Swillhouse cancels festival after sponsors and musicians pull out amid allegations

Swillhouse has cancelled its first festival after partners, musicians and sponsors pulled out following accusations the major hospitality group failed to support staff who reported multiple alleged sexual assaults.

The company has pleaded with staff and suppliers not to abandon them following a months-long investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald and Good Food that revealed claims Swillhouse pushed female staff out of the company after they reported sexual assaults, encouraged staff to have sex with customers and take drugs while on shift, and discriminated against women as it built up a hospitality empire.

Swillfest was cancelled on Thursday.

“While we cannot right the wrongs of the past, we acknowledge them, and apologise for any hurt caused,” the company said in a statement on Thursday night. “Our responsibility and focus right now is to our people and their wellbeing and for this reason, we don’t feel it’s appropriate to go ahead with plans for the Swillfest on 21 September.”

Swillhouse runs six of Sydney’s best-known venues including Le Foote in the Rocks, Restaurant Hubert in the CBD and the Baxter Inn on Clarence Street. Non-member tickets for the festival in the Rocks sold out within four days. The company said the tickets will be refunded.

Icebergs Dining Room & Bar restaurateur Maurice Terzini, Young Henrys and P&V Wine and Liquor pulled out of Swillfest on Thursday morning. Non-alcoholic beer brand Heaps Normal cancelled its partnership with the festival on Wednesday.

“It’s imperative that we do what is best for the industry we love,” Terzini said. “I can confirm that we will not participate in the festival.”

Restaurateur Maurice Terzini withdrew support for Swillfest in the best interests of the industry. Credit: Brook Mitchell

The lead wine curator of Swillfest, Mike Bennie, pulled the plug on Thursday morning. Bennie was integral to Swillhouse’s vision of “probably the world’s most original wine fair”, having co-founded P&V Wine and Liquor Merchants.

Brewer Young Henrys cancelled its partnership with the festival on Thursday afternoon. “The allegations laid out in your articles are as saddening as they are serious,” said founder Oscar McMahon. “Young Henrys is against harassment, violence and mistreatment of all kinds.”

Singer Hevenshe was due to perform but pulled out.Credit: Instagram

Singer Hevenshe pulled out of her show on Thursday after Maanyung said he would not be performing, leaving Kingswood as the only band still playing a festival that Swillhouse had marketed “as a cultural phenomenon.”

Swillhouse chief executive Anton Forte stood down from the board of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association on Wednesday morning.

In an email to staff, patrons and suppliers later that night, Swillhouse said the investigation had painted a “distressing picture of Swillhouse and our workplace culture”.

“Swillhouse is heartbroken that there have been instances where some of our current and former employees have felt unsupported, unheard or at risk,” it said. “We are fully committed to rebuilding any lost trust with each of you.”

Other major hospitality companies including Love Tilly Devine are now scrambling to contain the fallout across the industry by attempting to silence their workers.

On Wednesday, the company which runs Fabbrica in the CBD, Ragazzi, and Dear Sainte Éloise issued a warning via an all-staff email not to talk to journalists or post comments publicly on social media about the issue.

Good Food Guide 2023 sommelier of the year Bridget Raffal said not enough had been done in the industry to support victims of sexual assault and harassment.

Raffal said “there was very little incentive” for women to come forward.

“Hospitality is a small world and we all know each other, so women know if they make a fuss they might get fired or end up in a more hostile situation where they have to look elsewhere for employment,” Raffal said.

“They know their prospective employer is likely to call around … and they could be labelled as ‘hard work’.”

Sommelier Bridget Raffal said there is little incentive for women to call out bad behaviour in hospitality.Credit: Louie Douvis

Raffal’s Women and Revolution gender advocacy group has partnered with the Australian Human Rights Commission for an in-person session for women affected by workplace sexual harassment in September, as part of their wider Speaking from Experience project.

“People can be cynical about this and say that nothing will change, but this conversation and this information gathering will have a positive impact and inform policy change,” Raffal said.

“And when it does, it won’t be enough to say, ‘You tried,’ or, ‘You could have done better’.”

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