Providoor, the restaurant meal supply service born in response to the Covid lockdowns, has been fallen sufferer to their finish, and was handed over to liquidators right this moment.

Melbourne chef and Providoor founder Shane Delia confirmed the demise of the enterprise, efficient instantly, after simply three years, on Friday afternoon.

“Whereas right this moment is a really unhappy day, I’m pleased with Providoor and what it has achieved. We served multiple million meals and constructed one thing that made a distinction throughout some very darkish days,” he stated.

“I created Providoor throughout lockdown, when the hospitality world was in disarray and we wanted to discover a technique to survive. Providoor meant we might safe and create jobs in addition to give folks slightly little bit of restaurant pleasure throughout a fairly dismal time.”

Jonathan Colbran and Tristana Steedman from RSM Australia have been appointed liquidators.

Delia launched Providoor in Melbourne in April 2020, then expanded to Sydney and Canberra in July 2021 after which briefly in Brisbane.

On the time the chef stated it was an industry-led resolution to a damaged supply mannequin, and financially fairer to the eating places concerned, charging a 15% fee – round half the lower demanded by massive tech supply manufacturers.

“Providoor wasn’t set-up as a fast repair. We now have a long-term technique and our growth to New South Wales is the following step,” Delia stated two years in the past.

At the moment he stated that when folks saved utilizing Providoor after social restrictions had been lifted, it confirmed us that the idea labored.

“I simply want it had been given the chance to work by way of the difficult financial situations, the identical dealing with so many within the restaurant and hospitality sector proper now,” he stated.

Providoor is a separate entity to the chef’s Delia Group and can its liquidation won’t impression the operations of the group’s eating places or occasions actions.

RSM Australia’s Jonathon Colbran stated the closure of Providoor would immediately impression round 50 eating places in Sydney and Melbourne that used the supply service and 16 full-time staff.

He stated Providoor clients who bought reward playing cards or future meals utilizing bank cards ought to focus on their problem with their financial institution and could also be eligible for a chargeback.

“Based mostly on our preliminary evaluation of Providoor’s monetary place, there’s presently inadequate cash to pay a dividend to collectors or present refunds to clients, together with reward card holders,’’ he stated.

“We perceive this shall be very disappointing information, however we wished to tell clients as quickly as potential, notably if that they had bought presents or meals for upcoming particular occasions.

Collectors will obtain additional data in 10 enterprise days. Reward card holders can notify RSM through providooraus_giftcardholders@rsm.com.au, staff – providooraus_employees@rsm.com.au, and different collectors providooraus_creditors@rsm.com.au.

The collapse of Providoor follows connoisseur meals market CoLab being handed over to directors earlier this month. Melbourne ready-meal firm Efoodz. acquired the CoLab model, IP, database and different property from the directors this week for an undisclosed determine. CoLab’s Sydney arm will shut down.

Grocery supply service Milkrun shut down in early April after 19 months of operations, having raised $86 million within the final two years.

The fast demise of the sector started 12 months with the collapse of Ship in Might 2022, lower than 12 months after launch.

That was adopted by rival Voly in November, after burning by way of $18 million in a Seed spherical.  The model and database had been subsequently acquired by northern NSW meat supply service Our Cow. UK supply service Deliveroo pulled out of Australia final November having misplaced $33 million within the earlier yr.