Fake Uber Eats listing blindsides Sydney fine finer on Valentine's Day
A sophisticated online scam targeted one of Sydney's most celebrated fine dining establishments on Valentine’s Day this year, leaving customers without meals, staff fielding abusive calls, and management grappling with reputational damage they had no part in creating.
Upscale George Street restaurant The Sanderson, operated by Speakeasy Group, was impersonated through a fraudulent Uber Eats listing that duped diners into placing orders the venue knew nothing about. The catch: The Sanderson has never held an Uber Eats account — and neither has any venue in the Speakeasy Group portfolio, which also includes Mjolner and Eau-De-Vie across Sydney and Melbourne.
The fallout landed squarely on the restaurant's team. Complaints began as a trickle of emails before escalating to angry phone calls and customers arriving at the venue demanding answers. One aggrieved diner called to declare that "The Sanderson had ruined Valentine's Day," Speakeasy Group director Sven Almenning told The Age.
For a venue built around milestone moments — with a menu featuring $18 caviar bumps and $130 wagyu striploin — the association with a cut-price delivery scam struck at the heart of its brand positioning. "We are very much a 'special occasion' business where people come to celebrate key milestones in their lives. Not exactly something we can do by shipping food out in a box," Almenning said.
The reputational toll compounded quickly. "As a result of the listing, we have copped several one-star reviews from unhappy guests, our team has been abused over the phone," Almenning said. "The business has no doubt suffered significant reputational damage, especially among the guests who placed orders with the fraudulent listing, as well as among guests who frequent The Sanderson and who would have seen discounted menu items, two-for-one deals etc that we would never run in the restaurant."
Almenning also raised concerns about how the fake account passed through Uber Eats' onboarding process undetected, questioning why a newly created listing for an established fine dining venue didn't trigger scrutiny from the outset. He said it took four days for the account to be removed after Speakeasy Group notified the platform — a window he found troubling, particularly given food safety implications.
Uber Eats apologised to both the venue and affected customers, confirming that all impacted orders had been refunded and that no deliveries were actually fulfilled. "Uber apologises to The Sanderson and to any customers impacted by this fraudulent activity. We understand the frustration and confusion this caused," a spokesperson said.
On the question of platform safeguards, Uber added: "We are aware of isolated attempts of this nature and act quickly to remove them when detected. Accounts exhibiting suspicious behaviour are flagged and removed using a combination of human review and fraud-detection technology. Safeguards within the merchant onboarding process continue to be strengthened to help prevent this type of activity in future."
Jonathan Jackson, 9th March 2026
