Long-running City Lane restaurant Donna Bionda goes into liquidation

Townsville’s foodies are in mourning after a long-running CBD restaurant went into liquidation. Find out where it was.

Townsville restaurant Donna Bionda has gone into liquidation. Pictures: Supplied.

Townsville’s foodies are mourning the loss of long-running Italian restaurant Donna Bionda which will no longer offer its wood-fired pizzas after going into liquidation last week.

One of the foundational restaurants to appear when City Lane opened in 2014, Donna Bionda built a devoted following for its casual, yet sophisticated dining experience in a modern industrial atmosphere.

It offered a range of contemporary Italian and seafood mains, share platters or the decadent signature Donna Bionda nutella and caramelised banana calzone, washed down with an extensive offering of wine and cocktails.

A notice recently appeared on the restaurant’s door saying that Donna Bionda Pty Ltd entered liquidation on August 28, with any queries referred to KordaMentha’s Tony Mickiewicz and Robert Hutson, who were appointed as liquidators.

Donna Bionda’s website has since been pulled down and attempts to contact them by phone have not been successful.

The factors leading to the business’s collapse are unclear, and it’s uncertain if any obligations to staff or creditors remain.

Exterior view of Donna Bionda in City Lane. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Notice on the window of Donna Bionda in City Lane. Picture: Leighton Smith.

According to the restaurant, Donna Bionda was “a one-of-a-kind Italian concept restaurant, celebrating the life of Donna – a passionate, life and friendship-loving blonde Italian woman”.

“When you dine at Donna Bionda, you experience the wonderful highlights of Donna’s life; from the delicious wood-fired pizzas fresh out of the pizza oven, flavoursome pastas, tasty Italian desserts and an extensive wine list,” they said in 2020 when the restaurant was one of the finalists for Townsville’s Best Restaurant.

Townsville Eye Taste; Donna Bionda in City Lane. Chef Ryan Zhang with signature dish, Seafood Pasta

Some of the dishes served at Donna Bionda in City Lane. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Donna Bionda’s most popular dish Agliolini Al Frutta Di Mare was a flavoursome pasta and seafood combination with prawns, coral fish, mussels, octopus and squid, which chef Ryan Zhang attributed to their Napoli (tomato) sauce.

“This is the most popular sauce in Italian cuisine. When you combine it with the seafood and the pasta, it just becomes absolutely delicious,” Mr Zang said.

“The seafood is tender and the sauce is full of flavour, which makes for a great combination.”

KordaMentha liquidator Tony Miskiewicz said the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation was the petitioning creditor in the winding up of the company.

“Upon attending the business premises on 28 August 2024, the Donna Bionda restaurant was continuing to trade. We made the decision to immediately close the business, due to poor historical trading results, and all employees were terminated,” Mr Miskiewicz said.

“We understand there were eight employees on the company’s books on appointment with seven of these owed wages from August 19, 2024. As most of these employees are in Australia on temporary working visas, they are ineligible to make a claim via the Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG) Programme run by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

“Given the limited assets of the company, it is unlikely these employees will be paid for their outstanding wages.”

Exterior view of Donna Bionda in City Lane. Picture: Leighton Smith.

On August 28, he said they issued a demand for the company’s books and records to the director requiring she deliver these to our office.

“Once the records are provided, we will be able to determine the number of creditors and quantum of debts outstanding,” he said.

“However, we have received a copy of the ATO’s business portal which suggests there is $635,957 outstanding to the ATO ($276,726 of this relates to outstanding employer superannuation guarantee) with respect to submitted taxation lodgements.

“At this stage, we are also aware of trade, financing and other creditors totalling approximately $200,000.”

Donna Bionda was approached for comment.

Originally published as Long-running City Lane restaurant Donna Bionda goes into liquidation