Three hospo businesses close
Three New Plymouth hospitality businesses have shut their doors and the companies behind them have been liquidated, with an unknown amount owed to creditors.
The Hangar cafe at New Plymouth Airport, Big Jim’s Garden Cafe, and Ember Bar & Restaurant in Fitzroy, which was open for less than a year, have all closed.
As of August 25, the subsidiary companies behind The Hangar and Big Jim’s, Collab Hospitality Ltd and Isaris Family Holdings Ltd, were put into liquidation.
The Backyard Eatery Ltd, which formerly controlled The Backyard Cafe on Barrett Rd, was also put into liquidation. However, The Backyard Cafe itself was sold in February and the new owners have no connection to the liquidation proceedings.
Ember, run under the subsidiary company Egmont Catering Co Ltd, is not currently in liquidation, as there are other shareholders involved. However, the owners closed the restaurant in July, after opening in November last year.
The Big Jim’s site is owned by Big Jim’s Garden Centre, which is still open and operating, and looking to secure another lessee for the cafe.
Dylan Wilson is the sole shareholder behind The Hangar and Big Jim’s, and said putting the companies into liquidation and closing Ember’s doors was an extremely difficult decision.
‘‘We put so much work into it, and it was at a point where if we didn’t (close), the hole was only going to get deeper.’’
Jon Baker and Tia Toanikere were also directors of the four companies, but both left earlier this year. Baker, as well as Wilson’s partner Hope Loveridge, are still shareholders of Egmont Catering Co Ltd, the subsidiary company behind Ember.
Wilson said Ember had problems from the start, due to Covid, staff shortages and the price of supplies. It was especially hard to open a new restaurant during a pandemic, he said.
Wilson and Loveridge are now working within the Macfarlane Hospitality Group, and said they were very grateful for the support. The plan was to spend time with their families and work through getting to the end of the liquidation process.
Heath Gair of Palliser Insolvency has been appointed liquidator to the three companies. He said exactly how much money was owed to creditors was unknown due the state of the financials provided. Just how long the process would take was also unknown, as this would depend on what action liquidators need to take.
The group spent a six-figure sum in 2021 on the renovation of the former TSB Bank building in Fitzroy to turn it into Ember.
The restaurant was also in partnership with Good George Brewing. Darrel Hadley, cofounder of Good George, said it only found out about the situation recently and wasn’t owed a substantial amount.
‘‘Obviously, they’ve had issues and challenges since it opened.
‘‘We were really, really pleased to be involved. It’s a great part of New Zealand that we want to increase our presence in, so it’s a real shame when any hospitality venue doesn’t succeed.’’