The celebrity chef and high-profile hospitality group Solotel will hand over operations of one of Sydney’s most coveted harbourside venues after a fiercely competitive tender process.
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Celebrity chef Matt Moran and hospitality group Solotel’s joint 24-year reign at Opera Bar is over, with the Sydney Opera House announcing restaurant operator Applejack has won the tender to run the landmark harbourside venue.
Widely considered one of the “golden geese” among Sydney’s hospitality venues – both in terms of location and commercial revenue – the waterfront site has been hotly contested since the tender process kicked off last year.
Opera Bar’s coveted harbourside location.
Opera Bar was seen as an under-tapped jewel before Solotel and Moran swept in at the turn of the century, upping the food and beverage program and putting the venue on the to-do list for locals and tourists.
Applejack, which won the tender for both Opera Bar and neighbouring all-day venture House Canteen for the next 10 years, operates a string of Sydney venues including Bopp & Tone in the CBD, The Butler at Potts Point and RAFI in North Sydney. The group entered the tender process at longer odds as an A-list of hospitality operators lined up to snare the two venues.
The Applejack story began in 2011. Last December it strengthened its commercial hand, announcing a partnership with the Australian arm of global food and support outfit Compass Group.
Applejack co-founders Ben Carroll and Hamish Watts said in statement that the tender was a “dream come true for our entire team”.
“To be entrusted as custodians of venues at the Sydney Opera House – the world’s most iconic cultural stage – is both humbling and inspiring,” they said.
Chef Matt Moran and Solotel overhauled Opera Bar more than two decades ago, putting it on the to-do list for locals and tourists.
“We can’t wait to share the exciting new concepts we’ve developed for both locals and visitors while honouring this extraordinary location.”
In a joint statement, Solotel chief executive Elliot Solomon, Opera Bar general manager John Gallas and Moran said they were proud of their team’s legacy, thanking their staff and guests, and wishing the new operators well.
“We had a vision to democratise the [Opera House] for the people, making the space approachable and fun,” they said.
“We set out to create a place that celebrated Sydney, its harbour, and its people, and that is exactly what Opera Bar has become.
“It has been our privilege to … help shape such an iconic part of the city with a bar that is loved by Sydney and the world.”
Applejack’s Hamish Watts (left) and Ben Carroll (right).
The last time Opera Bar came up for tender, in 2014, a closely fought race turned into a legal battle after David Evans, owner of now-closed Potts Point landmark Hugos, accused an architect of leaking his plans and the Sydney Opera House Trust, which controlled the tender, of giving Solotel an unfair advantage by allowing it to make a second submission after the deadline.
The architect denied the accusations, as did the Opera House Trust, which said that as a state institution, the Sydney Opera House had to abide by a strict procurement policy. It also explained that the process was closely monitored by an external probity adviser.
Evans’ legal action against the trust reached the courts in 2018, and a judge ordered the parties to go to mediation. Evans was not suing Solotel or Moran. Last November, Evans and the Opera House confirmed to the Herald that a settlement had been reached, but its terms remained confidential.
The new contract starts at Opera Bar in mid-September, with House Canteen changing hands in mid-November. This will give Applejack time to settle in and smooth out operations ahead of the busy summer season. Refurbishments at the venues will start in 2026.
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