Close Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Read Our Newspapers Online
    • Read the Latest Western Port News
    • Read the Latest Mornington News
    • Read the Latest Southern Peninsula News
    • Read the Latest Frankston Times
    • Read the Latest Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
  • Competition
  • Home New
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Friday, June 20
Breaking News
  • Fire destroys Moorooduc day spa
Facebook X (Twitter)
MPNEWSMPNEWS
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Home New
Breaking News
MPNEWSMPNEWS
Home»News»Restaurateur’s sour departure
News

Restaurateur’s sour departure

By Stephen TaylorJuly 6, 2020Updated:July 16, 2024No Comments3 Mins Read
Moving out: Josephine’s Restaurant at The Briars’ Mike Bayne and staff clear up their equipment before leaving. Picture: Yanni
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
Moving out: Josephine’s Restaurant at The Briars’ Mike Bayne and staff clear up their equipment before leaving. Picture: Yanni

STAFF at Josephine’s Restaurant at The Briars were packing up and vacating the premises last week after being “left hanging” by Mornington Peninsula Shire.

Managing partner Mike Bayne said they were being forced to leave the restaurant and function venue overlooking The Briars homestead on Nepean Highway, Mount Martha, after seven years due to “council’s incompetence”.

“We weren’t offered a new lease,” he said, adding that the council “appears to be more interested in who has the most money to improve the facilities going forward and not caring and providing for the community”.

Mr Bayne said discussions from mid-last year with shire staff about potential five-or-seven-year leases “came to nothing”, despite an implied resolve by the council to have a lessee in place by February or March.

“The whole process just dragged on and even now they haven’t come up with a winner,” he said.

“We certainly have not been kept informed. They didn’t return our emails.”

Mr Bayne said he was told on 5 June the tender process was “in no man’s land” and that he may be offered a three-to-five-year lease. He then sought a five to seven-year lease.

But nothing was settled and, even as late as 10 June, he said he was being asked if he would consider a month-to-month tenancy from 30 June. “I said, ‘put it in an email please’, but they never did. I didn’t hear anything. No one contacted us.”

Mr Bayne said the business was “going well” but lingering uncertainty over a new lease coupled with COVID-19 restrictions made planning for events difficult.

“We lost a lot of forward bookings. Weddings were starting to flow but they take a long time to plan and we lacked certainty.”

Now the business into which he says he has sunk up to $200,000 since November 2013 is “not worth a cent”.

“It’s just folded; fallen apart,” he said. “We are trying to sell stuff to recover some of the costs.”

The five staff – up to 15 for special events – are looking for work.

“We have endeavoured to provide a lovely restaurant and wedding function facility for all in the local community and abroad, Mr Bayne said.

“It appears that Sunday 28 June will be our last day although they haven’t officially advised us of that yet. Left hanging yet again right to the very end.”

On Friday (3 July) the shire’s property manager Nathan Kearsley said: “The former tenant departed after the expiration of the lease on 30 June.

“The shire recently conducted an expression of interest for the operation of the Village precinct at the Briars in line with the vision of the Briars master plan. Council will soon be considering the outcome of this process, including short and long term options for the restaurant and the broader precinct.”

First published in the Mornington News – 7 July 2020

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Lyn takes the reins at Hastings SES

June 19, 2025

Repower donate energy efficiency kits

June 18, 2025

Shire seeks grants for sports upgrades

June 18, 2025

Peninsula builder banned after abandoning jobs

June 12, 2025
Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Peninsula Essence Magazine – Click to Read
Peninsula Kids Magazine – Click to Read
Letters to the Editor
Property of the Week

14 Bass Street, McCrae

June 3, 2025
Council Watch

Council adopts ‘fresh vision’ with ‘stronger community ties’

May 6, 2025

Council hubs to stay open despite $389 per visit

April 30, 2025
100 Years Ago This Week

Railway Proposal – Heatherton To Western Port

June 17, 2025
Interview

Firefighter shows skills from sea to snow

February 5, 2024
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Home New
About

Established in 2006, Mornington Peninsula News Group (MPNG) is a locally owned and operated, independent media company.

MPNG publishes five weekly community newspapers: the Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times and Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News.

MPNG also publishes two glossy magazines: Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids.

Facebook X (Twitter)
© 2025 Mornington Peninsula News Group.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.