Gypsy Burgers to make Mackay debut in Sinclair Meats carpark, Alfred St

They’ve conquered Victoria and now want to take on Mackay’s taste buds from the carpark of a family-owned butchery. Are you a beef and bacon or fish butty type?

Gypsy Burger founders Adrian and Jess have brought their family and business north for the holidays, hoping to leave behind a new burger venue at Sinclair meats. Photo: Fergus Gregg

An iconic Victorian burger restaurant is looking to trial their business in Mackay in the carpark of Sinclair Meats.

Gypsy Burger first started in 2014 when husband and wife team Adrian and Jess Lal established a food truck in small Victorian town Torquay.

Since then they’ve expanded to own a restaurant and are now looking to trial their business in Mackay.

Co-founder Adrian said that their move to Mackay butcher Sinclair Meats was a way for them to test the waters.

“It’s tricky like it’s a complete unknown,” Mr Lal said, laughing quietly.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen here.”

Jess and Adrian at Gypsy Burger in Zeally Bay Rd, Torquay.

The family was drawn to Mackay by Jess’ connection to the founders of the Alfred St butcher Sinclairs Meats.

“We’ve spent heaps of time up here,” Mrs Lal said.

“We just thought there’s a gap in the market for our awesome burgers, and Sinclair’s got plenty of space here.”

Mr Lal said that they’d flirted with the idea of moving part of the business to Mackay for sometime.

“We probably want to branch out more locally like we’ve done in the Geelong region where we’re from,” he said.

Adrian reckons that over 50 per cent of their orders are for the Angus beef and bacon burger.

By far the most popular item on the menu is the angus beef and bacon burger, however for Adrian and Jess, the underrated icon is their fish butty burger.

Mr Lal has asked for patience as he trains his new Mackay based team, warning of delivery wait times of up to 90 minutes, but shorter waits for those who choose to pick-up their orders.

The Fish Butty is one of the more underrated burgers made by the business.

For the grand opening on Thursday, July 4 he has promised to roster on “more staff than we probably need”.

Residents in East Mackay, South Mackay, West Mackay and the CBD will be able to place deliveries, while residents north of the Pioneer will have to wait for that service.

In the coming weeks Gypsy Burger are looking to include outdoor seating, and collect data over a three-month period before looking into more permanent options, such as a restaurant.

“People don’t go backwards with our burgers like they if they have them, they love them,” Mr Lal said, smiling.

Gypsy Burger will be open Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm – 8pm and offers free delivery for orders over $50 made on the website.

It is located at 54 Alfred Street.