Korean barbecue Niku-Yaki to launch in Hervey Bay

A business deal between friends thousands of miles and two states apart is expected to have its “soft launch” in Hervey Bay in June 2023.

Shami Sivan, co-owner of Sea Breeze Cafe, pictured with his staff members Lexi and Renae. Mr Sivan expects to “soft launch” the Korean barbecue business from his cafe within the next month.

After gaining almost immediate success and attracting more than 6000 “organic” followers and 500-1000 customers, Melbourne based Korean barbecue service Niku-Yaki will open in Hervey Bay in the next month.

“A barbecue experience like no other,” is how Melbournite Hamza Civan described Niku-Yaki, which differs from other restaurants by packing the barbecue into a box to be enjoyed anywhere.

Mr Civan made the decision to expand the business to Hervey Bay after his longtime friend, Shami Sivan, co-owner of Sea Breeze Cafe, reached out and expressed his interest in the concept.

“I was getting a lot of interest from people in Queensland, and Hervey Bay attracts a lot of tourists, so after Shami reached out, I thought it would be a nice start in Queensland, then see where it goes from there,” Mr Civan said.

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Shami Sivan will be offering the Niku-Yaki boxes at his Hervey Bay business, Sea Breeze Cafe, on 363 Charlton Esplanade.

“Hervey Bay is a beach town, and one thing I’ve noticed here is that people only really take fish and chips to the beach,” Mr Sivan said.

“The Niku-Yaki offers a compact do-it-yourself box that can be eaten anywhere and is good for date nights, picnics and beach trips.

Shami Sivan moved from Melbourne to Hervey Bay eight months ago, because he wanted raise his two-year-old son away from away from the city.

“We are currently waiting on the boxes to arrive, but we will hopefully be opening by next month.

“We are looking at starting with a soft launch of 500 boxes, just to test the waters, and based off that we will be able to keep a consistent volume.

“Customers will need to preorder on the day, whether that be through Uber Eats, DoorDash or pick up from store.”

Mr Sivan said he was working on the website for the service, which will hopefully go live in the next two weeks.

“The website will have all the pick-up delivery options as well as the confirmed pricing and booking availability for Hervey Bay”.

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Mr Civan said the idea for Niku-Yaki came after having to drive into the city to enjoy a Korean barbecue experience, and thought it would be a great idea to order through Uber Eats, in the comfort of his own home.

The name, Niku-Yaki is a play on the Korean translation for Korean barbecue, or Yaki-Niku, which properly translates to grilled/ cooked meat.

Each box has a grill, which comes with some coal, matches, gloves, utensils and a water satchel to put out the fire.