6Head owner sold in $122m deal as new Japanese backer lines up 18 venues
The hospitality group behind 6Head and The Meat & Wine Co is gearing up for a big growth spurt after being snapped up by Japanese dining giant Colowide in a deal reported to be worth about $122 million.
Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group – which runs The Meat & Wine Co, 6Head and Hunter & Barrel – is now planning to almost double its footprint, with 15–18 new restaurants on the cards over the next three years in Australia and offshore.
The Sydney-based group was acquired in June by Yokohama-headquartered Colowide, a restaurant powerhouse with more than 2,600 venues across Japan, Asia and the Middle East and around 56,000 staff worldwide. The deal gives Seagrass both capital and serious operational backing as it eyes new markets.
Seagrass CEO Ravi Singh says Colowide knew exactly what it was shopping for.
“They wanted steakhouse brands in their portfolio,” he said. “Their main objective is to take the brands and grow both in Australia as well as in other markets.
“They liked our business because it has got solid foundations and a playbook which is duplicable. The fact that this playbook can be used in other markets is what appealed to them.”
The group already has a toe in the water overseas, operating Hunter & Barrel in Dubai and Abu Dhabi – a base Singh says will now be built out with Colowide’s support.
“We are looking at expanding in international operations right now because we have got proven concepts in the Middle East. We are focusing on the Middle East in the near future, in the next 12 months, looking at three potential sites,” he said.
“One of the major areas of focus is Singapore, where we have done some work in trying to understand the market and establishing a supply chain.”
Seagrass’ story dates back to 2002, when South African restaurateur Bradley Michael moved to Australia after growing the Blacksteer burger and ribs franchise in his home market.
Over time, the Seagrass stable expanded to include The Meat & Wine Co, Hunter & Barrel and 6Head, plus the Australian and New Zealand licence for Five Guys alongside Ribs and Burgers and Italian Street Kitchen.
Those burger and casual-dining brands have since been spun out into a separate business, Blue Coral Concepts, and were not included in the Colowide transaction.
Colowide is a serial brand collector in Japan’s dining scene, running everything from sushi bars and izakayas to large set-meal chains. It has also built up a global network of around 400 overseas venues, including the Gyu-Kaku yakiniku barbecue restaurants in the US and Asia.
Mr Singh said Seagrass fits neatly into that playbook.
“They liked our business because it has solid foundations and a playbook that can be duplicated,” he said.
On home turf, the next cab off the rank is Perth, where a new The Meat & Wine Co is set to open next month in the former Coco’s site on South Perth’s Esplanade. The venue will lean into the brand’s roots with a ‘Cape Point’ design inspired by its South African heritage.
It will join Seagrass’ existing WA venues, including 6Head at Elizabeth Quay plus Hunter & Barrel and The Meat & Wine Co outlets.
In Adelaide, the group has just added a Hunter & Barrel in a refurbished art deco building on King William Street, sitting alongside The Meat & Wine Co in the CBD.
Singh says the expansion push is only just getting started with Queensland high on the local priority list.
Melbourne is also finally in line for its own 6Head.
Jonathan Jackson, 18th November 2025
