Famed Sydney restaurant enters voluntary administration

Bicher & Son Pty Ltd, trading as Machiavelli Ristorante Italiano, has entered voluntary administration, with Gideon Rathner of Lowe Lippmann appointed as voluntary administrator on 14 December 2025.

Machiavelli is a well known fixture in Sydney’s hospitality scene, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s, when it became synonymous with high-level business, media, and political gatherings. The restaurant was originally established by the Toppi family and later acquired in 2016 by Nicolae Bicher, whose company, Bicher & Son Pty Ltd, holds the operating business.

The appointment followed the abrupt closure of the restaurant shortly before the Christmas period, after the business advised customers it would temporarily close for a seasonal break. Employees were subsequently terminated, bookings were suspended, and the administrator commenced an urgent process to seek expressions of interest for the sale of the business and its assets.

Reported liabilities total approximately $1.4 million, including secured debts of approximately $360,000 owed to National Australia Bank and American Express, approximately $420,000 owed to the Australian Taxation Office, and employee entitlements of about $310,000, with the remainder owed to trade creditors.

The second meeting of creditors is scheduled for 29 January 2026.