Full list: Inside the eight new businesses that have set up shop in the Rose City
Warwick has become a haven for brand new stores to expand to the town, from first-time business owners to national chains. Read our roundup of eight local businesses that have recently set up shop in the Rose City.
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Business is booming in the Rose City with plenty of new independent and chain favourites opening up in the past few months.
From massive chains expanding to Warwick to independent businesses created by locals, Warwick Daily News looks at eight new businesses that have began trading recently.
Burrito Bar
Taking the location of a former Warwick institution, Burrito Bar Warwick is the latest chain that has made the Rose City home.
The beloved Tex-Mex fusion joint has over 30 locations across the state, with the Warwick location it’s latest franchise.
The restaurant, which aims to give Warwick residents a unique spin on Mexican cuisine, which the company describes as “inspired from the streets of San Francisco, where amazing blends of traditional Mexican street foods came to mix.”
Franchisee Vijay Namburi said the upcoming opening was an exciting time for him and for the brand.
“It’s a great time to expand the business to a regional area- people in Warwick have been expressing interest in Burrito Bar for a long time with many having tried us in other locations around the country, so we were excited to finally find the right location in Warwick,” Mr Namburi said.
Warwick Fish Depot
Warwick Fish Depot made the decision to expand to the Southern Downs following massive demand for their fresh and handmade range of seafood products.
Opening in late November 2022, owner Nelly Bhatt said the decision was a no-brainer following people making the drive from the region to his Toowoomba store to try his takeaway.
“Business is picking up in the new year, we’ve got a great location and we’ve been getting great feedback so far,” Mr Bhatt said.
“Customers would drive from Warwick and Allora to buy our fish and tell us we needed to open a store down in the region, so it just made sense to expand here.
“We haven’t had a bad week yet, everything is made by us in store from our fish to our salads, and even our sauce! We’re not buying pre-made product, we cut the product up in our store and people seem to have welcomed that.”
You can visit Warwick Fish Depot at 38 Palmerin Street, Warwick, Wednesday through Sunday or find them on Facebook.
African Safari
Celebrating their shared heritage through authentic food, couple Karlien and Rowland Engelbrecht opened African Safari on January 4, and are fast becoming the home for all African food, treats and goodies in the region.
The pair previously operated a similar business in Brisbane before moving to Warwick a year ago.
“Our business went really well there, so we thought we could give it a go here, and I’m already seeing positive feedback at the moment,” Rowland Engelbrecht told Warwick Daily News.
“Traditional South African food has many must-haves, I could keep on going forever, you must have a taste, especially if you’re a meat-eater.
“Give it a go, you most likely will like it.”
You can visit them at Shop 1/38 Palmerin Street, Warwick or on Facebook.
Fortified Skateboards
Labelled as a “one stop shop” for skating and skating accessories, Fortified Skateboards opened on Percy Street at the beginning of the year, and already has some big plans for the future.
Operated by husband and wife Brenton and Melissa Harradine, the new store supplies Warwick skaters with boards, accessories, clothing and even backpacks.
“My husband wanted a skateboard shop and we knew we could provide a bigger range and cheaper than going to a surf shop or travelling out of town,” Melissa Harradine said.
The couple say the skateboard market is different in the way that you don’t need to replace boards often, so the decision to branch out and supply things like accessories and clothes was a no-brainer.
“In the future we’d like to move to sell shoes or scooters as well and fill those markets as well, and ideally sell all the boards in stock.”
You can visit Fortified Skateboards at 93 Percy Street everyday from 3 – 4pm.
Koji Japanese Restaurant
With Asian food being an extremely popular cuisine in Warwick, the decision to open a sushi train restaurant seemed like a no-brainer for owner Ryan Kim.
Mr Kim said regional areas like Warwick are receptive to Japanese cuisine, and he is happy to provide fresh, tasty and cheap cuisine to the region.
“It’s an exciting time to be expanding to Warwick, I feel like the locals are very warm to us and are excited to expand their tastebuds,” Mr Kim told Warwick Daily News.
“There’s a big growing market in regional areas and we hope we can be very successful here, we have great food for great price, we hope people enjoy it.”
L & B Horse Rescue and Rehoming
One of the most inspiring stories of 2022, the story of two best mates starting a business to rescue and save horses in need inspired the Rose City to donate to the business to help them take on more horses.
Brittany Dugdale and Layla Wolfenden started the business after being bonded by their shared love of horses and anger they couldn’t do anything at the time to help horses in need.
The business has expanded greatly since then and into the new year, with the girls now caring for nine horses at their Rosenthal Heights property.
“It can be [a hard job] sometimes, but it’s good to watch (the horses) put weight back on and get them nice and healthy again,” Brittany Dugdale told Warwick Daily News.
“We’re very proud of what we do, we love helping these animals,” Ms Dugdale said.
Wild Bean Coffee
Coffee lovers in the Rose city rejoiced following the news of a convenient spot to get a much-needed hit of caffeine.
Attached to Warwick BP, Wild Bean Cafe is designed to deliver speedy and efficient coffee and snacks perfect for the morning commute.
“Whether they’re heading off to work, going on a road trip, taking the kids to sports, or visiting family and friends, people want to enjoy a good coffee on the road,” BP’s Leigh Taylor told Warwick Daily News.
“Our coffee numbers are huge and one thing we know is that people today are time-poor so anything we can do to save them time and reduce frustration with queues is a win-win.”
Protea Place
Development has already began on a brand new business planning to open in 2023 to help women in need, with Warwick already fully embracing the project.
Protea Place is a Toowoomba-based project which aims to support, dignity and safety to vulnerable women in the region and will be the first in the Rose City.
The community and local businesses have already stepped up to pledge services to ensure the project will be a success, including donations to help install laundry, kitchen and bathroom for the facility.
Protea Place CEO Amanda Dalton said it has been incredible how the community has stepped up when it was announced to help with pledging support for the planned centre.
“We’re self-funded by the community and so far Warwick has blown us away,” Amanda Dalton told Warwick Daily News.
“There’s very little support in regional areas, which is why Warwick was chosen, it’s not going to happen by itself.”
What’s your favourite new business that’s opened up in the last few months? Are you planning to open a business in the Rose City?
Get in contact with us via email or our Facebook page.
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