A hospitality boss has said his company ‘messed up’ after explosive allegations were made about rape, drug use and sex competitions among staff in his ritzy venues.
Swillhouse, which owns six high-profile venues across Sydney including Le Foote restaurant in the Rocks and CBD whisky bar the Baxter Inn, has been rocked by allegations made by staff which first came to light last month.
Swillhouse CEO and founder Anton Forte, who is not personally accused of any wrongdoing, on Wednesday posted a lengthy video on the hospitality group’s Instagram account addressing the claims.
An investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald reported claims from five female former staff who allege the company failed to support them after they reported allegations of sexual abuse and harassment by male employees.
During his video apology, Mr Forte said he began his hospitality group to ‘create something magical in the city we loved’.
‘We wanted to create a culture of openness, generosity and respect but along the way we messed up,’ he said.
‘It’s heartbreaking to know that people were unsupported, unheard and let down.
‘I’m deeply sorry for that.’
Swillhouse founder Anton Forte has delivered a lengthy Instagram apology after his hospitality group was embroiled in a scandal
Mr Forte said the allegations against Swillhouse were ‘far-reaching’ and ‘reflect a period of time where our business wasn’t as sophisticated as it is now’.
However, Mr Forte said ‘we don’t take them lightly and we respect people’s experiences and their need to share their stories publicly’.
‘We’ve heard you, we are listening and we are accountable,’ he said.
Although Mr Forte said in the ‘past few years’ Swillhouse had made ‘a lot of changes to our workplace, our culture and HR practices to better support and protect our team’, he knew they had to ‘do better’.
‘This week we have brought in three outstanding independent experts in hospitality culture and leadership, workplace health and safety to advise us on how to work differently, to work better,’ he said.
‘We are putting every aspect of our operations under the spotlight because we want to identify where, what and how we need to change.’
Mr Forte said he owed it to the group’s 330 ‘brilliant staff’ and ‘diverse mix of guests’ to make ‘real positive and lasting change’.
Swillhouse, which owns six high-profile venues across the city, including Le Foote restaurant in the Rocks (pictured) and whisky bar the Baxter Inn, has been rocked by a litany of disturbing allegations
‘We will get through this and emerge as better versions of ourselves, of Swillhouse, and we won’t let anyone down again,’ he said.
Swillhouse also owns the Caterpillar Club, Alberto’s Lounge, Shady Pines Saloon and Restaurant Hubert.
Mr Forte stepped down from the board of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association in the wake of the allegations.
The Sydney Morning Herald’s investigation exposed concerns about the culture within Swillhouse venues.
One woman who worked as a bartender at Hubert alleged she was raped in the toilets in 2013 by a male colleague after being made a cocktail containing 10 different gins.
The all-male bartending team at the Baxter Inn (pictured) allegedly competed to sleep with customers in a store room – with a $1,000 bottle of wine on offer for the first to be successful
‘I got completely blackout drunk… and came to… in the women’s bathrooms at work,’ the woman, who is pursuing a complaint with the police, told the publication.
Other staff members at the restaurant claimed there was a special room where they would do lines of cocaine during their shifts, while the all-male bartending team at the Baxter Inn allegedly competed to sleep with customers in a store room.
A $1,000 bottle of wine was allegedly up for grabs for the first bartender to have sex with a customer.
Former staff told the SMH that all conquests were noted down and ranked in order of attractiveness during staff meetings.
Daily Mail Australia last month revealed another Swillhouse boss deleted his Instagram account which contained a sexually suggestive username.
Swillhouse creative director Jordan McDonald, who is not personally accused of any wrongdoing, was forced to delete his Instagram account after being called out for his sexually explicit handle.
Mr McDonald, who handles the restaurant group’s creative direction, events, entertainment, PR and strategy, previously had the handle ‘@wangdangsweetpoontang’ on one of his accounts.
It is a reference to the title of a 1977 song by American singer Ted Nugent, which fantasises about a ‘teenage queen’.
‘She lookin’ so clean, especially down in between,’ the lyrics state.
Swillhouse creative director Jordan McDonald (pictured above), who is not personally accused of any misconduct, was forced to delete his Instagram account after being called out for his sexually explicit handle
Nugent, who is now one of Donald Trump’s most outspoken supporters in the music world, sings in a later verse: ‘She’s so sweet when she yanks on my meat’.
Since the investigation broke, Swillhouse has been inundated with complaints from disgusted former patrons.
‘The fact that your PR frontman and Frankies director could get away with the Instagram handle ‘Wang Dang Sweet Poontang’ (the title of a sexually explicit song about a teenage girl), says so much about your company,’ one person wrote.
Mr McDonald told Daily Mail Australia that it was his ‘private Instagram’ and insisted ‘it had nothing to do with Swillhouse’.
‘I changed the name because it was not appropriate and I regret it,’ he said.
When asked why he had tagged Swillhouse Hospitality and Frankie’s Bar in the description, he did not respond.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk