Popular St.Kilda Japanese restaurant sold to The Espy owners
Popular Japanese restaurant Ichi Ni will close on Sunday after hospitality and events giant Australian Venue Co (AVC) acquired the site.
The acquisition makes sense for AVC, which owns 200 venues in Australia and New Zealand, including Ichi Ni’s next door neighbour The Espy, on St.Kilda’s esplanade.
Ichi Ni’s owners thanked staff, customers and suppliers in a social media post.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated staff, both past and present, who have contributed to shaping our legacy,” the post read.
“To our supportive suppliers, thank you for all your support and most importantly, to our cherished guests who have dined with us over the years, we offer our sincere thanks.”
Regulars to the restaurant included AFL players, social media stars and local identities.
“Each of you have played a vital role in our journey, occupying our thoughts day in and day out.”
Ichi Ni Izakaya owners Vince and Jake Sofo and Paul Adamo, will turn their attention to Fitzroy sister restaurant Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya. The owners will also redeploy staff to the Fitzroy location with entitlements paid in full.
“The Espy has acquired the Ichi Ni St Kilda site, with plans to develop the site in 2024,” The Espy spokesperson said.
“We are working with the owners to find roles for all impacted employees across other venues owned by AVC or the sellers.”
Sofo and Adamo were previous owners of The Espy and sold to the Sand Hill Road Group in 2017. The venue was then taken over by the Australian Venue Co after it acquired several Sand Hill Road Group pubs in 2022.
There are no publicly available plans for Ichi Ni available yet.
Jonathan Jackson, 14th February 2024
