Frank Criniti: Restaurant owner kicked wife, assaulted teen family member

In the wake of his empire crumbling, popular Sydney restaurateur Frank Criniti assaulted his wife in public and a teen family member at his home, a court has heard.

Iconic Sydney restaurant owner Frank Criniti kicked his wife in public and assaulted a teenage family member in a series of violent incidents in the wake of the chain’s 2019 collapse.

The 40-year-old behind the Criniti brand which was a hotspot for Sydney’s rich and famous before its demise last year is facing a raft of charges, with police accusing him of committing domestic violence offences that took place as his empire crumbled.

The Burwood Local Court on Friday heard Criniti returned from a six-month stint in the states last November with the business falling apart.

Their Woolloomooloo restaurant was one of dozens closed down last year.

Soon after, he assaulted his wife and a teenage relative after a number of family disputes regarding the failed business.

In one of the incidents, Criniti approached his estranged wife Rima in a shopping centre and said “shut your mouth I’m going to smack you across the head” before kicking her in front of their three children.

Documents tendered to court reveal passers by intervened by raising their voices as the incident took place outside a Peter Alexander store in Castle Hill.

In another charge by police, Criniti was arguing with a 16-year-old family member through a text message exchange before arriving at his house an hour later and assaulting him.

Frank Criniti, 40, founded the chain of restaurants in 2003.

Court documents state he punched him several times on the ground, scratched his face and dragged him into the lounge room where he continued to strike and kick him, causing bleeding.

“He locked the front door and carried out a fairly extensive assault of (the teenager),” Magistrate Daniel Reiss said.

“With the children being about he kicked (his wife) in the right leg above her knee, the children intervened to stop that.”

His wife, the teenage relative, brother Dominic and his wife Lourdes have all sought apprehended domestic violence orders against Criniti which are in place for two years.

His lawyer Paul Crean had attempted to have the charges dismissed on mental health grounds, arguing he was being treated for ADHD at the time of the incidents.

Mr Crean told the Burwood Local Court on Friday the businessman was seeing a psychiatrist and was under “severe stress” as a result of the company’s collapse.

Court documents state Criniti earns $100k a year as the owner of other cafes.

Criniti has pleaded guilty to the common assault against his wife, breaching an apprehended domestic violence order by emailing his sister-in-law to assault occasioning bodily harm in relation to the attack on his teen relative.

“This behaviour has ceased and is likely to remain ceased,” Mr Crean said.

“He has had 18 sessions with the psychiatrist since.”

Magistrate Reiss dismissed the application to have the case thrown out on mental health grounds.

Criniti founded the first of his restaurants on Parramatta’s Church St with wife Rima and his father Cosimo in 2003.

From there, the business grew into the place to be for celebrities and sports personalities, with the likes of Italian football stars Alessandro Del Piero and Fabio Cannavaro frequenting Criniti’s.

However, last November, the company was placed into administration and closed its restaurants on the Woolloomooloo Wharf, Manly and Parramatta amid debts totalling $50 million.

Criniti will return to court later this month.

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