Celebrity chef Paul Wahlberg visits Sydney Wahlburger stores for the first time amid a court case over an alleged assault by owner Sam Mustaca
Celebrity chef Paul Wahlberg, brother of Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg, reveals Manly burger store plan amid a court case over an alleged assault by owner Sam Mustaca.
Confidential
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The Wahlburgers expansion continues in the face of high staff turnover and a court case over an alleged assault.
Chef Paul Wahlberg, the fifth of the nine Wahlberg children and brother to Hollywood stars Mark and Donnie, has visited Sydney for the first time since signing the multimillion-dollar licensing deal with Sydney businessman Sam Mustaca to bring the burger chain to Australia.
He’s touched down amid reports of high staff turnover at the restaurants and a January court case where Mustaca will fight charges he assaulted an employee.
Mustaca pleaded not guilty to allegedly attacking Jean-Paul Kalman, 41, during a shift at the Circular Quay store in March.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Mustaca said the charge will be vigorously defended.
Mustaca told The Daily Telegraph he’d had “great support from Wahlburgers staff, family and friends and we’re really looking forward to the opening of the new Wahlburgers restaurants and drive thru’s in 2023.”
Wahlberg joined Mustaca to reveal plans for their Manly Corso offering over the weekend. A source said the fourth venue of Wahlburgers would be extra special for Wahlberg as they will launch a new offering named after Wahlbergs late mother, Alma Nove.
They are taking over all three floors of the Manly Greenhouse. The first floor will be Wahlburgers, the second will be the Italian restaurant Alma Nove and the top will be Shore Beach Club in Manly.
All the menus will be curated by Wahlberg, with the Wahlburgers restaurant being the first to open in January.
Mustaca said when it comes to the brand’s expansion, he’s exceeding the target despite reports of a high staff turnover.
“ Initially we were going to do 20 stores over 5 years, but we will get there in three years. If I had my way, we’d have opened two more stores by December,” he said.
“We want the right staff. The industry is struggling because we don’t have a lot of international staff so businesses are forced to go to QR codes but we’ve flipped that and we want to serve you to the table and give experience. And we have a high expectation of service,” said Mustaca.
“We are a great brand and drawn to us but it’s about us delivering the expectation to customers and that’s why you get high turnover.”
Wahlberg said he’s been working hard to make sure people weren’t coming to his venues because of his famous last name. “ [The name] will get customers to the door but we don’t want people to check that box and not come back. That’s my focus,” he said.
Wahlberg added Mustaca has been doing “a great job with the team, and we are excited how quickly he’s moving along.”
It’s rumoured that Wahlberg plans to return to Australia in the new year and bring brothers Mark and Donnie to attend the launch of Alma Nove.
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