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A mainstay of Brisbane’s hospitality scene has not opened its doors for service on Friday, just days after angry diners came forward with claims they had been overcharged.
While its online booking platform allowed reservations to be made for Saturday lunch and dinner at Restaurant Dan Arnold, there was no sign of activity on Friday evening, and multiple calls to its owner and the Fortitude Valley establishment went unanswered.
Arnold opened the restaurant, also known as RDA, in 2018 to critical acclaim after spending the better part of a decade in France working in Michelin-starred restaurants.
He has since been a major figure in the Brisbane food scene, taking on another Brisbane French restaurant, La Cache a Vin, in 2022, before selling his stake to co-owner Romain Maunier in 2025.
In 2023, Arnold launched Pneuma, with former GOMA Restaurant chef Matt Blackwell in the Brisbane CBD, before that closed in July 2025.
In July, some RDA customers complained they had been charged excessive reservation fees, sometimes more than $1000, despite the booking email stating the restaurant does not take money for reservations.
One customer, Sally Tsai, said the restaurant took three $400 payments from her credit card when she made a reservation for last month, but only one of the payments was taken off her bill.
She told this masthead she had not noticed how much had been taken until she returned to Taiwan from her holiday.
This masthead has spoken to multiple RDA customers with similar experiences.
Tsai has logged a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading, which is attempting to facilitate conciliation between her and the restaurant.
On Tuesday, Arnold said the extra payments appeared to be due to a third-party provider, and the restaurant never received extra money from an “isolated number of affected guests”.
“Upon becoming aware of the issue, we confirmed that the duplicate charges were disputed and the dispute is currently being processed through the relevant payment provider,” he said.
“While we have taken the necessary steps on our end, the final processing time is subject to the payment provider and the guest’s financial institution.
“We are aware of Ms Tsai’s inquiry and have been in communication regarding the matter.”
Three days later, the restaurant appears to have closed up shop.
Arnold is also facing court action from another Brisbane hospitality identity, Snackman owner Cameron Votan, who previously ran another restaurant out of the George Street space that later housed Pneuma.
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