A famous beachside institution has been forced to close its doors after 45 years, following a bitter dispute with the local council. The decades-old eatery, once a favourite of Australian prime ministers, sporting legends and generations of locals, now sits as nothing more than an empty waterfront shell.
For Elizabeth and her husband, Peter Antonopoulos, Le Sands at Brighton-Le-Sands wasn’t just a restaurant, it was their life’s work.
“It was our passion, and for 45 years we enjoyed and loved what we did,” Elizabeth told A Current Affair.
Since opening in 1980, the seafood venue has become a Sydney dining landmark, welcoming everyone from Gough Whitlam, Paul Keating and Anthony Albanese to global sporting icons like Argentinian football player Diego Maradona, who famously held a press conference there in 1993.
Across more than four decades, the couple poured over $8 million into creating the destination. They survived recessions, lockdowns and endless renovations.
What finally broke them, the couple claim, was Bayside Council — their landlord.
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The venue now sits empty, a shell of its former self. Source: ACA
Restaurateurs couldn’t operate as venue deteriorated
Locked out of their own restaurant amid a dispute over repairs, the couple said the venue deteriorated to the point they could no longer safely operate.
Elizabeth discovered that their kitchen floor was flooded with fat and water.
Water damage from a ceiling collapse had been concealed, Elizabeth claimed, and the ceiling in the bar was removed, leaving exposed wiring hanging over service areas.
“We had to operate the restaurant with cables like that hanging down. [There was] mould in the kitchen,” she said.
This was while paying nearly $800,000 a year in rent.
“You tell me I’ve got to pay rent for a restaurant I can’t actually operate,” she asked.
Fat leaking from the restaurant upstairs, water damage, structural issues and a kitchen that the couple claimed had become unusable pushed them into a fight they never expected to have.
Despite repeated requests for repairs, Elizabeth said the council only ever offered band-aid fixes.
And ultimately, it got them locked out.
“We just got no response. I feel they’ve wiped their hands. They don’t want us in there, and they feel they’ve won,” she said.
The financial toll has been crushing. The couple sold their home, putting everything back into the business in a desperate attempt to keep it alive.
The Sydney institution during its glory days. Source: Le Sands Restaurant
Couple call for ‘dignified exit’ after 45 years
The emotional strain has been just as heavy, Elizabeth said.
“I wake up in the morning, and my husband is looking at documents,” she said. “Where did we go wrong?”
Peter is unable to speak publicly because of ongoing legal issues, but the couple is now seeking compensation.
They simply want “a fair go and a dignified exit”.
After 45 years of awards, hard work and community love, their chapter has closed.
Bayside Council declined to comment to ACA on the standoff but reportedly said that now that the lease has ended, it is undertaking repairs to the building.
Yahoo News has contacted Bayside Council for comment.
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