On Friday, Sydney hospitality group Merivale announced it will shut its Cantonese restaurant on Manly Wharf, Queen Chow.

“After seven unforgettable years, Queen Chow Manly will be closing its doors on Tuesday, August 5, due to the upcoming redevelopment of the Manly Wharf precinct,” it said via a statement on Instagram.

Manly Wharf is going through big changes, led by the Artemus Group. Artemus reimagined Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves and has made no secret of plans to do similar in Sydney, splashing out $110 million last year to buy Manly Wharf.

It then made an offer to Hunter St. Hospitality, leading it to close Sake, El Camino and Bavarian.

Hunter St. Hospitality’s chief executive, Frank Tucker, told this masthead the decision to close its restaurants was because they received a deal they couldn’t turn down.

“It was a commercial decision – [Manly Wharf owner Artemus Group] made a wonderful offer,” Tucker said. “We had 15 years left on the lease.”

Merivale has operated Queen Chow at the wharf since 2018, changing it from Papi Chulo, which it opened in January 2014. Queen Chow’s closure is one of the few made by the hospitality giant.

Merivale has been in the news following reports by The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes that revealed claims of underpayment, exploitation of women and sexual harassment. Fair Work began an investigation into the group following claims by eight migrant chefs who say they were recruited from Mexico under false pretences. Merivale denies all allegations.

Artemus’s spending spree began in December last year, adding Hugos Manly to its growing portfolio in a deal reported to have cost $20 million.

Artemus has brought its Felons brand from Brisbane to the Sydney beachside suburb too, and has plans to build a microbrewery in a former supermarket site. There’s been speculation of a possible function space, but nothing official. Merivale’s Queen Chow restaurant was one of the few remaining non-Artemus sites on the wharf.

With reporting by Scott Bolles.