Sunshine Coast dining offshoot of Rice Boi, RB Dining, closes

A cult favourite Sunshine Coast restaurant that took more than 1000 bookings on its opening day and is owned by one of Queensland’s most successful hospitality operators has closed.

RB Dining at Mooloolaba has closed and will operate as a function centre named Black Lotus.

A cult favourite Sunshine Coast restaurant has closed.

RB Dining, the much-lauded up-market sibling of Asian street food restaurant Rice Boi at The Wharf Mooloolaba shut its doors on Sunday night.

Owner Tony Kelly, of the Tony Kelly Restaurant Group, which owns both venues as well as slew of other highly regarded Sunshine Coast restaurant including Market Bistro and Giddy Geisha at Maroochydore, Spero at Mooloolaba, Bocca Italian at Bokarina Beach and Piggyback at Palmwoods, says the restaurant has immediately morphed into a function centre named Black Lotus that will be run through the perennially popular Rice Boi.

Rice Boi Owner Tony Kelly. Photo Lachie Millard

RB Dining, upstairs in the sprawling Mooloolaba waterfront complex, took the fast casual, no-bookings Rice Boi concept and elevated it with an a la carte menu, table service and guests able to make reservations.

When it opened, in 2023, it took calls for more than 1000 bookings in just 24 hours.

But Kelly said a huge influx of bookings in the run up to Christmas made it a better business idea to permanently switch the venue to functions.

“It was the last day of trade yesterday,” he said.

“It being reincarnated.”

Kelly said RB Dining was profitable but the change made business sense.

He said an event manager was in place along with plenty of books leading into Christmas.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast dining offshoot of Rice Boi, RB Dining, closes