Dan Andrews' life in Melbourne turns into a nightmare as he is hit with fresh ban

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EXCLUSIVE 

One of Melbourne's hospitality heavyweights says there would be 'no chance in hell' he would let Daniel Andrews eat at his bustling pub - making him the latest in a growing number of venue operators to blacklist the former Victorian Premier. 

Former AFL star Paul Dimattina, who runs popular South Melbourne venue Lamaro's Hotel, said the former premier was 'easily the most hated person' in the Victoria as it is revealed multiple restaurant owners had refused service to Mr Andrews and his wife Cath.

'No hope Andrews would get a seat at my pub,' Mr Dimattina told Daily Mail Australia.

'If he walked in and sat down… the Lamaro's crowd would be disgusted if they saw him… Andrews is hated because of his whole anti-business stance.

'The trail of destruction Andrews left is still being felt today, small businesses closed down, endless lockdowns, critical healthcare neglected, children missing out on school... he didn't help anyone.

'Mental health went downhill and now Andrews has a job in mental health if you can believe that.'

Mr Dimattina, who followed his 131-game AFL career by taking charge of the restaurant  and produce empire founded by his father Frank, said Andrews also 'absolutely crippled' the hospitality industry.

He became a leading voice opposing Victoria's Covid response as Mr Andrews imposed the world's longest periods of lockdown..

Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews (above with wife Cath) is being blacklisted from Melbourne venues - and now a key member of a famous hospitality family has moved against him

Paul Dimattina in his playing days for the Western Bulldogs

His attitude toward the government's Covid response was further soured when he spent time in intensive care following a negative reaction to a vaccine booster shot.

'Business was decimated, the CBD is a ghost town, once thriving restaurants are boarded up, its the same at every high street, Chapel St, Lygon St, there's empty businesses everywhere,' he said.

'What Andrews did is he made running a small business not an easy thing… he'd be better off leaving the state, I'm sure there's some people who still love him, lefties and that, but he's not welcome anywhere and we'll all be better off without seeing him here.'

Mr Andrews' latest ban is a negative sign for his hopes of dining out in Melbourne given Dimattina's family own, and have owned, multiple restaurants in the city including along the famous Lygon Street precinct. 

Rebel News correspondent Avi Yemini said 'many people hate' Andrews because they hold him 'responsible for Victoria's current state'.

'They are frustrated that he has never been held accountable for his decisions or actions, regardless of how reckless or potentially corrupt they may have been,' Mr Yemini said. 

'Victorians endured the longest and harshest lockdowns in the world, with many losing everything. 

'Meanwhile, Andrews walked away with a substantial taxpayer-funded pension and a comfortable new job. 

'It's understandable that those who feel short-changed would harbour resentment against him.'

Mr Yemini said if he owned a restaurant he also wouldn't give Andrews a booking.

Melbourne hospitality heavyweight Paul Dimattina at his pub Lamaro's Hotel

Andrews has been banned from the trendy South Melbourne gastropub, above 

Andrews' latest ban is a negative sign for his hopes of dining out in Melbourne given Dimattina's family own, and have owned, multiple restaurants in the city including along the famous Lygon Street precinct (stock image above)

'I wouldn't want that crook anywhere near my restaurant or club,' he said. 

'He's bad for business.' 

The latest pile on came after it was revealed Andrews and his wife were refused bookings at popular Melbourne restaurants during the Covid pandemic.

It was reported the Andrew blacklists were payback from the city's hospitality industry over the state's long and strict lockdown.

Restaurateur Chris Lucas revealed that when Mr Andrews' wife Cath called up to book a table at his Windsor eatery Hawker Hall located at the once bustling Melbourne Chapel St precinct, he told her: 'Sorry, it's not available.'

Mr Lucas revealed Di Stasio, a famed Melbourne restaurant group that is not part of his hospitality group, also refused Mr Andrews a booking for his birthday around the same period.

Both Lucas and Di Stasio's owner Rinaldo Di Stasio were outspoken critics of Mr Andrews' hardline approach to Covid which saw Melbourne suffer the longest lockdowns in the world, crippling the city's once famed hospitality industry.

Restaurant king Chris Lucas at a Sydney event in 2018

'He's got his own cross to bear but we're allowed to disagree right? We live in a democracy,' Lucas recently told the Australian Financial Review.

Lucas Group boasts a number of Melbourne dining institutions among its restaurants including Grill Americano, Kisumé, Society and Chin Chin.

'To simply come out and demand that he wants these powers given to him in an unprecedented form, it just smacks of insensitivity. Quite frankly we're sick of it,' Lucas said about Andrews' harsh Covid lockdowns.

He later said in 2022: 'We are a shadow of the industry that we were before Covid.

'Two years of lockdown caused so much trauma for us, not just financially, but also emotionally, it left many scars on this city.'

The restaurants were not the only places to give Andrews the cold shoulder following his controversial Covid approach.

Members of Melbourne's prestigious National Golf Club on the Mornington Peninsula last year banded together to block Mr Andrews' interest in joining.

Andrews now works in the mental health sector

A letter sent to the club committee claimed more than 100 members 'expressed a clear stance against' his potential membership.

'I seek assurances for myself and fellow members that should Daniel Andrews express interest in joining the National Golf Club that his application would undergo the standard membership approval process,' the letter said.

There was also rumours Andrews wanted to join exclusive Portsea Golf Club but was also knocked back.

Melbourne golfers were outraged by the Victorian government's ban on the sport during lockdown, despite it being in the open air with large distances between players and providing a rare outlet for exercise. 

Andrews was Victorian Premier for almost nine years before he resigned in late 2023 and he has taken on a new role at Orygen, a mental health organisation.