Latest news with #HashTayeh
ABC News
01-08-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Burgertory boss Hash Tayeh sold restaurant to career criminal amid business sell-off
The beleaguered former boss of the Burgertory restaurant chain transferred ownership of a burger joint to a heroin-addicted car thief amid a sell-off of now defunct businesses. The transferee, who is currently on remand over more than 30 drug, theft and weapon charges, is now accused of failing to honour a $500,000 leasing deal. Hash Tayeh founded the Burgertory franchise, which has outlets across Victoria, in 2018, but resigned as CEO of the company less than a month after being hit with a $1 million tax bill for debts allegedly run up by 13 companies. Company documents show Mr Tayeh sold Burgertory Mentone, which ran a short-lived burger outlet in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs, to 30-year-old George Sakun, of Dandenong, in March 2023. At the same time, Mr Sakun also replaced Mr Tayeh as director of the company. The month after Mr Sakun took over Burgertory Mentone, Mr Tayeh resigned as director of another 17 businesses, where he was replaced by his 23-year-old executive assistant, Ismail Ibn Anass Oumacha. Mr Tayeh has defended the transactions, saying none of them were an attempt to avoid liabilities associated with the companies. "I do not and have never avoided obligations," he said. "I am working through every legal and commercial matter transparently and with full engagement." Mr Oumacha has been approached for comment. In the Federal Court over the past two months, the ATO has liquidated 13 Burgertory-related companies, but Mr Tayeh has told the ABC the chain is in good financial shape and said the ATO's pursuit of him is due to a "campaign of targeted harassment". On March 1 2023, between two stretches behind bars, Mr Sakun purchased Burgertory Mentone and another company, Wrath BBB, from Mr Tayeh, company documents show. By then, the burger outlet on Balcombe Road that Burgertory Mentone ran had been closed for a month — it shuttered in February 2023, according to Facebook posts, the Uber Eats website and the property's landlord. The outlet was only opened in August 2022, according to a post on Burgertory's Facebook page. When the business was closed, it carried a substantial ongoing liability — a 10-year lease at $51,000 a year plus GST. The company has since been deregistered and the landlord told the ABC he hasn't received any rent since the outlet closed. The space has been empty since and is currently for lease. "He [Mr Sakun] abandoned the store without notice, stripping the premises of all equipment and fittings, which put our company in an extremely difficult and unfair position with the landlord," Mr Tayeh said. "Despite having no legal obligation to do so — as the lease and responsibilities were with Mr Sakun — we stepped in, restored the premises to the landlord's satisfaction, and funded all agreed repairs in good faith. "The legal and financial obligations for the store were always with Mr Sakun as the franchisee and operator." Mr Sakun is currently on remand and could not be contacted for comment. Wrath BBB was associated with the Bean Lab coffee shop in Braybrook, but Mr Tayeh said the company no longer had anything to do with the business, which was now "owned and operated by a completely separate entity with no connection to me". Neither of the companies Mr Sakun took over are subject to ATO action. Burgertory Mentone was deregistered in April and Wrath BBB is in the process of being struck off. Mr Sakun faced the Dandenong Magistrates' Court last month, where he said he would plead guilty to at least 37 offences, including stealing cars and possessing drugs and weapons. The court heard he had begun an apprenticeship as a mechanic but not finished it. "It seems like he's running some kind of operation. He doesn't steal the cars but they come to him to be touched up," magistrate Christina Windisch said during the hearing. The court heard Mr Sakun was receiving regular methadone injections to combat his heroin addiction while serving his third stint in prison. He has been on remand to face his current set of charges for more than seven months. He was previously sentenced to 10 months' jail in December 2021 and two months' jail in July 2023 over offences including drug possession, reckless conduct endangering life, possession of a controlled weapon and theft of a motor vehicle. The court heard that in January last year police found a black Holden Colorado ute worth $25,000 when they arrested Mr Sakun and two others in Hampton Park over an unrelated matter. It had been reported missing by the woman who owned it and was bearing fake numberplates when found, the court heard. The court heard that when he was questioned by police, Mr Sakun said: "You are close. I didn't steal the car." Instead, he said he bought it off a Facebook page where stolen cars were traded. "I knew it was hot, yeah, no-one sells a Colorado for $500," he told police. He also stole a $22,000 Nissan Skyline and $4,000 Holden Astra, the court heard. Mr Sakun also pleaded guilty to charges of possessing heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis, a flick-knife and knuckledusters. Ms Windisch rejected Mr Sakun's bid to be released immediately on a community corrections order because he'd reflected on his conduct. "How is his thinking different now? He's done previously two lengthy periods of imprisonment," she said. "I have nothing before me that show's that there's been any change in his thinking." She adjourned the hearing to August 4. Mr Tayeh announced he was stepping down as chief executive of Burgertory last month after the ABC revealed the burger baron owes the ATO $1 million in tax that has not been paid by companies in the group. Mr Oumacha is director of all but one of the 13 Burgertory-related companies recently liquidated by the ATO. Mr Tayeh told the ABC he still believed he still believed he was being "targeted" by the ATO. "I absolutely believe I am being targeted," Mr Tayeh told the ABC. "The timing, context, and intensity of the scrutiny are far from standard, especially for a group of businesses that are transparently structured and operated in accordance with advice from professional advisors. "I built Burgertory with zero external capital and turned it into a nationally recognised brand. "We've expanded across Australia and are preparing for our first international store opening. "While the media now wants to paint me as some kind of crook or manipulator, let me remind you: this brand was built with transparency, integrity, and a strong sense of purpose."
The Age
16-07-2025
- The Age
Burgertory owner Hash Tayeh steps down as CEO
Fast-food chain boss Hash Tayeh has resigned as CEO of Burgertory, months after police launched an investigation into an alleged bomb threat made to one of his restaurants. In an Instagram post on Wednesday night, Tayeh said the decision to step down as CEO of Burgertory and food and beverage company QSR Collective was not made lightly. 'The reality is, I've been subjected to targeted attacks, politically motivated smears, and ongoing harassment, not because of any wrongdoing, but because I've dared to speak out against injustice,' Tayeh wrote. In April this year, police launched an investigation into an alleged threat by a defence contractor to bomb one of Tayeh's Burgertory outlets. Loading The threat to 'park a couple of b0mb$' outside the hamburger restaurant in Tullamarine was allegedly made on LinkedIn and posted under the profile of army veteran-turned-defence industry expert Guy Langford. In two separate incidents in 2023 and 2024, Tayeh's home and the now-closed Caulfield Burgertory outlet were firebombed. Following the incidents, The Age revealed the alleged arsonist accused of firebombing the Burgertory restaurant told covert police officers the attack was linked to the conflict in the Middle East, contradicting authorities' repeated claims there was no racial, religious or political motive.
Sydney Morning Herald
16-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Burgertory owner Hash Tayeh steps down as CEO
Fast-food chain boss Hash Tayeh has resigned as CEO of Burgertory, months after police launched an investigation into an alleged bomb threat made to one of his restaurants. In an Instagram post on Wednesday night, Tayeh said the decision to step down as CEO of Burgertory and food and beverage company QSR Collective was not made lightly. 'The reality is, I've been subjected to targeted attacks, politically motivated smears, and ongoing harassment, not because of any wrongdoing, but because I've dared to speak out against injustice,' Tayeh wrote. In April this year, police launched an investigation into an alleged threat by a defence contractor to bomb one of Tayeh's Burgertory outlets. Loading The threat to 'park a couple of b0mb$' outside the hamburger restaurant in Tullamarine was allegedly made on LinkedIn and posted under the profile of army veteran-turned-defence industry expert Guy Langford. In two separate incidents in 2023 and 2024, Tayeh's home and the now-closed Caulfield Burgertory outlet were firebombed. Following the incidents, The Age revealed the alleged arsonist accused of firebombing the Burgertory restaurant told covert police officers the attack was linked to the conflict in the Middle East, contradicting authorities' repeated claims there was no racial, religious or political motive.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
High profile boss of fast food chain whose restaurant was targeted in an arson attack steps down as CEO
The Burgatory boss has announced he will step down amidst rising debt and a liquidation probe into his business. Founder and CEO of the Melbourne-based restaurant, Hash Tayeh, said he was leaving the role of of food and beverage company QSR Collective CEO Wednesday. It was with a heavy heart that he announced his decision on Instagram. 'The decision hasn't come lightly, but it comes with complete conviction,' he wrote. 'When I started Burgertory, it was never just about burgers. It was about building something unapologetically bold.' His departure comes after the fast food chain became Australia's first to introduce 'a profit-sharing model across all staff, not just the boardroom'. Despite Mr Tayeh's leaving he insisted that it still had plans to 'take on the world'. A location is still expected to launch in the Philippines later this year. The 35-year-old burger boss said he was leaving so that his store could continue to grow. 'This isn't me stepping away because we're winding down, this is me stepping aside so Burgertory can soar higher,' he wrote. Mr Tayeh is a Palestinian-Australian businessman who caught a lot of flack for his ventures into activism amidst the Israel-Hamas war. He vocally advocated for his fellow Palestinians across protests and online. Previously Mr Tayeh had a branch of his gourmet burger chain firebombed after he led chants at a pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne in late 2023. Burgertory's Caulfield branch burned down early in the morning in November although no one was inside at the time. Ten fire crews battled to extinguish the blaze, which appears to have gutted the restaurant and shattered its glass windows, for around half an hour. The chain is Australia's largest independently-owned burger restaurant after founding it in 2018. It's owner however had sparked controversy for leading cries of 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' at a local protest. Many interpret the chant as a call for the destruction of Israel. Mr Tayeh vehemently denies he is anti-Semitic and has since asserted he has the deepest sympathy for civilian victims in both Palestine and Israel. The inferno was investigated at the time. Mr Tayeh and his family moved into a safe house after this attack. One year later his own home was allegedly firebombed while he and his family were asleep. Mr Tayeh claimed these alleged attacks had been sparked by his vocal support of Palestine in his retirement post. 'The reality is, I've been subjected to targeted attacks, politically motivated smears, and ongoing harassment, not because of any wrongdoing, but because I've dared to speak out against injustice,' he said. 'While I will never apologise for my activism, or my voice, I cannot allow these attacks to become collateral damage for the people who've helped build this empire.'
ABC News
16-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Melbourne businessman Hash Tayeh quits as CEO of Burgertory and QSR Collective
Fast-food chain boss Hash Tayeh has quit as CEO of Burgertory, less than a month after being hit with a $1 million tax bill for debts allegedly run up by 12 companies. The tax office claims the companies did not pay their tax and superannuation contributions in full at various times while Mr Tayeh was a director. And in separate legal proceedings, the Melbourne businessman, who is of Palestinian heritage, is fighting charges of using insulting words in public, after allegedly stating "all Zionists are terrorists" at a rally in Melbourne last year. He told the ABC last month the charges were "baseless". On Wednesday night, Mr Tayeh announced on Instagram that he was resigning as CEO of both Burgertory and food and beverage company QSR Collective. "The decision hasn't come lightly, but it comes with complete conviction." In a long post, Mr Tayeh wrote: "The reality is, I've been subjected to targeted attacks, politically motivated smears, and ongoing harassment, not because of any wrongdoing, but because I've dared to speak out against injustice. "While I will never apologise for my activism or my voice, I cannot allow these attacks to become collateral damage for the people who've helped build this empire, the franchisees, the staff, the investors, the suppliers." Speaking to the ABC last month, Mr Tayeh accused the tax office of "harassment", and said most of the companies in question were owned and directed by other people who were Burgertory licensees."This is not a tax issue — it's a campaign of targeted harassment against me," he said at the time. In November 2023, Mr Tayeh said he had moved his wife and young child into a safe house after receiving a death threat via social media. The threat came shortly after the Caulfield North store of his fast-food chain was firebombed, he said. A petrol bomb damaged the front door of his Templestowe Lower house in April last year. Mr Tayeh founded Burgertory in 2018, and said on Wednesday that its growth was not slowing down, but instead ramping up."Last week we opened our Greensborough store, our Philippines flagship launches in November, and we've got multiple new sites rolling out across New South Wales," he wrote on Instagram. "This isn't the end of Burgertory or QSR Collective. It's the beginning of new chapters, new leadership, new energy and new horizons." Mr Tayeh said he would now focus his energy "on mentoring and consulting entrepreneurs who want to build powerful, purpose-led businesses, without compromise". "And equally, I'll be giving full attention to fighting the legal battle I've been forced into for daring to speak truth in a so-called democratic nation."
