PROTECT THE PUFF Emperor’s Garden reportedly owes the ATO nearly $1 million and Sydney has one concern: how to protect the puff
BY: Kartya Vucetic
Sydney’s ongoing Emperor’s Garden crisis has taken another turn, and this time the tax man is involved.
According to new reporting from the ABC, the Chinatown institution behind Sydney’s famous cream puffs apparently owes the ATO $845,000. Now, the tax office is applying to wind up the company.
It comes after the Hay Street restaurant and bakery suddenly shut earlier this month. Naturally, it sent Sydney into what can only be described as a mild city-wide panic over the future of one very small, 70c custard-filled pastry.
These little bastards have a chokehold on the entire city | Image: Phat Life Project
And unfortunately, the picture gets messier. Members of the family behind Emperor’s Garden are also facing charges stemming from the long-running ICAC investigation into political donations. And to add further shit to the show, the site itself has reportedly already been earmarked for redevelopment.
On the other hand, Sydney’s response has been to move beyond the mere trivialities of tax bills to focus on more creative methods of puff preservation.
Emperor’s Garden puffs were historically prized not only for their taste, but also their affordability | Image: Reddit
Comment sections have filled with calls to “protect the puff”, declarations that Emperor’s Garden is a cultural institution and, increasingly, the suggestion that we simply recognise it for what many Sydneysiders apparently already believe it to be: a religious institution.
And when you think about it, generations of Sydneysiders have made pilgrimages to Chinatown. They’ve queued religiously outside a tiny window and emerged clutching warm custard puffs with something approaching spiritual devotion. In other words, maybe the case is stronger than you’d originally think?
Plenty of businesses have found themselves in tax trouble. But far fewer have realistically prompted what can only be described as a city-wide prayer circle for a custard-filled pastry.
