Happy Days for nostalgic food fans as Chermside diner plans revealed

Burgers, hand-cut fries and ice cream sundaes, with a side of nostalgia, are on the menu at an American-style diner coming to a northside suburb. SEE THE PLANS 

The 50s is back with plans for a new chain of drive-in American-style restaurants to be rolled out across the southeast.

The old school diners — under the Slim’s Quality Burger Restaurant brand — will come with burgers, fries, thickshakes and, of course, ice cream sundaes.

A development application has been lodged with Council for the first of the restaurants, fronting one of the northside’s busiest roads.

The site at 678 Gympie Rd, 8 Wallace St and Abarth St, Chermside has a house, florist, bike shop, hairdresser and electronics store.

They will be demolished to make way for the 203 sqm restaurant with outdoor dining and an “arch style’’ car park and drive through.

The owners of the 2897 sqm site, Alexander James Poulos, Harry James Poulos and Gloria Poulos, have all given their written consent.

It won’t be the first of its kind in Australia though, with the chain set to open in several locations in NSW from November.

Company director Nik Rollison said they had decided to take the leap despite not having seen an existing, successful drive-in model in Australia.

“The biggest difference with our Slim’s at Chermside is it has a drive-in component, you pull your car in directly in front of the building,” he said.

“(You) scan a QR code from your car, order from your car and someone brings it out to you in your car and you can drive away whenever the heck you feel like it.

“We also have the traditional drive through model as well as dine in and takeaway.”

Slim's Quality Burger director Nik Rollison is looking forward to bringing family-friendly fun to the southeast.

The project isn’t the 43-year-old’s first foray into dining.

He has two decades in the business under his belt and opened more than 50 restaurants, 20 bars and 10 nightclubs with the likes of David Chang, Jean Georges Vogerichten and the TAO group.

His most recent work in Australia includes Betty’s Burgers.

“We did a throwback burger concept before which was quite successful but it was mostly shopping centre based,” he said.

“We had a few high street locations as well.”

The Chermside location is just the beginning for the southeast, with plans to expand to Garden City, Burleigh and Slacks Creek.

Mr Rollison said sites for the other locations already had leases secured and designs were under way.

How the diners would look on the inside.

The US-born businessman said he was committed to ensuring Slim’s was family-friendly and affordable.

“We want it to be affordable, we want it to be fast and value for money,” he said.

“It’s a fresh made product made to order, every order.

“Why can’t you have a fresh product that is done fast and a really good price … but have it in a great environment with this nice design and cool lighting.

“A different method and way to experience the place versus just the typical come on through and drive away and the food falls all over the place.

“We thought if we could bring all of those components together we would have a pretty compelling offer.”

An artist’s impression of the restaurant.

He said the food would be absolutely fresh.

“We’re doing burgers made fresh to order, doing fresh cut fries straight from the potato farmer to our restaurant, washed, peeled in house and cut right in front of you,” Mr Rollison said.

“Then we’re doing fresh churned ice cream on site, sundaes hand scooped in front of you with whipped cream and toppings and spiders.

“We won’t be licensed so we’re not doing alcohol at the moment.”

He hoped the restaurant could open as early as April or May next year.

“We’re very excited to come back to Queensland,” Mr Rollison said.