A high-end Canberra restaurant has been taken over by administrators only two months after opening.
Botswana Butchery in the Canberra Centre was described by The Canberra Times as a meat lover's paradise with a "very adult" menu and lush decor.
The Canberra shop was the fifth venue in the restaurant chain. It opened on January 22.
Many restaurants impacted
Administrators Duncan Clubb and Andrew Sallway from BDO Australia Australia were appointed voluntary administrators of Good Group Australia and its subsidiaries on March 31, BDO media manager Jotham Lian said.
"The subsidiaries operate restaurants including Botswana Butchery Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne and White & Wong Sydney."
There are two Botswana Butchery restaurants in New Zealand, in Auckland and Queenstown.
The administration does not affect the New Zealand operations, Mr Lian said.
He said administrators were urgently assessing the companies.
"If possible, [we] intend to continue trade with a view of facilitating a restructure or going concern sale process in due course," Mr Lian said.
Glowing review
The Canberra restaurant scored a 15/20 review on March 26, with The Canberra Times commending it for "delicious" dishes and "well informed, confident and sincere" wait-staff.
The reviewer did wonder if the top-end steakhouse had arrived to the capital too late.
Steaks cost up to $500 per kilo, he said.
"Prices in this dining room sit at the top end of the food chain, echoed by some who have described it as the NZ version of Rockpool," Chris Hansen wrote.
"Good Group Hospitality have clearly invested without cutting any corners.
"The wine list is extensive, and although it goes deep, there's not much under $80 a bottle.
"Canberra has been waiting for a top-end steakhouse for many years. Management consulting firms and their clients would have loved this place over the past decade. But rumour has it that their expense accounts are under a bit more scrutiny in 2024."
Chief Ministers tick
The new restaurant even managed to get Chief Minister Andrew Barr's approval.
Mr Barr met Good Group Hospitality in June 2022.
The Canberra Times understands the government reached out to the business after learning it was hoping to expand.
Mr Barr shared a story from The Canberra Times about Botswana Butchery using his personal LinkedIn account in January.
"I am excited to welcome #BotswanaButchery to Canberra, I know it will make a great contribution to our local hospitality scene," Mr Barr wrote.
"Opening in January 2024, over 40 new local job opportunities will be created to run the 180-person venue.
"I'm proud that Botswana Butchery has chosen Canberra to be home to their third location in Australia and I think that it is a testament to our city's appeal for innovative businesses."
Mr Barr also reposted a LinkedIn post by the then-Good Group Hospitality chief manager of operations, Shaun Baker, seven months ago.
Mr Baker was announcing the Canberra Botswana restaurant.
"The opulent interiors will captivate with floor-to-ceiling windows, a dramatic focal staircase, plush velvet chairs, and ambient lighting," he wrote.
"A massive thank you to QIC for their support with making this opening possible and providing us with a prime location on Bunda Street."
Hospitality industry in strife
Construction companies made up the greatest number of Australia and ACT insolvencies in the last financial year.
The hospitality industry is the second most vulnerable, ASIC data shows.
There were 22 accommodation and food services companies put into external administration in the 2022-23 financial year, and 28 construction companies.
High end Braddon deli The Italian Place has also been taken over by external administrators.
According to a federal government committee, business insolvencies were always expected to rise following COVID.
This is because support provided as emergency measures would drop away, and the Australian Tax Office has toughened its approach to recovering funds.
