Awarding-winning bartender Matt Whiley’s plan for zero-waste bar at Public Hospitality’s The Norfolk abandoned

It’s last drinks before they are even poured at zero waste bar Re at The Norfolk Hotel, as award-winning bartender Matt Whiley ends his collaboration with the Jon Adgemis-run group.

International World’s 50 Best bartender Matt Whiley. Picture: Supplied

In March, it was announced with much fanfare that industry heavyweight Matt Whiley would bring his award-winning, world-first zero waste bar Re, to the Public Hospitality-owned The Norfolk on Crown Street.

Five months later, there is no sign of the bar. What happened?

The Daily Telegraph understands that Whiley ended his collaboration with Public Hospitality after fellow bar leaders, Stefano Catino and Vince Lombardo from The Maybe Group ended their association with the Jon Adgemis run group.

According to Public’s press releases, the bar was set to open in May serving Whiley’s signature zero-waste cocktails. The bar was also going to house a bottle shop.

At the time, Public said the delay of opening was due to construction delays.

Whiley’s [; plans to open Re have been put on ice.

However it was also around the same time The Maybe Group, who run Australia’s best bar Maybe Sammy, parted ways with Public.

Now the bar will not go ahead and there is no word as to what will replace it.

Whiley originally had Re at the South Eveleigh precinct, before moving it to The Norfolk.

In a statement at the time he said: “Bringing Re to Redfern at The Norfolk feels like the right move for the bar. We never want to stop being creative in our practice so finding this location energises us and gives us more opportunity for us to stretch into new material and work with new people.”

This isn’t the end of Re though, which has been included in The World’s Best Bar list and is known for turning chicken feet into a best-selling cocktail.

Whiley, who hails from the UK, is working with The Maybe Group to open up the cocktail bar nearby Maybe Sammy in The Rocks.

Jon Adgemis, Vince Lombardo and Stefano Catino after announcing that The Maybe Group have been acquired by hospitality group, PUBLIC. That association has now ended. Picture: Richard Dobson

In the meantime Whiley is collaborating on another project with Lombardo and Catino, as well as working with Sheraton on The Park for the bar menu at their well-received new restaurant Sydney Common. He’s also working with The Apollo Group, who run Cho Cho San and The Apollo as well as the soon-to-be opened Surry Hills, Greek restaurant Olympus.

It comes as Public Hospitality Group, which boasts over 10 operational sites across Sydney and Melbourne and a further six under renovation or construction, has spent months knocking together a debt refinancing deal for his business, with lenders Deutsche Bank underwriting a $400m refinancing in July.