Guy Grossi sells Melbourne Italian institution, buyer revealed

All three restaurants within the Florentino building on Bourke Street – Grossi Grill, Cellar Bar and Grossi Florentino – are included in the sale. The new owners will be announced shortly.

The sale comes eight months after this masthead published an investigation that revealed a history of sexual harassment allegations raised by female staff and industry leaders against Grossi and his staff.

Multiple hospitality industry sources, who could not be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed Grossi had sold the venues, and claimed the buyer is Edition Hospitality Group, led by Rebecca Yazbek, who runs Nomad restaurant and Reine & La Rue in Melbourne and other venues in Sydney.

Yazbek did not deny the sale when The Age contacted her with details, but said her husband, Alan Yazbek, was not “behind any deal with the Grossis”.

Edition Hospitality Group’s publicist declined to comment when contacted about the purchase.

Alan Yazbek ceased any involvement with the company after he pleaded guilty to holding a Nazi symbol at a pro-Palestine rally last year and was not convicted.

The Grossis bought Florentino in 1999, and the venue has since been regarded as the crown jewel in the family’s hospitality empire, attended by prime ministers, rock stars and gangland figures. Founded in 1928, it is regarded as Melbourne’s oldest restaurant.

The dining room – with classical murals on its walls and chandeliers – has long been the setting for a Melbourne Cup eve party.

Grossi has written cookbooks, appeared on MasterChef, and more recently, has expanded his Italian food empire, opening restaurants in Brisbane and Perth, and even making a foray into casual dining with the short-lived association with Puttanesca within the Clifton Hotel in Kew.

Grossi did not respond to questions from this masthead asking whether the sale was related to the sexual harassment allegations, but soon after The Age contacted his representatives, a story appeared in the Herald Sun that did not mention this masthead’s reporting of the allegations against him.

“As our family looks to the future, this is not about stepping away but embracing a new chapter,” Grossi told the Herald Sun.

The months-long investigation by this masthead and Good Food revealed allegations Grossi had groped the breasts of two women at an industry event in 2022, and that he had a history of inappropriate behaviour towards female employees stretching back more than a decade.

In response, Grossi issued a public apology to one woman, while denying the allegation, and admitted the second groping allegation but said it was an accident after he was “inadvertently bumped from behind and propelled forward”.

Grossi otherwise defended his behaviour and denied allegations raised by staff.

The investigation also revealed cultural problems within the broader Grossi Group, including poor handling of staff complaints and a history of sexist attitudes towards women at venues around the country.

Despite issuing the public apology through lawyers, Grossi addressed his employees in the wake of the scandal and read from a prepared statement before he went off-script and blamed the investigation on “some c---s” who were trying to take him down.

The revelations came amid a cultural reckoning for Australia’s hospitality industry, with scandals engulfing well-known groups in Sydney, including Merivale and Swillhouse, and Victorian venues Kaprica and Moonah.

Grossi has spent the year headlining and promoting various events, including the Starlight Five Chefs fundraiser and the Noosa International Food and Wine Festival, and judging the Melbourne Italian Festa, which will be held in the Royal Exhibition Building in late October.

In July Grossi also announced his involvement in Prahran wine bar Bar Bianco, which is owned by property developer Gurner Group.

The Bourke Street building near Victoria’s parliament that houses Grossi’s venues is owned by the Australian Soap Company, which remains unchanged by the restaurant sales, according to property titles and corporate records.

The company’s directors include Melbourne philanthropist Ian William Hicks, Paul-Thomas Hicks and Andrew Edwin John Fairely, who are involved with another charity together. The directors were contacted for comment.

Grossi Group and Guy Grossi were contacted for comment.

Charlotte Grieve and Emma Breheny