Karen Martini and Guy Grossi venues stay open as ownership questions linger
Two Melbourne pub-restaurants tied to Sydney’s troubled Public Hospitality group are trading this weekend, but who will ultimately own them is still up in the air.
The websites for hatted Saint George in St Kilda and Hotel Clifton in Kew (home to Puttanesca) are down after receivers and external managers were appointed to five Sydney hotels linked to the group.
At Hotel Clifton, the Grossi family oversees the food direction, with Guy Grossi guiding the bar and the adjacent Puttanesca restaurant. “We don’t know a lot,” Elizabeth Grossi-Rodriguez of Grossi Restaurants told Good Food. “We are waiting to see what’s happening and trying to work through everything. We are in the same boat as everyone else and trying to understand what it means for us. Hopefully it all gets sorted out. We wish we knew more.” She stressed the family’s role is limited to services: “We are not involved in the business side of things,” while noting strong custom: “I feel like it’s still going well which makes it even more of a shame.”
Over in St Kilda, Karen Martini says she is awaiting confirmation of a new ownership entity. “Public Hospitality is no longer,” she told Good Food. “The Melbourne venues are being separated from the Sydney ones that went into voluntary administration.” Communications have been disrupted: “It’s extremely frustrating,” she said. Still, Saint George is open and pushing its food-first credentials — think focaccia studded with grapes and a char-grilled pork chop.
However, Martini added: “Unusually, we have plenty of tables available tonight and tomorrow,” flagging her focus on staff and suppliers and expecting entitlements to carry over to any new entity. “As you can imagine, it’s a very difficult time for Michael and I being kept at arm’s length as to developing issues and dismantling in Sydney.”
Receivers FTI Consulting have stepped in at Sydney’s The Norfolk, Oxford House, The Strand Hotel, Camelia Grove Hotel and The Exchange Hotel, moving to sell them promptly. “We will be working closely with management of the venues to ensure they continue uninterrupted by this process while we seek new owners for the venues to secure their future,” thereceiver Vaughan Strawbridge said. “We expect a lot of interest in these venues and will work closely with venue management to achieve a successful outcome.”
Jonathan Jackson, 23rd September 2025
