Restaurateur TJ Peabody plans to close his well-regarded Nantucket Kitchen & Bar on May 14 after just three years of trading

THE dining precinct outside the revamped Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in Brisbane has suffered a big hit.

TJ Peabody at the Nantucket Kitchen & Bar.

NANTUCKET CLOSING

THE dining precinct outside the revamped Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in Brisbane has suffered a big hit.

Restaurateur TJ Peabody plans to close his well-regarded Nantucket Kitchen & Bar on May 14 after just three years of trading.

The Hamptons-influenced eatery opened in May 2014 following a $3 million spend on a lavish fit out jointly paid for by Peabody and centre owners.

Peabody, the son of industrial tycoon Terry Peabody, told City Beat yesterday that the 130-seat venue on Station Road simply wasn’t drawing enough diners.

Just 1500 to 1700 customers per week were coming through the doors, with the most loyal ones shocked to get text messages a few days ago about the closure.

TJ Peabody illustration by Brett Lethbridge.

Peabody described his impending exit as a “friendly departure’’ and said there was “no animosity’’ with centre managers, who learned of the plan about three months ago. Luckily, there’s good news for the staff worried about getting a pink slip

Peabody said his $5 million spend on two new dining projects would ensure that there are no lay offs in his NKB Group, which includes the Nickel Kitchen & Bar in Fortitude Valley.

Just this week Peabody oversaw the soft opening of his Nativo Kitchen & Bar in The Barracks complex on Petrie Tce. It serves up casual Italian fare in the spot once filled by French Twist.

Work continues on his other baby, the Burnt Ends Bar and Burnt Ends Kitchen, also in The Barracks. It’s in the historic stables building, which once housed the much-loved and long gone Underground nightclub.

Peabody plans to move all his old Nantucket gear across to the Burnt Ends site ahead of its planned opening in late July. Expect to see fire pits with sizzling yakitori.

A centre spokeswoman said yesterday talks were under way with several restaurateurs to fill the Nantucket space.

It’s the not the first casualty on the strip. The Ghanem Group, which operates the highly successful Blackbird Bar & Grill, just opened the Lord Of The Wings sports bar where Spanish joint Ole Fuego once traded.

ASHBY MEETS ADANI

WELL, this is quite interesting. Alert City Beat spies spotted One Nation puppet master James Ashby strolling in to the Virgin lounge at Adelaide Airport on Thursday. Apparently by pure coincidence, a bunch of Adani executives also happened to be there waiting for a flight.

Soon enough Ashby and the Indian mining bigshots were absorbed in an intense chat about the merits of Adani’s Carmichael mega-project, which is nearing final approval.

One Nation, of course, backs the highly contro-versial Queensland mine.

The Coalition will need their four votes in the Senate next week if Labor opposes native title amendments.

After endless delays and roadblocks, Adani is feeling pretty bullish. It’s understood their top man on the project has applied for Australian residency.

GORE SETBACK

THE case against accused fraudster Craig Gore returns to Brisbane Magistrates Court on June 9 following a first mention on Friday.

It comes just days after the Supreme Court ordered Gore associates in The Passage Holdings to remove barricades on roads at Port Hinchinbrook in north Queensland. The decision means Passage won’t be able to establish a gated community, as feared by a group of residents who sued in December.

Gore, the twice-bankrupt developer, has been lying low recently in Cardwell as he faces 12 counts of fraud and three counts of making business decisions while banned. He intends to fight the charges.