that are making money are doing it off our broken bodies,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald. 

“This industry that I have given so much to has completely f---ed me over.”

Another bartender interviewed by The Sydney Morning Herald added: “They wheel you out on International Women’s Day, but you are afraid to be feminine… It was established that if you say anything, you are out.”

In total, five female employees told Sydney Morning Herald reporters they were sexually assaulted and harassed by other employees while working at Swillhouse-owned venues, which includes Le Foote, Caterpillar Club, Shady Pines Saloon, Hubert, Alberto’s Lounge, and The Baxter Inn. Allegations have also been made against Frankie’s Pizza, which closed in December 2022.

Reflecting on the venue owner’s portfolio, an unnamed male bartender told reporters that “Swillhouse are known for making very dark, broody and masculine venues and it shines throughout almost all of them.”

At The Baxter Inn, an internationally acclaimed whisky bar, no female bartenders were hired for its first three years of operation. According to this Sydney Morning Herald article published this morning, the toxic workplace culture started from its 2011 launch, with management offering a bottle of 1982 Penfolds Grange to the first employee to have sex with a customer: “You lock 13 guys in a basement with a lot of whisky, and there’s going to be some weird… things that happen,” a male bartender said in Sydney Morning Herald's investigation. 

Other allegations raised by The Sydney Morning Herald’s investigation include an instance of stalking, which was confirmed by a male The Baxter Inn bartender: “He was stalking her, and [Swillhouse] had no idea how to handle it.”

The allegations do not suggest that CEO Anton Forte has been involved in any of the misconduct. 

“It brings us pain and regret knowing that there have been instances where some of our employees have felt unsupported, unheard or at risk,” said Swillhouse in a statement sent to Sydney Morning Herald. 

“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.”

While the future of the group’s first major festival Swillfest remains unclear, non-alcoholic beer partner Heaps Normal and musical act Maanyung have both already pulled out of the event, while Gelato Messina and Icebergs Dining Room & Bar’s Maurice Terzini have both indicated they will reconsider. 

According to Neil Perry, Chair of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association, Anton Forte will remain off the Board until the claims have been thoroughly investigated.