Sydney hospitality group Public has announced the acquisition of The Maybe Group, the team behind award-winning cocktail bar Maybe Sammy.

The Maybe Group’s signature theatrical approach to service saw the Rat Pack-inspired Maybe Sammy in The Rocks soar to No.29 on the list of the World’s 50 Best Bars in 2022, making it the best bar in Australasia.

Following the acquisition (effective immediately) The Maybe Group’s Vincenzo Lombardo, Stefano Cantino and Martin Hudak will lend that same hospitality nous to Public’s rapidly expanding portfolio of pubs, bars and restaurants.

“We are in the process of thoroughly reviewing the existing Public venues to see how we can finesse their hospitality offering,” Lombardo tells Good Food.

“The same attention to detail and level of hospitality service we are known for at the likes of Maybe Sammy, Sammy Junior and El Primo Sanchez will be threaded through the Public venues as we become part of the portfolio and team.”

First cab off the rank? Oxford House, the 56-room boutique hotel, bar and restaurant that opened in Paddington in October.

“We can see exciting ways to elevate this into an even more engaging hospitality experience,” Lombardo says.

“[For Cinco de Mayo, on Friday, May 5] we’ve given Oxford House Pool Bar an injection of authentic Mexican spirit … with a specially curated Mexican food and drink offering from the El Primo Sanchez team.”

The Maybe Group and Public first collaborated to open Mexican-inspired Paddington cocktail bar El Primo Sanchez in February.

Executive chairman Jon Adgemis says collaboration is key to Public’s growth in the hospitality sector.

“We don’t know everything and we’re not too proud to admit it,” he says. “Our work with partners and collaborators sets us apart and has played a large role in Public’s rapid expansion.”

Public, which was founded by the former banker in 2014, has amassed a portfolio of more than 20 pubs, bars and restaurants worth an estimated $470 million.

At the weekend, the group relaunched The Lady Hampshire pub in Camperdown.

“We are leading the charge when it comes to looking at the history of an asset, judging its place in a neighbourhood, understanding what that neighbourhood is missing and filling that gap to reshape the hospitality and accommodation scene,” Adgemis says.