Popular Wellington restaurant Olive closes, new venue planned to ‘bring back the vibrancy’

“We had a great time here and loved the last 10 years, but for us we just wanted a change in life.”

He said when they took over the restaurant they were in a “different stage of life”, and now all have young families and want to take a step back.

“It’s tough, there are a lot of nights you’re away from home working,” he said.

But Petagna was also clear that there were no regrets.

“I don’t want it to be a sad story, it’s more of a celebration for us of Olive, she’s been part of Wellington hospitality for about 25 years,” he said.

It will no longer be called Olive, Petagna said, and they plan to close on Jan. 28.

Richard Walshe confirmed to Herald he and his business partner Scott Benton purchased the company.

Walshe, who is also a business and life coach, has 20 years’ experience in hospitality and said he hopes the new venue will “bring the vibrancy back” to Wellington.

He bought historic Wellington pub the Thistle Inn 10 years ago and said he “transformed” it from a no-money venue to a “hugely successful” venue.

Walshe said the new venue to replace Olive would open in late February or early March after the premises received a “refresh”, but wanted to assure loyal customers that “your favorite corner will still be there”.

He said the popular court would remain and operate under the same trading hours.

Another Wellington restaurant, Mabel’s, also confirmed its closure this week, citing the need for a better work-life balance.

In an Instagram post, owner Marlar Boon explained the reason for the closure.

“We have missed our children terribly (Ian worked nights all of our eldest son Maxim’s life) and we are looking forward to some downtime in the summer of 2025, to celebrate my little brother’s wedding and catch up on prolonged whānau.”

Popular bakery Myrtle is also closing its doors, announcing the move a week after being crowned the capital’s best bakery.

These closures follow other closures in the hospitality sector this year, including Bordeaux Bakery, Pandoro, Alamir Bakery and Hiakai.

Walshe said the sector was not entirely pessimistic, but acknowledged it could be “a challenge” and “hard work”.

The name of the new location has not yet been decided.

Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 and is interested in politics, local issues and public service. Ethan is always looking for a story and can be emailed at [email protected] or sent a message on X (formerly Twitter) via the handle @ethanjmanera.