Popular franchise owner will stay local

'Never for a moment would we think of leaving Gladstone.'

AT LAST: Hog's Breath Cafe owner Alex Staines may be selling, but he isn't going anywhere. Picture: Mike Richards

WHEN Gladstone local Alex Staines began telling people he was selling his stake in the local Hog's Breath Cafe franchise, the first question he was often asked was: "Are you leaving town?"

That couldn't be further from the truth.

"Never for a moment would we think of leaving Gladstone," Alex told The Observer.

"This is where our kids go to school, where my wife has her career.

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"It's surprised me - we couldn't imagine living anywhere else."

Alex opened the Goondoon St restaurant in April of 2014 after three and a half years of preparation.

"It's been a very steep but rewarding learning curve," he said.

"The hospitality industry really requires 100% of your focus, and to be able to do that you obviously lose out on other areas, including the family side of things.

"Now that it's sold ... the first project I'm going to do is put a little fire pit in the backyard for my son's 12th birthday."

As of today, Gladstone's Hog's Breath Cafe is under new ownership, with buyers from regional Queensland taking the reins.

"The second question we were usually asked was: 'Have you really found a buyer?'" Alex said.

"We actually had discussions with seven or eight legitimate buyers over the last few months ... and we were quite pleased with the price we've received."

Hog's Breath will cease trading temporarily for a short time from today as it undergoes renovations to its kitchen, a new menu and a re-branding to become Hog's Australia's Steakhouse, in line with the national franchise.

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But Alex said one thing was certain to stay the same.

"We always tried to get involved and create a sense of ownership with the Gladstone community ... I'm sure the new guys will be able to do the same if not better," he said.