While Sydney hospitality generally bunkers down for winter, industry heavyweight Merivale remains on the expansion trail, with several new CBD projects brewing and big name Clayton Wells quietly added to its chef roster.

Rumours have been swirling about a reboot of its Hotel CBD bistro site (where everyone from Jeremy Strode to Luke Mangan have cooked) as an eastern Mediterranean restaurant. Merivale has also been tipped to reopen its long-closed est. restaurant at George Street’s Establishment, one of Sydney’s grandest dining rooms.

Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes say they have plans for the est. site, but it won’t be as a restaurant.

While tight-lipped about his upcoming plans in the city, Hemmes did reveal Wells has already jumped into a chef mentoring role at an upcoming start-up city venue “nearby” Hotel CBD, along with doing menu development for the group. Hemmes says there are currently no plans for Wells to open a Merivale restaurant.

In late May, Wells departed embattled Public Hospitality, where he spent 12 months as its creative culinary director. While there was no announcement of Wells moving to Merivale, he was spotted at several of its venues.

“I always respected what Clayton was doing at [the now-closed hatted Chippendale restaurant] Automata and A1 Canteen,” Hemmes says. The Merivale chief says he was drawn to Wells’ “talent” as well as his broader experience running a restaurant business.

Wells will continue his role at MOD Dining, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, in tandem to his Merivale work, where he has joined a pedigree stable of executive chefs including Dan Hong and Jordon Toft.