Queensland restaurant Aunty Oh’s Bia Hoi collapses into voluntary administration after protests over controversial name

A Queensland restaurant that was forced to change its name earlier this year amid backlash from some members of the Vietnamese community has appointed voluntary administrators.

Aunty Oh’s Bia Hoi in the Brisbane suburb of New Farm ceased trading in mid-July and Brendan Nixon of Stanley Morgan Solvency Accountants was appointed as administrator to the restaurant’s operating company, Bespoke Hospitality Group, on Friday.

The restaurant was originally called “Uncle Ho”, which was a reference to former Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh.

The name sparked anger among some members of the local Vietnamese community, who held protests outside of the venue in early April.

In the days after the protests, the restaurant was renamed Uncle Bia Hoi before later changing its name again to Aunty Oh’s Bia Hoi, according to Broadsheet.

While Nixon told SmartCompany he and his team are still waiting for additional information from the company’s owner as to what led to their appointment, he said the backlash against the restaurant’s original name “likely had an impact on trading”.

Leon Lee, an associate director at Stanley Morgan, told SmartCompany the restaurant ceased trading on July 17.

Lee and Nixon said creditors of the company will be sent a circular tomorrow, with the first meeting of creditors to be convened next week. The restaurant employed a staff of seven, including five casual employees.

The Aunty Oh’s Bia Hoi Facebook and Instagram accounts are no longer online and phone number for the venue has been disconnected.