Popular East End bar on pause amid ‘unpaid labour’ claims
A popular Adelaide bar has temporarily shut its doors amid allegations made by its former managers.
Popular Rundle Street bar Smokelovers has temporarily closed after its managers abruptly quit and made various allegations ranging from underpayment to communication breakdown.
A note placed on the Smokelovers door reads: “We’re sorry but we’re closed for a couple of days to sort out some housekeeping”.
In a now-deleted statement on social media, former managers Aiken and Nicole announced that “with heavy hearts, we share that we have made the difficult decision to walk away”.
“We poured our hearts, time and energy into this venue because we genuinely believed in what it could become,” the pair wrote.
“Unfortunately, ongoing concerns surrounding pay, unpaid work, management responsibilities and communication eventually brought us to a breaking point.
“Despite our efforts to resolve these issues, we were unable to reach an agreement that allowed us to move forward feeling valued, fairly compensated and respected.”
Aiken and Nicole said it was “heartbreaking” to walk away from the venue considering how much of their own personality and time they invested into it.
“We wanted to stay, keep growing and see Smokelovers thrive, but sometimes you have to know when it’s time to choose yourself,” they said.
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“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much to every regular DJ, friend and stranger who has walked through those doors. Thank you for the conversations, the laughs, the support, the memories and for being part of what made Smokelovers feel like so much more than a bar.”
The statement was originally posted on the Smokelovers Instagram page but was later removed.
It was then posted on the personal Instagram page of the former bar managers, Aiken and Nicole, but that post was also taken down.
Responding to the allegations, bar owner Hamish Tregeagle said that “we take our obligations to our staff seriously”.
“As these are individual employment matters, we won’t be commenting further,” he said.
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