Grill’d has sought to keep secret the details of the $16.6 million in taxpayer funds it received to subsidise the wages of 2800 traineeships, amid figures showing a dropout rate for hospitality qualifications at close to 40 per cent.

The popular burger chain, which requires all new employees to sign up to a trainee program dubbed “hamburger university”, was the most prolific user of the Coalition’s flagship $5.8 billion trainee and apprentice wage subsidy, but has faced criticism about the quality and structure of its offering.