Meter Maids brand owner says restaurant outfits were no secret after abruptly closing a month ago on Gold Coast

THE Meter Maids brand owner has slammed her business partner’s notions that the outfits were too skimpy, saying he knew what he was getting into.

METER Maids brand owner Roberta Aitchison has fired back at her business partner in a bar venture saying she is stunned he had issues with the “skimpy” staff bar uniforms.

The short-lived Meter Maids bar and restaurant operation opened in central Surfers Paradise in late March but abruptly shut four weeks ago.

Gold Coast Meter Maids Isabela Delanhesi and Nicole Dolly have fun painting the Meter Maids bar. Picture Glenn Hampson

A bitter row between Meter Maids brand owner Roberta Aitchison and bar business partner John Sankey erupted in the lead-up to its closure, the Bulletin revealed yesterday.

Mr Sankey told the Bulletin he hadn’t been happy with the bar girls’ sparkly bikini uniforms and he believed they had made some customers and also staff uncomfortable.

John Sankey is a highly-regarded heavy metal drummer who toured the world for two decades playing major stadiums for some of the genre's biggest names. But he took time out back on the Gold Coast a year ago to help set up the Meter Maids bar in Surfers Paradise.

But Ms Aitchison has shot back at Mr Sankey — who remains a shareholder — saying he would have known what the outfits would be like prior to opening.

“The girls are still in bikinis the same as they were everywhere else on the street. So I have changed nothing,” Ms Aitchison said.

“Those uniforms cost me $2000 and I put them all out on the bar top before the bar opened,” she said.

“I’m proud of everything I do, everything I’ve done with the Meter Maids,” she said.

The Meter Maids have a 50-year-plus tradition of walking the streets of Surfers Paradise in golden bikinis, high heels and akubra hats.

Meter Maids, Tiy Rusnik and Nicole Dolly. Picture: Jerad Williams

The service was initially started as a city tourism gimmick feeding meters to help visitors avoid fines. Ms Aitchison owns the trademark and now runs it privately, with her Meter Maids selling merchandise as well as feeding meters.

Ms Aitchison said she and third venue shareholder Greg Kafritsas hoped to get a new licence to trade until 1am as a bar, replacing their cafe bar licence which required food to be served.

Mr Sankey has said he wants to have no involvement in those future plans.