Jon Adgemis’ former venue gets a fresh new lease on life with a little help from George Calombaris
Sydney pub baron Jon Adgemis’ business woes may have repeatedly dominated headlines in 2024, but celebrity chef George Calombaris will breathe new life into one of his old venues.
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Sydney pub baron Jon Adgemis’ business woes may have repeatedly dominated headlines in 2024, but one of his old venues has been given some new life with a Chinese-Australian restaurant set to open with a menu by celebrity chef George Calombaris.
Mr Adgemis, who recently dated model and actor Megan MacKenzie, embarked on a mission of renovating old pubs in the inner suburbs before his company, Public Hospitality Group, racked up big debts and ran into serious financial trouble.
A separate company called Linchpin Hospitality has stepped in to operate some of his old venues including Annandale’s Empire Hotel, where a new eatery called Double Happy Chinese Restaurant will officially open on Monday.
Mr Calombaris, as Linchpin’s culinary director, developed Double Happy’s menu that includes Chinese-Australian classics such as beef and black bean, sweet and sour pork and honey and lemon chicken.
He said the venue would be laid back.
“We wanted something casual enough for a midweek dinner, but special enough to bring the in-laws to for a celebration,” he said.
“The Australian-Chinese style of restaurant has a nostalgia that resonates with so many people.”
Also opening inside the Empire behind Double Happy is Dale’s Pizza, which will offer wood-fire pizzas.
Mr Adgemis – who is gradually losing more and more of his hospitality empire – only has a landlord-tenant relationship with Linchpin.
He has no role in running the group, which was founded late last year.
Linchpin is similarly operating several of his other old venues, including Hotel Diplomat in Potts Point, formerly Bayswater Sydney Hotel, which will reopen in coming months, while also managing Balmain’s Exchange Hotel, which is slated to reopen in winter.
Meanwhile, Linchpin is involved with new hotels at Claridge House in Darlinghurst and the former site of Noah’s Backpackers at Bondi Beach.
Solotel Group has taken charge of three pubs previously run by Public Hospitality Group – the Norfolk in Redfern, Camelia Grove Hotel in Alexandria and Oxford House in Paddington.
Once a media darling, Mr Calombaris’ golden run ended when the Fair Work Ombudsman found Made Establishment, the holding company for his restaurants, underpaid staff $7.8 million.
The company had to repay the money to hundreds of staff.
Mr Calombaris was also fined $1000 and convicted for assault of a fan after an A-League game in Sydney in 2017. Mr Calombaris was also fined $1000 and convicted for assault of a fan after an A-League game in Sydney in 2017. The decision was overturned on appeal and he was discharged without conviction.
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