Chief executive of Swillhouse, Anton Forte has resigned but was not alleged to be involved in any misconduct.
Amid the allegations, the investigation revealed that a group of bartenders at one of the venues, The Baxter Inn which opened in 2011, competed to be the first to have sex with a customer at the venue in a bid to win a bottle of 1982 Penfolds Grange.
This is just one example from the investigation which revealed numerous allegations of incidents of a sexually violent and discriminatory nature towards women across the group’s venues.
In a statement to the Herald on the allegations made, Forte said: “We sincerely regret and apologise to any former employees who felt unsupported”, and that “there were areas where we could have done better”.
It is also reported the company did not employ a human resources representative until 2019, despite the group employing more than 2,300 staff since it was founded in 2008.
Swillhouse has venues across Sydney including former 50 Best Bars members Shady Pines Saloon and The Baxter Inn as well as other sites including Restaurant Hubert, Alberto’s Lounge, Le Foote and The Caterpillar Club.
