Cult Melbourne restaurant 1800 Lasagne is being wound up, following its entry into voluntary administration last month. Creditors have now voted to place the company into liquidation, with administrators warning staff and suppliers not to expect a return. But the business is publicly insisting it is not closing.
The business, founded during Melbourne’s 2020 COVID lockdowns, began as a home-delivered pasta service. It then expanded into a dine-in restaurant with ambitious plans to become part of a larger hospitality empire.
Related Article Block Placeholder
Article ID: 321093
But according to a report from The Age, administrators claimed 1800 Lasagne may have been insolvent for more than four years and owed millions in unpaid debts, including to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
A notice filed with ASIC on September 4 confirms that creditors passed a special resolution earlier this week to wind up the company.
This followed the administrators’ recommendation that the business be liquidated and its assets sold after no buyer emerged to keep it going.
Smarter business news. Straight to your inbox.
For startup founders, small businesses and leaders. Build sharper instincts and better strategy by learning from Australia’s smartest business minds. Sign up for free.
By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
1800 Lasagne tells Instagram it’s business as usual
Despite the wind-up order, the official 1800 Lasagne Instagram account this week denied it was closing, calling recent coverage “wildly inaccurate misinformation”.
“We are NOT closing!” the post read. “We are not going anywhere and are VERY much looking forward to serving you with love and warmth long into the future.”
The post ended with an upbeat sign-off: “The future is bright! Onwards and upwards!”.
The business’s website also remains live and is still taking bookings.
Administrators are preparing a campaign to sell the brand and assets, with final approval subject to secured creditor Bizcap’s consent. Updates to creditors are expected in the coming weeks.
From Covid darling to collapse
At its peak, 1800 Lasagne generated $3.8 million in revenue during the 2024 financial year and drew praise from Good Food, which also awarded the venue a chef’s hat in 2023.
In the same year, founder Joey Kellock announced two new venues on High Street, Northcote: a sandwich shop called 1800 La-Sanga (later renamed Cinque!) and a music-focused wine bar called Dopolavoro. Both were originally slated to open in 2023, but neither venue commenced trading.
By July 2025, the business had been placed into voluntary administration, with Todd Gammel and Matthew Levesque-Hocking of HLB Mann Judd appointed to review its finances.
In their report, the administrators concluded the business had been insolvent since March 2021 and could no longer meet its obligations. This included rent, wages, subcontractor fees and tax.
The company owes a total of $2.9 million to unsecured creditors, including more than $2 million to the ATO and $391,000 to employees. Of that, around $382,000 is attributed to related-party loans.
The ATO, the largest creditor, was the only party to vote in favour of liquidation. Employees present at the meeting abstained.
Speaking at the creditors’ meeting, Gammel confirmed the liquidation process was underway and that employee entitlements could only be paid after secured creditor Bizcap.
“We’re working on trying to get some sort of surplus to be able to pay something to the employees,” he said. “But at this stage, we can’t give you any certainty around that because we haven’t finalised the sale.”
According to The Age, an investigation is also ongoing into whether the company traded while insolvent. During the meeting, it was noted that if creditors choose to pursue legal action and directors are unable to pay, they could face bankruptcy.
SmartCompany has contacted 1800 Lasagne, Todd Gammel and Matthew Levesque-Hocking for comment.
