Farewell party at Morris Jones bar disappoints former workers who claim they’re owed money

A farewell party thrown by Hayden Burbank at the closed down Morris Jones bar in Windsor has ruffled feathers with former workers who claim they’re owed money by the one time Chapel St hot spot.

Hayden Burbank threw a farewell party at the closed down Morris Jones bar. Picture: Mark Stewart

A farewell party thrown by Hayden Burbank at the closed down Morris Jones bar in Windsor has disappointed former workers at the business who claim they are owed money by the one time Chapel Street hot spot.

Morris Jones shut up shop on February 19 with its closure officially confirmed on March 8.

Despite no longer trading, the venue had lights on, music pumping, security on the back door, and a red carpet rolled out of its back entrance on the night of Friday, March 14 for a private ‘farewell’ gathering hosted by Burbank, who founded the original business over a decade ago.

Burbank stepped away from operating the bar business in November 2021 when he resigned as a director of Bambou Restaurant Pty Ltd, the company that traded as Morris Jones & Co.

His mother Antoinette Burbank is currently the sole director of Bambou Restaurant Pty Ltd and Hayden is listed as the only shareholder in the company. The Herald Sun is not suggesting Hayden Burbank was running the Morris Jones business.

Burbank gained notoriety for fudging documents to travel to Perth during the Covid lockdown to watch his beloved Demons win the 2021 AFL Grand Final. He spent three months in prison in WA for his actions.

The now closed down bar in Windsor. Picture: Nicki Connolly

News of the party did not go down well with former staff who claim they have money owing from time working at the venue.

Speaking anonymously, one former worker at Morris Jones said they were owed several weeks pay as well as leave entitlements and superannuation.

“We pretty much have not heard from them (the business) since (the doors shut),” the source said.

They described the ‘farewell party’ as “a massive slap in the face”.

“I have not had a single phone call or a single message telling me the business was closed,” they said.

“The only message was posted on social media and it thanked all the customers, but there was not one word about any of the staff. It was disheartening.”

Another person who worked at Morris Jones also claimed they were owed several weeks of pay, superannuation and annual leave.

“It is extremely disappointing,” they said.

“I know somebody who was reached out to staff that party and they turned it down.”

Rumours have been flying that the Morris Jones business is on the market. Picture: Mark Stewart

A third former staffer also claimed they were owed a couple of weeks pay.

It is understood that the majority of the staff at the business were employed on a casual basis.

In July last year, following a renovation, Morris Jones was relaunched with a celebrity studded party.

At that event, attended by the likes of Jackson Warne, Candice Wyatt, Tahan Lew, Tom Cutler, Jacinta Stapleton and Campbell Brown, a syndicate was introduced as the venue’s new owners.

However, it appears the sale to that group was never fully transacted.

Rumours have been flying around the South Yarra/Windsor area in recent weeks that the Morris Jones business was on the market.

An application was made on March 14 for the business’s liquor licence to be transferred.

Attempts were made to contact Antoinette Burbank and Hayden Burbank.