Hobart eatery Bite Me forced to close doors on now successful business
The couple behind Hobart eatery Bite Me are facing their fear of having to close the doors on their now booming business. How they have fought for their beloved restaurant.
Tasmania
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After pouring their heart, soul and hundreds of thousands of dollars into their restaurant for nearly four years, a Malaysian couple who call Tasmania home are about to lose everything.
Shan Wee runs the restaurant Bite Me on Elizabeth Street in Hobart, along with partner Alvin Lai who is the prep chef.
In 2021, they had rented the space and invested $150,000 in equipment and a further $10,000 in renovations.
Of course, it was 2021, while Tasmania was slowly opening back up after Covid, business was still slow to start.
Then there was damage from a water issue just a month or so later.
Getting recognition in a community as a new restaurant is hard but after a year or so, Bite Me got into its rhythm.
“The first year was really, really hard for us, really because no one actually knows us, and we’re investing a lot of money,” Ms Wee said.
“In 2024 we started generating profit and returning on the investment.”
Ownership of the building changed hands in 2023, and in January 2025 Ms Wee received a letter saying their annual rent for the space would increase from $85,000 a year to $120,000.
Ms Wee said in their agreement there was an annual increase of 3.5 per cent generally based on the consumer price index.
But a market review from the landlord stated the rent value was $120,000 annual, a more than 40 per cent increase.
Despite months of negotiation, the rent increase remains and Ms Wee has no choice but to close her business, with just weeks to try and find a new space.
She said finding a new commercial space just doesn’t seem possible in the current climate, nor does she have $200,000 to create a new business.
“We contacted property agents trying to find the right place,” she said.
“Either there was no canopy, or still had tenants or there were compliance issues.
“It ends up with more effort needed to rebuild and more money to invest.”
And it’s not just the livelihood of the couple, they also sponsor their Taiwanese chef, Gary, so he can work and live here.
The restaurant has become a community.
The business posted about their plight to their social media and has received an outpouring of love from their customers.
Ms Wee said the business worked hard to make sure food was affordable and also catered to all dietary needs.
“Since opening, I set up the whole restaurant, and then I work here, and customers all recognise me, and they know me very well,” she said.
“We posted on social media and customers ask ‘what’s happening, we love it here. Please don’t go’.”
Even now, weeks away from the doors closing on Bite Me, Ms Wee apologised to her loyal customers.
“We want to make everything work and keep serving good food,” she said.
“This is a big issue, a big change and a big challenge for us, so we can’t really do anything.”
Ms Wee will hand over the keys on June 28 after receiving a vacate notice.
“There is nothing we can do,” she said.
The building was sold in 2023 for $1.42 million and the property is managed by Elders Hobart.
“Elders Commercial sent communication regarding the rent review based on instructions from the landlord who negotiated the market review directly with the tenant,” a spokesperson told the Mercury.
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Originally published as Hobart eatery Bite Me forced to close doors on now successful business
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