Where are George Calombaris’ restaurants now? Inside the rise, fall and 2026 aftermath of the MAdE Establishment empire, site by site across Melbourne and Sydney.
George Calombaris is heading back into the spotlight in 2026 as a contestant on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!
But the hospitality empire that once established him one of Melbourne’s most powerful restaurateurs has been carved up, rebranded and, in some cases, wiped out.
At its peak, the MAdE Establishment group controlled more than 20 venues.
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It collapsed into voluntary administration in February 2020 after years of losses and the $7.8m underpayment scandal that poisoned the brand.
Six years on, the most significant story isn’t Calombaris’ TV career, it’s what became of restaurant locations.
Here is where the major venues ended up.
The Press Club/Elektra site, Melbourne CBD
The former Press Club and Elektra site on Flinders St was the flagship address of George Calombaris’ Melbourne restaurant empire before the 2020 collapse. Picture: David Crosling
The Flinders St address was the foundation of Calombaris’ career, opening as The Press Club in 2000 and later earning multiple awards during its peak years.
In 2019, the venue was rebranded as Elektra as MAdE attempted to reduce costs and broaden appeal.
The restaurant closed in 2020 following the administration.
The site now trades as Elchi, an Indian restaurant, retaining significant elements of the original interior.
The lease was one of several prime CBD holdings lost during the collapse.
Flashback: Inside the iconic Flinders St dining room that once housed The Press Club and later Elektra, as the Calombaris era ended. Picture: Rebecca Michael.
Jimmy Grants
Jimmy Grants was George Calombaris’ fast-casual souvlaki chain, launched in 2014 and later shut as MAdE Establishment collapsed in 2020. Picture: David Geraghty
Jimmy Grants was Calombaris’ fast-casual play with a model built for volume, shopping centres and commuter foot traffic.
It started in the early 2010s and expanded quickly across Melbourne, with locations including Fitzroy, Emporium, Ormond, Richmond and Ringwood, plus Sydney stores in Newtown and Bondi during its growth push.
When MAdE Establishment went into voluntary administration in February 2020, seven Jimmy Grants outlets were among the venues that shut immediately, with about 400 employees affected across the wider group.
Administrators then tried to sell the chain site-by-site.
One of the former Jimmy Grants sites that helped fuel Calombaris’ rapid expansion before administrators began selling stores in the 2020 fire sale, with many remaining empty for months. Picture: Kiel Egging.
In early March 2020, two stores, Emporium Melbourne and Fitzroy, were sold to the Stalactites Group, which planned to convert them into its quick-service souvlaki brand Hella Good.
At the time, five other Jimmy Grants sites at Chadstone, Eastland, Ormond, Richmond and St Kilda, were still unsold, despite more than 30 enquiries during the sales processes reported at the time.
The Jimmy Grants brand did not survive the collapse.
By the end of the administration process, it had effectively been dismantled, with some prime sites absorbed into Hella Good and others disappearing altogether.
George Calombaris speaks with Leigh Sales in 2019, as scrutiny intensified on MAdE Establishment ahead of the group’s collapse into administration the following year. Picture: ABC/7.30
Hellenic Republic, Brunswick (Lygon St)
Disgruntled staff sought answers as the Calombaris hospitality empire unravelled, with the underpayment scandal and 2020 administration leaving hundreds of workers caught in the fallout. Picture: Stuart McEvoy
Opened in 2014, the Brunswick venue was one of the largest and highest-turnover Hellenic Republic sites, capable of seating more than 200 diners.
It was designed by Calmbaris as a volume-driven suburban flagship restaurant.
The restaurant closed in 2020 at the height of Covid.
The former Hellenic Republic site has since reopened as Taverna, operating under a new ownership and Greek style concept.
Hellenic Republic / Vita, Kew
Vita Ristorante in Kew was one of the Calombaris group’s late-stage rebrands, later taken over and reshaped into a new venue after MAdE Establishment fell apart.
The Kew restaurant opened in 2011 and was among the group’s strongest suburban performers, even hosting Married At First Sight parties.
In 2019, it was rebranded as Vita Ristorante during the group’s decline.
Following the administration, the site was taken over by restaurateur Joe Vargetto, who relocated his Mister Bianco restaurant into the premises.
The space was subdivided, allowing for the launch of Bianchetto, a wine and cocktail bar.
Both venues continue to trade in 2026.
Vita Ristorante became a celebrity event backdrop in Melbourne, hosting parties linked to Married At First Sight stars including Heidi Latcham and Jessika Power.
Hellenic Republic / Hotel Argentina, Williamstown
Hotel Argentina was the short-lived rebrand of the former Hellenic Republic site in Williamstown before the Calombaris group’s collapse in 2020.
The Williamstown venue operated from a heritage pub building and was later rebranded as Hotel Argentina in 2019.
The rebrand failed to gain traction and the venue closed prior to administration.
The lease was later secured by Brenton Lang, founder of Rustica Sourdough.
The site reopened as the Hobsons Bay Hotel, operating as a modern Australian gastropub with rooftop facilities.
The venue remains operational in 2026.
The Williamstown venue that traded as Hotel Argentina during the MAdE era, later shifting again as the lease moved to new operators after administration.
Hellenic Republic, Brighton
Hellenic Republic Brighton was part of George Calombaris’ bayside expansion before the site changed hands following the 2020 collapse of MAdE Establishment. Picture: David Crosling
The Brighton venue opened in 2016 as part of the group’s bayside expansion strategy.
It closed in 2020 during the collapse.
The site is now occupied by Waterfront Brighton, a seafood-focused restaurant targeting the local market.
The venue continues to trade on Church St.
Gazi, Sydney
Gazi Sydney was George Calombaris’ high-profile NSW expansion, later closing as the MAdE Establishment group went into administration in 2020.
The Sydney outpost of Gazi was part of Calombaris’ interstate expansion push, opening in Surry Hills as a high-profile attempt to replicate the Melbourne success north of the border.
The venue closed during the MAdE Establishment collapse in 2020 and did not reopen under the same brand.
The Sydney site was later absorbed into the city’s crowded hospitality market, with the Gazi name no longer trading in NSW.
The former Gazi site in Sydney’s dining precinct, a reminder of how hard the Calombaris group found it to scale its Melbourne brands interstate.
The Hellenic House Project, Highett
The Hellenic House Project in Highett is George Calombaris’ post-collapse return to hospitality, operating as his key venue in 2026. Picture: Tony Gough
Opened in 2022, the Hellenic House Project marked Calombaris’ return to hospitality following the collapse.
Unlike previous ventures, it operates as a single-site restaurant with no expansion model.
The venue remains open in 2026 and is Calombaris’ only active hospitality business.
Inside the Hellenic House Project, Calombaris’ Highett base and the clearest surviving link to his restaurant career after the empire’s fall. Picture: Mark Stewart
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