Many existing staff will remain, but the new owners, who are behind Nomad and Reine & La Rue, hope that “any sort of cultural issues, there’ll be a line drawn under them, and we can move forward”.
The new owners of Melbourne’s iconic Florentino restaurant, previously held by the Grossi family, plan to introduce “fun dining” to some parts of the multi-venue building and rename at least one venue, while seeking to preserve the 97-year-old site’s legacy.
Edition Hospitality, which operates restaurants Reine & La Rue and Nomad in Melbourne (plus the original Nomad in Sydney), purchased five venues from the Grossi family through a business broker in September. The transaction was one of the most significant changes to dining at the leafy end of Bourke Street in a generation.
“When this [deal] did pop up, I think I wrote back within two minutes,” says Edition chief executive Rebecca Yazbek.
The sale includes the celebrated fine-diner Florentino, regarded as Melbourne’s oldest restaurant and known for its classical murals, and the more casual Grossi Grill at street level.
Yazbek’s initial focus will be on reinvigorating the Grill, with plans to rename the venue Cafe Florentino and give it a more contemporary sensibility by 2026.
“Like any business that has been running a long time, it has its good days and bad,” she says.
Yazbek says her team plans to spend several months getting to know Florentino’s customers and what they want before making changes.
The Grossi family, led by patriarch Guy Grossi, took over Florentino in 1999 and steadily expanded it into its current configuration: Florentino upstairs; Grossi Grill and Cellar Bar downstairs; Venetian eatery Ombra next door; and laneway bar Arlechin at the rear.
The venues will overall retain their Italian identity. Whether culinary director Michael Greenlaw (who helped open the Ritz-Carlton’s Atria) and executive chef Brendan Katich (currently leading Reine & La Rue’s kitchen) will push the food into a different direction or home in on regional Italian cuisine is yet to be decided. Design and service changes will be a key plank of the reinvention.
Significantly, the new owners will take on 80 staff previously employed by the Grossi group – 40 full-time and 40 casuals – spanning both front and back of house.
Reporting by The Age in January revealed a history of sexual harassment allegations raised by female staff and industry leaders against Guy Grossi and his staff. Grossi has denied the allegations.
When asked how she plans to address such cultural issues within the staff group Yazbek responded: “We deal with complaints pretty rigorously through our people and culture team, and we’re hoping to build that within what the [Florentino] team already has.”
Edition employs three members of staff on its people and culture team.
“Hopefully, with any sort of cultural issues, there’ll be a line drawn under them, and we can move forward.”
Yazbek’s vision for the Bourke Street site is a clearer distinction between “that beautiful, beautiful room upstairs” and “fun dining” downstairs. There are plans to open on Sundays.
As for Ombra, she says, “I’d really enjoy having some fun with that and putting our stamp on that, making [it] a really fun pizza and gelato place.”
Yazbek would not disclose the sum paid for the businesses, but conceded that there was “a lot of interest” from potential buyers. Industry sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, estimated the price to be anywhere between $800,000 and $4 million. Some claimed the Grossis were initially asking for a much higher price.
The Grossi family has not given a reason for the sale, but told the Herald Sun: “As our family looks to the future, this is not about stepping away but embracing a new chapter.”
Yazbek, who lives in Sydney but says she spends every second week in Melbourne, says, “[Florentino] is already a place that is so loved and cherished.
“People went there with their grandparents. I’m really hoping to listen to the clientele before coming in and ripping it all apart and serving it on a shiny new platter.”
The fierce competition in Melbourne and a “ruthless” dining public are top of mind for the new owners. “They love quality, and they’re very loyal,” Yazbek adds.
Yazbek’s venues have not been without their own controversies.
In 2024, Nomad Sydney, Nomad Melbourne, and Reine & La Rue were excluded from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guides after Al Yazbek – Rebecca’s husband and a director of Edition at the time – pleaded guilty to holding a Nazi symbol at a pro-Palestine rally. He was not convicted.
Edition expects to take possession of the businesses in November, once the liquor licence transfers are complete.
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Emma Breheny – Emma is Good Food’s Melbourne eating out and restaurant editor and editor of The Age Good Food Guide.
