Insta-famous tradie in legal battle with Burleigh bar over alleged unpaid $300k bill

A Gold Coast tradie who regularly appears in his influencer wife’s social media posts is locked in a legal battle with a trendy Burleigh bar for allegedly failing to pay a $336,000 bill for a flashy interior fit-out.

An Instagram-famous Gold Coast tradie who regularly appears in his influencer wife’s social media posts is locked in a legal battle with a trendy rooftop bar for allegedly failing to pay a $336,000 bill for a flashy interior fit-out.

Shopfit Co Pty Ltd, a company wholly owned by carpenter Lachlan Tony Waugh, 31, from Tallai, brought civil proceedings against Burleigh Heads bar Pink Monkey Kitchen and Bar Pty Ltd in the District Court in Southport on June 8.

Shopfit is claiming that the bar, owned by John Muir, owes $336,114 as a debt or as damages for breach of contract over a fit-out that cost $2.5m, now that all work is complete.

Shopfit alleges Mr Muir signed the contract for the fit-out in February 2019, agreeing to pay the total cost of works of the bar on the Gold Coast Hwy overlooking the beach with an extensive outdoor bar and dining area.

Pink Monkey Bar and Grill at Burleigh Heads. Picture: Jerad Williams

The estimated total cost of the works was $1.53m but the actual costs of the work – carried out over seven months until September 2019 – blew out to $2.47m, the claim states.

The claim states that Pink Monkey has failed to pay two tax invoices for the work issued in August and September 2019 as well as for work performed by specialist trade contractors and for Shopfit’s weekly management fees for site supervision.

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The claim also alleges that Pink Monkey has also breached the contract by blocking Shopfit’s seven request to get into the bar to fix minor building work defects.

Lachlan Waugh with Skye Wheatley. Picture: Skye Wheatley

Mr Waugh is the husband of top Gold Coast influencer and mum Skye Wheatley, 28, who shot to fame in 2014 after placing third on reality TV show Big Brother.

They met on the dating application Tinder.

Shopfit has installed shop fittings for companies such as lingerie retailer Simone Perele in Docklands in Melbourne and Sofia’s Restaurant in Broadbeach.

Ms Wheatley has 684,000 Instagram followers which last year placed her as 11th most influential on the Gold Coast last year.

The couple, who have two sons, bought a rundown Spanish-Colonial style mansion in Tallai two years ago for $975,000 and are renovating it and posting photos online.

They were offered a TV show about their life but Mr Waugh declined.

No defence has been filed and no hearing date has been set.