‘Unethical, appalling’: Ex-staff take aim at Victoria’s top restaurant

The head chef and owner of top Victorian restaurant Moonah has defended his business after several former staff accused him of racism, bullying and providing alcohol to underage staff.

An investigation by The Age has uncovered allegations that award-winning chef Tobin Kent bullied staff so severely they required psychological treatment, mimicked an Asian colleague’s appearance, and used degrading language towards employees.

In response to questions from The Age, Kent engaged lawyers, threatened legal action and issued a statement claiming he was “committed to ensuring a safe, inclusive and supportive” workplace, and would introduce “tailored policies” to manage bullying, harassment and staff alcohol consumption.

“I reject the contention that Moonah has cultural issues and to the extent that there have been issues in the past, I have worked hard to ensure they are not repeated and that staff feel safe, included and supported,” he said.

The 12-seat Geelong restaurant was awarded Victoria’s Restaurant of The Year at the Good Food awards in November, where Kent was recognised for using locally grown or foraged produce in a new way of Australian cooking.

However, as Kent delivered his acceptance speech, some guests began to heckle from the back of the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne’s CBD.

Over interviews with 14 current and former employees and colleagues, some described Kent as “naturally talented, hard-working and interested” and “passionate” whereas others recounted experiences of bullying so severe they were diagnosed with work-related stress or medicated for anxiety.

Amy Tsai worked as a sommelier and front-of-house manager in 2021 and said racist behaviour was common, describing experiences where Kent mimicked Asian accents and treated staff differently based on their race.

Tsai has worked in the hospitality industry for 15 years, at top restaurants including Brae and Igni Restaurant, and said she understood fine-dining involved long hours and high demands. However, Tsai said her experience at Moonah was unacceptable.

“The treatment at Moonah was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced—unethical and appalling, far beyond what anyone should endure in the workplace,” she said. “He just does whatever he wants and has absolutely no concern for other people.”

During her time working at Moonah, Tsai developed anxiety, and saw a psychologist for the first time in her life. She obtained a letter to share with Kent in an effort to find a solution.

The letter, obtained by this investigation, shows the psychologist described Tsai as a “delightful, intelligent and loyal person who is currently experiencing very high levels of workplace stress”.

“In the best interests of Amy’s health, it may be necessary for Amy to change her workplace in order to progress with positive mental health,” the letter states.

When Tsai presented the letter to Kent, she said he dismissed her concerns and nothing changed. That same month, she resigned.

Kent said he had never received any formal or informal complaints about racism.

“I am proudly of direct Asian descent, born in Thailand and migrated to Australia with my family. I abhor racism and reject any suggestion I have acted in a racist way towards either staff or guests,” Kent said in a statement.

Adam Bowditch, who worked at Moonah for about four months in 2021-2022, supported Tsai’s account. Bowditch said he had witnessed Kent being racist about Tsai – regularly disparaging and mimicking her.

“He would do a walk like her, do Asian squinty eyes,” he said.

Bowditch said he had been bullied by Kent, which included daily yelling. He described one incident where he was taken into the coolroom by Kent after leaving a mark on a plate.

Kent had then “screamed” at him for “at least 10 minutes”. On another occasion, Bowditch said he had been “screamed at” over his bathroom cleaning technique.

“I went to pick up my bucket to start cleaning, then he stopped me, and started screaming about how terrible a listener I am,” he said. “You could never pick when he was going to yell at you.”

Bowditch said this behaviour was directed towards other staff as well.

“There was never one time that was worse than all the others,” he said. “Everyone was a punching bag [on] a different day.”

Bowditch said he was typically a “happy person” but the experience had impacted his mental health, to the point he took six months off after leaving Moonah and considered quitting the profession.

Another former employee, Shaynesha Page, also developed anxiety while working at Moonah for five months until February 2023.

Page said Kent had repeatedly made disparaging comments about other staff members, such as calling them “f—ing useless” and she saw another chef reduced to tears after he “read the whole list of things she wasn’t doing right to her”.

“It was every day he was laying into people,” she said. “Making degrading comments to staff members.”

Eventually, Page informed Kent she had started taking anti-anxiety medication, supported by medical records provided to this masthead, and claims this was used against her.

“I would be working then he would say ‘stop being anxious’ or ‘stop doing that’ or ‘wake up’,” Page said. “He was making me feel worse about it.”

Page said Kent had asked her opinion about why there was high turnover of staff in the restaurant, and she explained, “it’s because of the way you talk to them”.

In a text message sent after her resignation on February 13, 2023, she thanked Kent for the experience but said the way he spoke to staff was “honestly far too critical and overly mean”.

“I would have loved to have this conversation face to face but I didn’t want you to treat me the way I’ve seen you treat others,” the text stated.

A text message sent by another former employee, who asked not to be named because they still work in the industry, raised similar concerns with Kent about his communication style, which she described as “mean (in a personal way) and unnecessary”.

“I’m young and I’m still working on my confidence,” she told Kent.

That employee said they “loved” working in the kitchen but did not appreciate when Kent would “laugh at my face” or was “being sarcastic” and his behaviour made her feel “uncomfortable”, according to text messages.

“It honestly feels like I’m doing a shit job and you giving me no consideration and even sometimes that you despise me. I don’t want to come home feeling like shit and defeated.”

In response, Kent thanked the chef for “sharing how you are feeling” and apologised “for making you feel bad and laughing inappropriately”.

“I will work on improving my behaviour and we and talk about this again on Thursday… Is that ok? I’m sure we will be able to work it out.”

However, the woman said the behaviour did not improve and she quit soon after.

Kent said the high staff turnover was caused by the high-pressure environment of fine-dining and defended his track record.

“Like many chefs, I am increasingly aware of the need for care and empathy when providing feedback to staff; in a fine-dining service environment, with clients holding high expectations, this is often required in a blunt but always professional manner,” he said in a statement.

“The attrition rate in fine-dining restaurants is swayed by staff who are not able to work under such high pressure and to such high standards.

“In 15 years of being a chef, I have never been the subject of an investigation into bullying and I have never received a formal complaint about bullying and harassment regarding my conduct.”

Kent asked several employees with positive experiences to come forward to support this position.

Waiter Callum Hutchesson, who has worked at Moonah sporadically since 2022, said he enjoyed working there, learnt a lot and had never witnessed any bullying. However, Hutchesson had told Kent “to his face” that his communication could be “critical” and “a bit harsh at times”.

“He’s so focused on the cooking, the wine-pairing, the music, the crockery, everything that goes into it,” he said. “He’s got that right, he just needs a helping hand for managing people.”

Another employee Francine Achile was not available for an interview, but emailed a statement describing Kent as “quiet, gentle and calm”.

“I’ve never witnessed him raise his voice, become angry or swear,” she said. “When I first heard about these allegations, I honestly thought it had to be some kind of misunderstanding or a joke because it’s so far from my own experience with Tobin and his workplace environments.”

Two additional employees, who did not want to be named but came forward after this masthead sent questions to Kent, said they had not witnessed any racism or bullying.

“Despite his strictness, he’s always happy to help and teach, encouraging staff to extend themselves and do their best,” one former employee said.

The second person, who also confirmed Kent had asked her to contact this masthead, described him as a “passionate person who has found their calling and wants to cater to every customers’ needs”.

On top of these allegations, three additional sources claimed at least two underage girls were supplied alcohol by Kent while working shifts at the restaurant.

Former employee Lauren Hanser said she saw Kent giving alcohol to a 16-year-old female employee in September, and told him it was inappropriate but was “dismissed”.

“I’m concerned because he hires so many young girls,” she said. “It’s illegal and it’s not right.”

The account was supported by two parents, including one mother whose 14-year-old daughter had told her that Kent gave her alcohol on multiple occasions.

“I was absolutely flabbergasted. As a mum, that’s the last thing you want. You think your daughter is getting work experience, then to be illegally given alcohol.”

Her daughter no longer works at the restaurant.

Kent declined a request for an interview and did not respond to a series of questions about specific allegations but said in a statement: “All staff at Moonah occasionally sample wine … for specific service-related purposes: quality control, wine-list training and tastings.”

“The beverage culture at Moonah encourages a safe environment for staff of all ages,” he said.

A spokesperson for Liquor Control Victoria, which regulates liquor licensing, said it was an offence to provide minors with liquor at licensed premises, “including sampling wines for training purposes”.

“Liquor Control Victoria takes the service of liquor to minors seriously and investigates all alleged breaches of the law,” the spokesperson said.

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