Women staff at the Ivy were told to flirt with customers and were picked for jobs according to their looks, a former VIP host has claimed.
Ex-staff member Zoe*, also told Central News she was approached by VIP patrons on multiple occasions trying to recruit her into sex work or to work in topless waitressing, and that she felt like a “walking dollar sign”.
Parent company Merivale has been approached for comment by Central News but declined to respond to our questions.
Zoe said while hosting a booking of middle-aged men she was asked to be a topless waitress for an event they had planned. She said when they noticed her become uncomfortable and decline the offer she was told “it’s fine ‘X’ [another member of staff] does it too”.
Another time, Zoe was called over to a group of older women who sat her down and asked if she would like to join a ‘high-end escorting agency’.
“I remember at the time thinking I’m pretty sure I know what escorts are, but I have to be wrong,” she added. “No one is asking me at work if I want to escort… surely not?”
Unsure of how to say no to the patron, she told them she was only 18, to which they allegedly responded: “Babe, totally fine our youngest is 18.”
Zoe, now 25, also claimed Merivale’s hiring process was based on aesthetics. She attended a group interview at Queen Chow in Enmore in 2017, a Merivale pub/restaurant.
Based on the job ad, she said she thought the interview was to work at the inner-west Chinese restaurant, but later discovered the hiring team would decide which Merivale venue she would be allocated to based on where they deemed she would ‘fit in’.
Merivale’s Palmer & Co. Photo: Supplied.
She claimed the interviewees were split into groups and allocated a venue based on appearances.
Merivale was asked to comment on their hiring process, but declined to respond.
“They just picked the good-looking people,” Zoe said “You could see which girls were going to the beachy venues, you could see which girls were going to the more formal venues with older guys.
“The blonde girls went to Coogee Pav [Pavillion].
“The people who didn’t get hired were the quieter bunch or the less stereotypically attractive bunch.”
Zoe, who at the time was working as a fashion model and had no previous experience working in the hospitality industry, was assigned to work at Palmer & Co, a 1920s speak-easy-style bar. She said she was the youngest staff member there, and the venue wasn’t suited for her experience.
A review by Concrete Playground, published two months after the bar opened its doors, described Palmer & Co as a “bar for grown-ups” where patrons are greeted by “staple Merivale beauties in flapper dresses”.
And, in an interview with the Australian Bartender in 2012, shortly after the bar’s opening, Merivale’s group bars manager at the time described the hiring process for bar tenders (not all bar staff) as extensive, and the job was advertised internationally, with a minimum of five years of experience.
While she had received her RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) licence, Zoe said no one prepared her for dealing with harassment from intoxicated patrons.
“There was no support set up for that, they never said ‘come to us, tell us’… there was nothing like that from memory,” she said.
The blonde girls went to Coogee Pav…. the people who didn’t get hired were the quieter bunch or the less stereotypically attractive bunch.
Zoe worked as a waitress and was required to dress in a 1920s flapper-style outfit. She claimed that frequently on shift, she would experience panic attacks and needed to take breaks due to the work environment.
She said Merivale responded by moving her to the Ivy.
Zoe claimed managers told her she “would be perfect as a VIP host” in the Ivy’s rooftop pool bar. She said she believed this was entirely based on her looks after being told: “We want the girls who present like you to be VIP hosts… we think you’d do really well there.”
She said it was on her second shift at the pool bar that she was allegedly humiliated and sexualised by a male superior in front of patrons.
While carrying drinks to her VIPs booking for the night, the woman slipped on the tiled floor surrounding the pool in front of guests. She claimed when she got up her knees were scratched and bleeding, and that her male colleague watching on and in earshot of her laughing guests said it looks like “you’ve been on your knees all night”.
VIP packages at the Ivy allow for up to 12 patrons to be in a booth or cabana at the pool bar. Each booking is allocated to one VIP host, who serves them drinks and accompanies them for the night. The packages cost between $800 and $1400.
The Ivy pool club. Photo: Supplied.
She said after the pool incident she was not “comfortable to report anything in the future”.
In hindsight, Zoe said she should have reported the harassment but due to the club’s internal culture, she claims was made to feel embarrassed and scared.
“I was nervous about telling anyone because when I had been honest about having panic attacks, I got shoved out pretty fast,” she added.
“So, I was like I don’t want to be complaining, what if what’s really uncomfortable for me someone else is like whatever. I just didn’t wanna say it, because the other girls, I didn’t ever hear them complaining about anything so I was like OK its normal.
“I did not have a safe person at Merivale… I didn’t get the feeling I could speak up, so I never did.”
Zoe said during her time at the pool club, she felt like ‘a walking dollar sign’.
Most of her weekly pay came from tips, which the team collected and divided out. She said some weeks, her share of the tips would be upwards of $500. She claimed management told her on her first shift to “flirt with the guys and compliment the girls”.
I did not have a safe person at Merivale… I didn’t get the feeling I could speak up, so I never did.
Zoe also attended The Merivales, the company’s awards night in 2017, the same event which the ABC previously reported on for showing CCTV footage of people having sex in Merivale venues to attendees of the event.
The Merivales recognises staff members and venues for their work, rewarding the company’s ‘high achievers’ for such things as ‘best venue’ and ‘best bar employee’. Awards are given out on the night paired with lavish prizes, including team experiences worth upwards of $10,000 to luxury, all-expenses-paid international holidays.
She said the “weirdest part of the night” was when Merivale chief executive Justin Hemmes took the stage to address the staff. She added people were “screaming as if God himself had just walked on stage… it was very bizarre”.
Following the publication of an investigation by the ABC of The Merivale’s in 2017, Hemmes sent an email to all employees, saying how proud he was of the 5000+ staff. He went on to say: “You all know how seriously we take allegations of misconduct by employees and patrons and how we investigate and take action in line with the policies and protocols we have to keep us all safe.
“You also know how rigorous our training is on these issues and the clear pathways for reporting misconduct which we encourage all staff to use. Always remember – SPEAK UP – if you, or someone you know, is experiencing any sort of abuse connected to your workplace. The rights of every team member are taken very seriously.”
Zoe said she left after a couple of months to pursue her modelling career in Melbourne. She told Central News that when management at the Ivy asked if she’d like to return as a host, she declined the offer.
* Not her real name
Main image Canva montage of graphic and Paul Sableman/Flickr photo.
