Crown’s Italian princess Rosetta to close in May
Crown Melbourne will lose one if its best and most popular Italian restaurants, when Rosetta closes its doors for the last time on May 19.
Rosetta, which was part of Neil Perry’s hospitality portfolio before being taken over by Hunter St Hospitality, will be replaced by the The Henley Crown Melbourne.
The Henley will be the first in a list of new venues as part of Crown’s redevelopment.
Rosetta has been on a month-to-month lease for the past four years.
“We’ve been month-to-month for some time while Crown was still deciding what their development plans looked like,” group chief operating officer of Hunter St Hospitality Frank Tucker said.
“Certainly, through COVID, that probably slowed their plans down quite a bit. Now that we’re firmly out of COVID, the resort has come back and said they have plans for that space [Rosetta].”
Hunter St Hospitality has made major staff cuts recently as parent company Pacific Hunter reviews its portfolio. The business has made $150 million in losses in two consecutive years.
Part of the cuts included culinary director Corey Costelloe.
Rumours abound that Rockpool Bar & Grill will close in May when its lease ends. However, Tucker says a lease extension has been signed and that Spice Temple is also on a fixed term lease.
“In an ideal world, I’d like to have space when they [Crown] release their redevelopment plans,” Tucker told Good Food. “I’d like to put in a new concept or another one of our concepts. But we continue to wait and see.
“We believe [Rockpool] is the flagship restaurant in the resort there.”
Crown has embarked on a major overhaul of its Melbourne facility, but is yet to announce a timeline for development.
The Henley is described as a “world-class” riverside bar.
“The announcement ... signifies the start of what is to come for Crown,” said Crown chief executive Mike Volkert in a statement.
“We are looking to create a portfolio of restaurants and bars that bring together the best culinary and bartender talent from across the world combined with the best local talent and inimitable
Melbourne flavour to create the city’s most sought-after hospitality destination.”
Staff at Rosetta will be redeployed and the closure is likely to spell the end of the restaurant.
Crown says The Henley will open in late 2024.
Jonathan Jackson, 18th April 2024
