Southbeach Social fined $40k for 2023 rat infestation

A venue owned by one of Brisbane’s hottest hospitality groups has been fined a whopping $40k over serious food safety concerns.

Southbeach Social, South Bank. Picture: Instagram @southbeach_bne

The operators behind some of Brisbane’s most well-known hospitality venues have faced court over “filthy” rat problem discovered by council in 2023.

South Beach Social Pty Ltd, owned by Bevan Bickle, was charged with eight counts of failing to comply with requirements imposed by food standards and eight counts of contravening a condition of licence, following a Brisbane City Council inspection in November 2023.

The venue is owned and operated by Bevan Bickle, who is also responsible for South Bank Beer Garden, newly opened Beaumont Beer Garden and Birdees nightclub which opened to the public on Friday night.

Group General Manager Danny Webster-Clamp appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday on behalf of South Beach Social Pty Ltd and entered a plea of guilty to all 16 charges.

Mr Webster-Clamp said the group did not intend to seek legal advice or have a lawyer present, opting to represent the company himself.

Mr Webster-Clamp was not associated with the venues at the time of the offences, starting with the group in 2024.

The court heard that a Brisbane City Council food safety officer attended Southbeach Social on November 22, 2023 after a member of the public reported seeing a rat inside the premises.

Danny Webster-Clamp, Group General manager of Mobius Group/Southbeach Social PTY LTD. Picture: David Clark

The inspection officer discovered significant evidence of a “strong rodent presence” throughout the venue, including rat droppings on and under surfaces and a dead rat, as well as several maintenance and safety issues.

Prosecution submitted photo evidence of rat droppings on food storage shelves, under ovens and under food preparation benches.

The court heard there was also a large hole in the ceiling, which may have provided entry for rats, as well as mould on walls and in silicone sealing as well as some food stored on shelves with rat droppings and on the floor inside the fridge.

Mr Webster-Clamp, who was hired by Mr Bickle following the 2023 inspection in an attempt to solve the problems the group was facing, said the group acknowledged that the venue wasn’t “up to standard”.

He said that there had been an “epidemic” of rats in Brisbane around the time, especially in South Bank, and that the venue being open to the elements had made the problem difficult to control, but stressed that the group had immediately rectified the issues identified.

Acting Magistrate Michael Quinn said the venue at the time was in a “filthy state” and that while no admissions had been made by the venue as to an awareness of the rats, that it should have been “plainly obvious”.

Danny Webster-Clamp leaves Brisbane Magistrates Court. Picture: David Clark

The court heard that in 2017, Southbeach Social, which then operated as South Bank Surf Club, was fined $37,000 for similar offences.

At the time, 22 people suffered food poisoning after eating at the venue, which was later traced back to homemade mayonnaise and aioli that had been made with salmonella contaminated eggs.

Magistrate Quinn said that sentencing was an aggravating fact, in that the venue management had not learned a lesson regarding the safety of the community and he needed to take that into consideration in his sentencing.

He acknowledged the effort the group had put into overhauling its processes, including the onboarding of Mr Webster-Clamp, the firing and rehiring of its entire suite of staff and the adoption of more stringent food safety compliance protocols.

He praised Mr Webster-Clamp on his eloquence in his representation and on the significant changes the venue had seen.

South Beach Social Pty Ltd was fined $40,000 and ordered to pay a further $618.45 in costs and fees, which Mr Webster-Clamp said the company would settle as soon as possible.

No conviction was recorded.