Karen Martini’s Hero closes its ACMI doors
Hatted restaurant Hero has closed its Federation Square doors.
Respected chef Karen Martini, who is well known for stints at the Melbourne Wine Room and Mr Wolf in St Kilda, and at landmark Sydney restaurant Icebergs Dining Room, opened the Melbourne CBD venue based at ACMI (formerly Australian Centre for the Moving Image) in February 2021, in a bid to revive the city after it was decimated by lockdowns.
“Hero and its associated events management services, operated under licence by Michael Gebran of HospitalityM, together with Karen Martini, will be closing its doors today at ACMI,” a spokesperson for screen culture museum ACMI said.
Martini thanked the customers in a sad tribute.
“We thank all our beloved and loyal customers, supporters and suppliers, and hard-working staff,” she said. “We are currently seeking legal advice as to our options moving forward, including to recover loss and damage.”
A statement on Hero’s Instagram account said: “We regret to advise that today, 2 October 2023, ACMI purported to terminate our Operation and Events Management Agreement with immediate effect. As a result, Hero will not be trading for the foreseeable future.”
The 150-seat restaurant and events space was part of a $40 million revamp of ACMI, however its opening was severely delayed by the pandemic.
“The CBD is a bit sleepy but I know we’ll get there, as a city and in terms of greeting people from other states,” she told Good Food at the time.
“I hope we can pick up on the momentum of renewal and be part of it. Victoria has a lot to offer with our produce, our creativity, our talent.”
Unfortunately, the dream has not come to fruition, however an ACMI spokesperson said: “A new food and drink offer for ACMI will be announced soon.”
Jonathan Jackson, 3rd October 2023
