Ristorante Fellini owner Carlo Percuoco dismisses rumours top Gold Coast venue has gone under

Ristorante Fellini at Marina Mirage has been a hotspot since 1993 but a clean out of part of the premises prompted speculation its days are numbered.

THE owner of one of the Gold Coast’s favourite restaurants which has hosted a parade of celebrities says rumours of its demise are premature.

Ristorante Fellini at Marina Mirage has been a hotspot since 1993 but a clean out of part of the premises has prompted speculation its days are numbered.

The interior of Fellini at Marina Mirage on Monday. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Photos of Fellini yesterday showed a gutted interior fuelling rumours but Fellini owner Carlo Percuoco told the Bulletin he hoped to reopen after the coronavirus restrictions eased.

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“We are waiting on the government and we will reassess the reopening plan.

“I can’t make any decision until we get further into this but the 10 people per restaurant is not viable. For us, that’s ridiculous. We will have to see how it goes.

“We will have to sit down with the accountants and see if it’s all viable.

“At this stage we are in limbo,” he said.

Asked about the clearing of the premises, Mr Percuoco said equipment for a pasta factory operation set up inside the restaurant had been recently removed and was probably fuelling the rumours.

“We have just moved out the pasta factory to a bigger premises. People will have seen the pasta machines coming out – and you know what this town is like, rumours go out.”

Mr Percuoco said when essentials such as pasta were in short supply in supermarkets, demand had risen and he had a new venue for the factory.

Carlo Percuoco hopes to open Fellini again after coronavirus restrictions ease.

The restaurant, overlooking the waterfront, is widely considered one of the city’s finest Italian eateries and has hosted The Rolling Stones, Hugh Jackman, Pink, Kelsey Grammar, the actors Kate Hudson and Sarah Michelle Gellar along with the Sultan of Brunei and a Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia among many others.

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Mr Percuoco said he had retained six staff for the time being but said of the coronavirus shutdown he’d “never seen anything like this”.

He tried takeaways for the first week but was now awaiting easing restrictions before his next move.