Acclaimed chef Clayton Wells (ex-Automata) has joined Sydney’s fastest-growing hospitality group, Public, as it prepares to open a boutique hotel with about 50 rooms in the former Noah’s Backpackers site at Bondi Beach.

Wells comes on board this month as the group’s creative culinary director, with a critical role in developing and finessing the food and beverage offerings at more than 20 Public venues, such as The Lady Hampshire in Camperdown and the Oxford House in Paddington.

Public, run by founder Jon Adgemis, has expanded rapidly, acquiring 16 properties between 2020 and 2022. In June 2022, the group bought the beachfront Noah’s Backpackers site for $68 million.

The Bondi property is set to become an upmarket hotel with a strong food and beverage offering, Wells tells Good Food.

“It’s going to be a major focus of mine,” he says of the as-yet-unnamed venue, which will feature a restaurant, bar and rooftop space.

“I can’t tell you too much yet but it’s going to be a really cool food and beverage-led hotel with lots of different spaces throughout.”

Wells is also working with Public to develop another hotel, The Kurrajong in Erskineville. The art deco venue, once known as The Swanson Hotel, will be renovated and converted into a boutique hotel and restaurant, while retaining its “neighbourhood pub” character.

“It’s a beautiful building, right across from the park, and [we’re developing it into] something quite stunning,” Wells says.

Both venues are slated to open by the end of the year.

When announcing the impending closure of his two-hatted Chippendale restaurant Automata last July, the chef told social media followers he wanted to “challenge [himself] creatively and explore something new”.

Wells says he was drawn to the position at Public because it satisfies his desire to tackle a diverse portfolio of food and beverage venues at a conceptual level before they open.

“After I closed Automata, I really wanted to give myself a few months to unpack the last 16 years of fine dining and make a focused choice on what direction I wanted to move in,” he says.

“I realised I’ve always been really excited about this part of the process … Not to say I don’t enjoy cooking, but I really enjoy that art [of conceptualising a restaurant].”

For existing Public venues, Wells’ appointment will mean greater innovation and finesse, rather than a total culinary overhaul.

Wells’ restaurant at the Art Gallery of NSW, MOD. Dining by Clayton Wells, is unaffected by his new appointment.