Carl’s Jr. opens first Queensland store at Brisbane Airport

BURGER lovers will have another spot to satisfy their cravings when American fast food chain Carl’s Jr. opens its first Queensland store in Brisbane.

Kylie Lawrence and Jordan Roberts try a Carl's Jr. meal at Brisbane Airport. Picture: Claudia Baxter

BURGER lovers will have another spot to satisfy their cravings, when American fast food chain Carl’s Jr. opens its first Queensland store at Brisbane domestic airport.

The takeaway giant had people queuing around the block when they launched into Australia with an outlet in Sydney’s Bateau Bay in February, and are expecting an equally keen crowd when doors open in Brisbane on Tuesday morning.

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“For us Queensland has always been a primary market that we wanted to move in to,” said Ned Lyerly, Carl’s Jr president of international.

“It’s a dynamic market, an exciting market, but more importantly, it shares some of the same Californian lifestyle (characteristics) that our brand has enjoyed and grown up with over the past 75 years.”

Mr Lyerly said the new location meant the company could tap into the 22 million travellers who pass through the airport each year, including beef-loving Queenslanders.

“It’s a great gateway to the market and the exposure our brand gets from being at the airport is a great way to introduce more Australians to the premium quality burgers we offer,” he said.

The store is franchise owned by Brisbane businessman David Tang, and will operate from the food court from 5.30am-9pm daily serving everything from Angus Beef Thickburgers to hand-scooped ice cream shakes.

The guacamole bacon thick burger at Carl's Jr.

And despite Queensland’s already bloated burger scene, led by McDonald’s and Hungry Jacks, plus smaller chains, such as Burger Urge and Grill’d, and independent operators and restaurants, Mr Lyerly said he was not worried about the competition.

“The burger and better burger category continues to grow. We offer a really high quality product that we feel there’s a gap in the Australian market for and we look forward to filling that gap,” he said.

The airport operation is part of a planned 300-store expansion across the country over the next 10 years, with Mr Lyerly expecting approximately 20-25 per cent of those branches to be based in the Sunshine State.

He said the company had qualified franchisees scouting locations across Queensland, particularly Brisbane, with more stores expected to open in the next six to 12 months.

“We think the burger pie in Australia is huge and there’s room for our brand to take a decent slice of that,” Mr Lyerly said.