“As awful and uncomfortable as this topic is, people need to know it’s happening at these places so they can make a choice of whether or not they go there. And that’s not just for employees, it’s for customers as well,” she said.

“There is power in voicing this, and there’s a lot of support for women in this situation … this idea [women] can’t work in the industry because of this, it’s heartbreaking.”

Swillhouse has spent the past month promoting its first festival in The Rocks, Swillfest, as a new fixture “in the country’s calendar of iconic, recurring events”.

But those plans were thrown into disarray on Wednesday as popular non-alcoholic beer brand Heaps Normal withdrew its support and musician Maanyung pulled out within hours of the investigation being published. Ice-cream giant Gelato Messina said it would consider its position, and restaurateur Maurice Terzini, of Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, said he would reflect on the decision with his team.

Singer Hevenshe, band Kingswood and brewery Young Henrys did not respond to requests for comment about their participation in the event.

Gourmet Traveller announced the removal of Restaurant Hubert from the digital version of its annual restaurant guide on Wednesday afternoon.

Editor Joanna Hunkin said the French restaurant was featured on its NSW Top 25 List, which has already gone to print.

“While these allegations are not isolated, I cannot stress enough, it is not the prevailing norm,” Hunkin wrote. “We cannot let this tarnish an entire industry, which is full of decent, hard-working and conscientious humans.”

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