Oval Hotel offers to redeem half the value of Restaurant Orana gift vouchers following its closure
Got a gift voucher for Jock Zonfrillo’s now-closed Orana restaurant? An Adelaide icon has stepped up to help.
SA News
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Adelaide’s newest hotel has stepped in to help people stuck with gift vouchers for celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo’s closed restaurant, Orana.
The Oval Hotel has announced it will redeem the vouchers for half of their value at its recently opened Five Regions restaurant and Bespoke Wine Bar & Kitchen overlooking Adelaide Oval.
Voluntary administrators appointed to two of Zonfrillo’s companies, The Living Room Bar Pty Ltd and Blackwood Bistro Pty Ltd, last week told a creditors’ meeting there were unredeemed vouchers totalling between $70,000 and $80,000.
Recipients have been waiting since earlier this year to make bookings at Orana when it was temporarily closed just after the Adelaide Fringe Festival in March.
Zonfrillo then used his social media accounts two weeks ago to confirm the permanent closure of the highly acclaimed East End establishment, blaming COVID.
The MasterChef judge said he was working with chartered accountants KPMG to finalise the restaurant’s accounts, which included outstanding debts to the Australian Taxation Office, National Australia Bank, gift voucher holders and trade creditors, such as food and beverage suppliers.
Oval Hotel food and beverage manager Martin Wilson said his team was “hoping to turn a sad situation into something positive for South Australian diners”.
“As an industry, it was sad to see to the closure of such a renowned venue, but it was also disappointing to see so many South Australian foodies go without this unique culinary experience,” he said.
“It is our pleasure to be able to step in and offer some value for these otherwise unredeemable gift certificates,
“As a new player positioned at an iconic South Australian destination, Oval Hotel saw this as an opportunity to invite more guests to experience our restaurants and to turn a negative into a positive for these diners.”
The offer has been supported by KPMG accountants, who are continuing to examine Orana’s finances.
They forwarded a letter from the Oval Hotel to holders of the gift vouchers, which said they were eligible for a 50 per cent discount on meals if they emailed with details of their vouchers. Accommodation was not included in the offer.
