Celebrity chef Luke Mangan has "sincerely apologise[d]" to guests of a pop-up dinner event he catered, citing "operational challenges" beyond his control.
The pop-up event, A Moveable Feast on Bondi Beach, took place on Saturday evening, when about 3500 ticket-holders dressed in "pastel chic attire" for an eight-course shared feast inspired by Mangan's 19 restaurants around the world.
More NSW News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:25
Meat festival a 'One out of ten'
Meat festival a 'One out of ten'
Thomas Demos is among the patrons demanding a refund from the Sydney Barbecue Festival, where hour-long queues and food shortages sent crowds packing on Saturday.
Up Next
Passengers injured in bus accident
- Video duration
- 00:22
- Video duration
- 00:22
Passengers injured in bus accident
Passengers injured in bus accident
At least 9 people, including the driver have been injured after a bus crashed into a garbage truck in Wetherill Park in Sydneyâs west.
Up Next
Sydney weather: Prepare for a wet Tuesday
- Video duration
- 01:56
- Video duration
- 01:56
Sydney weather: Prepare for a wet Tuesday
Sydney weather: Prepare for a wet Tuesday
After heavy rain and hailstones on Monday, the wet weather will continue on Tuesday with potentially 10-20mm of rainfall for Sydney.
Up Next
Young boy, woman's body found
- Video duration
- 00:13
- Video duration
- 00:13
Young boy, woman's body found
Young boy, woman's body found
A crime scene has been established at a unit in Sydney's Hillsdale suburb, after a woman and child were found dead inside the home. Vision: Nine News Sydney
Up Next
Students welcome multiculturalism
- Video duration
- 00:40
- Video duration
- 00:40
Students welcome multiculturalism
Students welcome multiculturalism
Evans High School students celebrate their diversity, where more than half of the student body speaks a language other than English. Vision: Peter Rae.
Up Next
Storms brewing for Sydney
- Video duration
- 01:25
- Video duration
- 01:25
Storms brewing for Sydney
Storms brewing for Sydney
A large low-pressure system will bring severe storms across northern NSW and Sydney.
Up Next
Tow in surfing off Narrabeen
- Video duration
- 00:55
- Video duration
- 00:55
Tow in surfing off Narrabeen
Tow in surfing off Narrabeen
With Autumn on the horizon, the cooler temperatures aren't putting of some surfer in Narrabeen. Vision: Nick Moir.
Up Next
Youth fined after girlfriends death
- Video duration
- 02:02
- Video duration
- 02:02
Youth fined after girlfriends death
Youth fined after girlfriends death
Jordan Duffy received a 12 month good behaviour bond and an $800 fine, after providing his girlfriend, Janie Panton Roberts, with the capsules of MDMA that caused her death.
Meat festival a 'One out of ten'
Thomas Demos is among the patrons demanding a refund from the Sydney Barbecue Festival, where hour-long queues and food shortages sent crowds packing on Saturday.
But the dinner has since been described as the "worst event ever", after many attendees were left without food and alcohol after paying up to $165 for tickets, which were sold in pairs only.
First and second release tickets were sold for $135 and $145 respectively.
Some ticket holders were also locked out of the event and unable to re-enter when they left to seek out takeaway food options across the road.
In a statement, Mangan said he was "aware that some of the 3500 guests at A Moveable Feast on Bondi Beach did not enjoy their experience and with that note, we sincerely apologise for this".
Mangan said the main issues were caused by "operational challenges" beyond control.
"We will be working on these issues with the event organisers to ensure the next A Moveable Feast event is run seamlessly."
Event organisers Trippas White Group said a number of unforseen "concurrent events" caused issues on Saturday.
These included "individuals taking more hampers than required" and bar lines and sales exceeding expectations.
"On the night, we took steps to immediately manage the guests affected by taking their details ... refunds were made in circumstances which included no hamper being provided on the night and alcohol requests which were pre-purchased and not available."
A Moveable Feast is not the first large pop-up food event to experience difficulties in Sydney.
At the end of January, celebrity chef Kylie Kwong felt the wrath of disappointed punters at the Carriageworks Chinese New Year Food markets she curated.
The event, which had a $10 entry fee, hosted 50 food stalls that were scheduled to operate until 10pm, but had run out of food by 8pm.
Two large-scale pop-up events also left attendees disappointed in January last year.
The first, on New Year's Eve, hosted more than 3000 guests in a reserved section of the Royal Botanic Gardens for the NYE Above the Harbour party.
Guests at the event paid up to $500 each, only to be met with long queues, sub-par food and "bare minimum portable toilets".
Later that month, the Sydney Barbecue Festival failed to meet the expectations of more than 5000 paying patrons at The Domain in Sydney's CBD, who were met by long queues and sold-out food stalls.
Dr Rohan Miller, senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Sydney Business School, said pop-up experiential dining was "alluring" for its novelty, but it presented risks.
@LukeMangan $500 ticket for #amovablefeast #bondi NO food. 2 hour que for booze Worst event ever @dominos instead pic.twitter.com/fL69JH4uKC
— mike (@ArtichokeWeb) March 11, 2017
"Organisers aren't always experienced enough to understand the logistics of feeding thousands of people in a temporary location," he said.
"All it needs is one breakdown along the supply chain, and things don't happen ... there are just too many variables."
Dr Miller said celebrity chefs who partnered with such events risked "eroding their own brand equity" by association.
"Will guests really want to go to another event with Luke Mangan's name on it again?" he said.
"[The chef] is not running the event as far as I'm aware. They might design the menu or something, but certainly their involvement is likely to be minimal."
A spokesperson for Mangan confirmed that he attended on Saturday and curated the menu for A Moveable Feast, "in partnership with an external events company."
- with Georgina Cooke
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that attendees at A Moveable Feast paid up to $500 a ticket.