Collapsed companies behind Etsu Izakaya, Commune cafe owe thousands to staff, tax office

The failed companies behind two acclaimed Gold Coast eateries owe more than $770,000 to staff and the tax office, new documents have revealed. They also loaned $200,000 to a related company before they went into liquidation. Yet the restaurants are still open for business

Commune at Burleigh Heads. Pic: David Clark

TWO of the Gold Coast’s most acclaimed eateries owe $40,000 superannuation to 44 staff who may never get it back.

Documents lodged with the corporate regulator also show they owed $717,352 in tax, $17,000 to American Express and that the companies loaned almost $200,000 to a related company before they went into liquidation last week.

Despite the failure of the companies behind the popular Commune Cafe at Burleigh and Etsu Izakaya, run by respected restaurateurs Mitch and Nerissa McCluskey, both venues opened without skipping a beat as the businesses were sold to new companies, also owned and operated by the McCluskeys, before the old companies collapsed.

Mitchell and Nerissa McCuskey and his wife at their Etsu Japanese restaurant in Mermaid Beach. Pic Tim Marsden

Reports lodged by the couple, who are each a director of one of the failed companies but jointly own both, declared neither company had any equipment, property, motor vehicles or stock when they failed.

They show Commune had just $26.99 in its bank accounts, while Etsu had $2.08 when it went into liquidation.

The McCluskeys declared that Commune owed $9812 in superannuation to 23 staff while Etsu owed $30,362 to 21 staff.

Unlike wages and other entitlements, superannuation owed by failed companies cannot be claimed from the government by employees, who must line up with other creditors including the tax office and credit card company.

Commune at Burleigh Heads. Pic by David Clark

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Commune owed $247,468 to the tax office and $8250 to the failed Etsu company.

Etsu owed $469,884 tax and $17,000 to American Express, according to the director.

The documents reveal Etsu loaned the couple’s third restaurant, Iku Yakitori, $121,672 before Etsu went into liquidation, while Commune loaned it $76,435.

The company behind Iku Yakitori has not gone into liquidation.

The Bulletin has contacted the couple for a response.

Etsu Izakaya, Mermaid Beach. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Company records show two new companies owned by the pair, Bang Bang (Qld) and The Old Butcher Shop, were registered with ASIC in November last year.

According to company records, neither of those companies have an Australian Business Number.

Both Etsu and Commune have received rave reviews since they opened, with the McCluskeys considered among the city’s top restaurateurs.

The liquidations follow the failures of two Italian restaurants in two days last month, with the unrelated companies behind That Italian Place at Chevron Island and Cicchetti at Isle of Capri both in liquidation.