Swillhouse Group under fire for alleged sexual assaults

A Sydney Morning Herald investigation has reported claims of sexual assault, discrimination and drug taking levelled against one of Sydney’s top bar and restaurant groups.

The SMH reports that Swillhouse group which operates high-profile venues including Le Foote in The Rocks, Restaurant Hubert, the Baxter Inn and Caterpillar Club in the Sydney CBD, is facing allegations of a toxic work environment, including sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation against female staff.

Former employees claim they were pressured to engage in inappropriate behaviour with customers, discriminated against, and pushed out of the company after reporting sexual assaults.

It is alleged staff was encouraged staff to have sex with customers and take drugs while on shift.

Swillhouse chief executive Anton Forte told the SMH it “sincerely regretted and apologised to any former employees who felt unsupported and at risk”.

A former Hubert bartender claims she was raped in the bathroom by another staff member after being given a cocktail with 10 gins.

“I got completely blackout drunk and blacked out and came to with him raping me in the women’s bathrooms at work,” she said.

The unidentified bartender is pursuing legal action. She claims she was initially offered counselling but was then subjected to performance reviews, was forced to take a pay cut and had hours reduced when she asked to move to another venue.

The SMH published that an internal email showed one manager saying the woman’s “general negativity within the workplace” was “not in line with our core values of ‘good times’ and ‘devoted hospitality’.”

Forte defended the company’s response to the woman’s allegations, saying the group had rendered extensive support including accompanying her to the police station and psychological assistance.

“Due to the roster in place at that restaurant, there were some discrepancies in hours, which were rectified upon being brought to our attention,” he said.

Another staff member alle3ged she was sexually assaulted by a colleague at her home, but was told by the supervisor that her drinking was the cause.

“The people that are making money are doing it off our broken bodies,” she said. “This industry that I have given so much to has completely f---ed me over.”

Forte said all sexual assault allegations were handled with urgency and care.
However, three former staff members said the company had fostered a culture of drinking and drugs for day-to-day work.

“It was like a cult,” one former bartender told the SMH.

Swillhouse’s whisky bar, The Baxter Inn, has also come under fire with claims of physical intimidation.

It is alleged bartenders called out “Shoes” or “Jimmy Choos” to notify staff members when a woman with large breasts entered the venue. It is also alleged bar staff could finish early to have sex with customers.

“We don’t deny there have been some instances of juvenile and regrettable behaviour that, in hindsight, should not have occurred,” said Forte.


A former bartender described a workplace culture that included informal ratings of customers' attractiveness, allegedly based on the bartenders' sexual experiences. The former employee claimed that company policies fostered a casual and sexually charged environment, particularly for female staff, who were not hired in the bar's early years.

The bartender suggested that hiring decisions were often influenced by personal preferences rather than professional qualifications.

Jonathan Jackson, 21^st August 2024