The Hilltop in Sawtell owners break silence over ugly legal dispute with The Lodge Bellingen after celebrity chefs Three Blue Ducks move in

A small business has broken its silence in a legal battle with The Lodge Bellingen after a dispute over opening hours saw them booted from their restaurant. Last week, celebrity chefs Andy Allen, Matt LaBrooy and Darren Robertson of Three Blue Ducks moved in.

The Hilltop Cafe owners Matt Evans, Richie Dolan and Carla Jones, left. They were booted from their restaurant at The Lodge Bellingen, with the Three Blue Ducks celeb team, bottom right, opening in the restaurant space last week., top right. Pictures: Leah Moore/Supplied

A family-run business claims it has been financially and emotionally crippled after it was booted from its restaurant after a dispute over operating hours, and replaced by the celebrity chefs behind The Three Blue Ducks.

Husband-and-wife team Carla Jones and Richie Dolan, along with their business partner Matthew Evans, are at the centre of a lengthy legal battle with the The Lodge in Bellingen over their restaurant The Hilltop at The Lodge.

With the two opposing sides at an impasse, the team behind The Three Blue Ducks which includes MasterChef’s Andy Allen, Darren Robertson and Matt LaBrooy, opened their restaurant on the site last week.

Speaking for the first time, Dolan, who has previously worked at esteemed Sydney restaurants like Aria and Chiswick, said he feels like “collateral”.

“Both personally and professionally it has been the hardest two years of our lives, we never thought that we would be in a position so debilitating and financially crippling,” he said.

The Hilltop Cafe owners Matt Evans, Richie Dolan and Carla Jones. Picture: Leah Moore.

“We are a small family-run business that has invested heavily financially in a what we thought was a sound business opportunity. We took it on after our youngest daughter was only five months old and built an amazing team and thoroughly enjoyed the food we cooked and the service we provided. “

Jones, Dolan and Evans run popular cafe The Hilltop at nearby Sawtell, and in 2019 were approached by Anthony and Monique Parmenter to open a restaurant at their hinterland accommodation The Lodge.

Having signed terms and conditions for a 13-year period — but not a fully registered lease — they poured their savings into the restaurant, which was open from Thursday to Sunday.

They say the relationship soured when The Lodge said it wanted the restaurant to increase its operating hours to seven days a week, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Three Blue Ducks opened their Bellingen venue last week. Picture: Supplied

Dolan claims he was given an “ultimatum” to leave the restaurant in July 2021.

They did not leave, and were locked out of the premises in September.

The case has since gone to the NSW Civil Administrative Tribunal three times. In July 2022, the court ruled they were illegally locked out from their premises.

Despite being granted relief against forfeiture, the team has still not been allowed back into the venue, and the dispute continues.

The Lodge has now terminated their lease for failure to comply with the terms.

The venue has since granted a lease to the Three Blue Ducks, who also have outposts in Rosebery and Byron Bay.

Paul Dewhurst, Three Blue Ducks co-owner said they “were aware” there was an issue between the former tenants and The Lodge.

“However, after lengthy communications with both The Lodge and the previous tenants, it was our understanding that there was a plan in place to resolve the impasse. We will be leaving The Lodge and former tenant to solve any outstanding issues as the matter relates to them and not Three Blue Ducks.”

A spokesperson for The Lodge told The Daily Telegraph The Hilltop team’s claims were factually incorrect, although didn’t respond to specifics, saying they “prefer to deal with these matters not via public forum”.

“We have always acted reasonably to resolve matters for the benefit of all parties,” they said.

The picturesque Lodge in Bellingen has become the site of an ugly legal battle. Picture: Facebook

The new Three Blue Ducks Restaurant in Bellingen. Picture: Supplied

The Hilltop Team says the amount of money they have invested in the venue is why they continue to fight for it.

“We had invested a lot of money, blood, sweat and tears into the development and renovations of the restaurant and had built a successful and locally-loved business,” Dolan said.

“We were not prepared, or willing, to simply walk away from our 13-year lease and everything that we had worked so hard to establish.”

Evans added: “A lot of our capital is tied up in Hilltop at the Lodge, so you can’t just walk into a different space and open up again. This is why we have, and are, fighting so hard.

“The personal toll of the last two years has been quite large. After the initial shock and craze of being illegally locked out and the meetings with lawyers and accountants that follows in those first few days, a massive feeling of shame and embarrassment set in.

“I knew that this situation was not our fault, but there was a sense of failure.

“I didn’t really leave the house much over the next few weeks. There was a lot of stress and sleeplessness and I went through bouts of slight depression.”

Dolan said the reason they are speaking up now is because they’ve been left no other choice.

They dispute previous claims that The Three Blue Ducks helped with mediation.

“A family run business is left clutching at straws and left fighting to protect our investment and loss of opportunity in the Tribunal.” he said.

“The whole situation is completely unjust.”