By Eryk Bagshaw, Patrick Begley and Bianca Hrovat
One of Merivale’s top VIPs is still allowed to visit its venues despite being charged with sexually touching a waitress at one of its most high-profile restaurants.
Matthew Palavidis, an acoustics consultant from Darling Point in Sydney’s east, is known within the Merivale hospitality empire as a “whale” for his prolific spending at its businesses across Sydney.
Last month, the 63-year-old appeared before Waverley Local Court charged with common assault and sexually touching another person without consent.
Matthew Palavidis has pleaded not guilty to common assault and sexually touching another without consent. Credit: Acoustic Logic Consultancy
The court heard Palavidis tried to undo a waitress’s top as she served him caviar and vodka shots at Mimi’s in Coogee last year.
The woman gave evidence that venue management had identified Palavidis as a “very important” and “frequent” guest before the lunch serving, the Daily Telegraph reported.
“That is the man who assaulted me,” the waitress told the court.
The Telegraph did not name the venue or Merivale, citing legal reasons. There are no non-publication orders on the name of the restaurant or hospitality group.
Palavidis has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Paul McGirr, told the Herald that friends of his client had footage on their mobile phones that would prove the alleged touching did not take place.
Mimi’s at Coogee, where the sexual touching is alleged to have taken place. Credit: Edwina Pickles
“There were no offences captured there, no one was distraught and there was actually jovial conversation,” McGirr said.
McGirr claimed Palavidis and Merivale chief executive Justin Hemmes “know each other”.
“He’s not banned from any of those venues, but I’ve instructed him not to go,” he said. “Just for abundant caution.”
Merivale did not respond to requests for comment.
Palavidis is a managing director of Acoustic Logic Consultancy, a company that specialises in noise and vibration engineering for major developments, including The Wharf at Woolloomooloo and the NSW Police headquarters.
Mimi’s is one of Merivale’s most successful venues, winning two hats in this year’s Good Food Guide. The Mediterranean beachside diner is the flagship restaurant in Merivale’s Coogee Pavilion, serving guests five-gram bumps of Oscietra caviar from a roaming trolley and a $135 scallop mousseline and caviar pie.
Merivale, which owns more than 70 sites with an estimated worth of more than $3 billion, is under investigation by SafeWork NSW following claims of sexual harassment, exploitation and drug use at the company’s high-profile Sydney bars and restaurants, including the Ivy and Totti’s Bondi.
Merivale chief executive Justin Hemmes.Credit: Steven Siewert
The hospitality giant stepped down from the board of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association in October following an investigation by the Herald, The Age and Good Food which revealed claims the company exploited women, encouraged them to have sex with customers, perpetuated sexual harassment and facilitated frequent drug use.
Hemmes said in October he was “devastated to read the allegations against Merivale concerning our staff and our culture, and sincerely apologise for any distress and concern that you may be feeling”.
“Please be assured that we are taking this matter very seriously and do not condone, encourage or tolerate any of the behaviours which have been alleged,” he said.
The Palavidis case is due to return to court in May 2025.
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