Boss of embattled hospitality group issues grovelling apology after allegations of sexual assault within his venues came to light
A hospitality boss has said his business has “gone wrong” after explosive allegations emerged of rape, drug use and sex competitions among staff at his upmarket establishments.
Swillhouse, which owns six high-profile Sydney venues including Le Foote restaurant in the Rocks and the Baxter Inn whisky bar in the CBD, has been shocked by allegations made by staff that first came to light last month.
Anton Forte, CEO and founder of Swillhouse, who has not been personally accused of any wrongdoing, posted a lengthy video on the hospitality group’s Instagram account on Wednesday addressing the allegations.
An investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald found that five former female employees 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 started his hospitality group to “create something magical in the city we love”.
“We wanted to create a culture of openness, generosity and respect, but we made mistakes along the way,” he said.
“It is heartbreaking to know that people were not supported, not heard and were abandoned.
“I’m very sorry about that.”
Swillhouse founder Anton Forte has issued a lengthy apology on Instagram after his hospitality business became embroiled in a scandal
Mr Forte said the allegations against Swillhouse were “far-reaching” and “reflect a period when our business was not as sophisticated as it is today”.
However, Mr Forte said: ‘We do not take the stories lightly and respect people’s experiences and their need to share their stories publicly.’
“We heard you, we are listening and we are responsible,” he said.
While Mr Forte said Swillhouse had made “many changes to our workplace, culture and HR over the past few years to better support and protect our team”, he knew they “had to do better”.
“This week we invited three leading independent experts in hospitality culture and leadership, health and safety in the workplace to advise us on how we can work differently and better,” he said.
“We are putting the spotlight on every aspect of our business operations to determine where, what and how we need to change.”
Mr Forte said he owed it to the group’s 330 “brilliant employees” and “diverse mix of guests” to ‘real positive and lasting change’.
Swillhouse, which owns six prominent venues in the city including Le Foote in the Rocks restaurant (pictured) and the Baxter Inn whisky bar, has been rocked by a series of disturbing allegations
“We will get through this and be a better version of ourselves and Swillhouse. And we will not let anyone down again,” he said.
Swillhouse also owns the Caterpillar Club, Alberto’s Lounge, Shady Pines Saloon and Restaurant Hubert.
Mr Forte resigned as a board member of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association following the allegations.
TThe Sydney Morning Herald investigation raised concerns about the culture within Swillhouse establishments.
A woman who worked as a barmaid at Hubert claimed she was raped in the toilet by a male colleague in 2013 after she was prepared a cocktail containing 10 different types of gin.
The team of bartenders at the Baxter Inn (pictured) are said to have competed to sleep with customers in a storage room, with the first to emerge victorious being offered a $1,000 bottle of wine.
“I became completely drunk and unconscious and arrived at his place while he was raping me in the ladies’ toilets at work,” the woman, who is reporting the incident to police, told the publication.
Other restaurant staff claimed there was a special room where they snorted lines of cocaine during their shifts, while the Baxter Inn’s male bar team reportedly held a competition to sleep with customers in a storage room.
There would be a $1,000 bottle of wine up for grabs for the first bartender to have sex with a customer.
Former employees told the SMH that all conquests were noted and ranked by attractiveness during staff meetings.
Daily Mail Australia reported last month that another Swillhouse boss had deleted his Instagram account, which featured a sexually suggestive username.
Swillhouse creative director Jordan McDonald, who has not been personally accused of any wrongdoing, was forced to delete his Instagram account after being challenged over his sexually explicit username.
Mr McDonald, who is responsible for the restaurant group’s creative direction, events, entertainment, PR and strategy, previously had the username ‘@wangdangsweetpoontang’ on one of his accounts.
It is a reference to the title of a 1977 song by American singer Ted Nugent, in which he fantasizes about a ‘teenage queen’.
“She looks so beautiful, especially down there,” the text reads.
Swillhouse creative director Jordan McDonald (pictured above), who has not been personally accused of wrongdoing, was forced to delete his Instagram account after being challenged over his sexually explicit username.
Nugent, who is now one of Donald Trump’s most outspoken supporters in music, sings in a later verse, “She’s so sweet when she yanks on my meat.”
Since the investigation began, Swillhouse has been inundated with complaints from former guests who are unhappy with it.
“The fact that your PR frontman and Frankies director got away with using the Instagram name ‘Wang Dang Sweet Poontang’ (the title of a sexually explicit song about a teenage girl) says a lot about your company,” one person wrote.
Mr McDonald told Daily Mail Australia it was his “private Instagram” and insisted “it had nothing to do with Swillhouse”.
“I changed the name because it wasn’t appropriate and I regret it,” he said.
When asked why he mentioned Swillhouse Hospitality and Frankie’s Bar in the description, he didn’t answer.