Developer Josh Guok buys Burleigh Tropicana site, fish and chip shop to close
A Burleigh Heads kebab shop owner says he feels like the “end is near” for small businesses in the beachside suburb after the shock closure of Tropicana. Read what he said
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A Burleigh Heads kebab shop owner says he feels like the “end is near” for small businesses in the beachside suburb.
The Bulletin this week revealed that fish and chip shop Tropicana will close at the end of the month after developer Josh Guok bought its corner site for $9.3m.
The site also includes kebab shop, Mr Kebab, which will remain open for the foreseeable future.
Mr Kebab owner Asif Rahman said the Tropicana store was an “icon” of Burleigh Heads.
“Seeing them leave is devastating and feels like the end is near for all of the small local businesses,” he said.
Mr Rahman said he took over his 20-year-old kebab business in 2020 because of Burleigh’s “vibrant village vibes”.
However he had seen a shift in the suburb over the past four years and was now serving less people with “happy smiles”.
“Burleigh was more like the locals’ go-to beach,” he said.
“We used to serve so many local customers. But they are almost all gone.
“Burleigh Heads is becoming more and more commercial now. The buildings on the esplanade are becoming Airbnb hotspots.
“The light rail work and all the road works are like the final nail in coffin.
“Parking is a major issue here now. It’s so hard to get any parking. It used to have $5 a day parking. That’s gone.”
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Mr Rahman said he recognised the new developments and Light Rail Stage 3 were giving Burleigh “exposure”. However, he said the progress was causing small businesses to struggle “big time”.
“With the light rail work going on, it’s already hard to stay afloat,” Mr Rahman said.
“With the big guns coming, it will become an even tougher proposition to keep running the business.”
Mr Rahman said he was not aware of his lease ending in the foreseeable future but had prepared for the possibility of Mr Guok demolishing the building.
“Anything and everything is possible,” he said.
“I want to fight to the end because I love the Burleigh Heads community.”
News of Tropicana’s demise was followed by a slew of rumours that the space would be taken over by McDonald’s. Mr Guok confirmed the rumours were “absolutely not” true.
“I would not kill Burleigh like that,” he said
Locals, meanwhile, were divided over the loss of Tropicana, with some saying the suburb was “ruined” while others said it was only a matter of time before the changes rolled in.
“With a popular place like Burleigh, what did you think was going to happen? It would remain a coastal town,” Pete Poulos said on Facebook.
Jodie Sutherland said she believed the reason Burleigh became so popular was because of its charm.
“Now the charm is being scrapped.”
“Sadly, it’s called progress and progress has no respect for charm,” Midge Johansen replied.
Others backed up recent comments that Burleigh Heads was turning into Surfers Paradise 2.0.
“Why visit Surfers when you can just simply convert the Burleigh village charm into another Surfers,” Nathan Bodie said.
Burleigh icon to close after decades of trading
An iconic Burleigh Heads fish and chip shop will close after being sold to a developer.
The corner site home to the long-running Tropicana will set the scene for a new venue, with its owner saying if his plans aren’t to locals’ liking “there are always other places to explore”.
Developer Josh Guok – who in 2021 handled the $58 million sale of the International Beach Resort in Surfers Paradise – settled on the high-profile parcel on August 8 for $9.38 million.
It was a windfall for its previous owners, brothers Nick and George Ross, coming only four years after they landed it for $1.33 million.
Mr Guok said he jumped at the chance to snap up the site and had plans to “revitalise the area”.
“It’s a prime location at the corner junction where people cross the road to get to and from the beach,” he said.
“Nearly every visitor arriving at the Gold Coast Airport passes this corner on their way to accommodation north of Burleigh, making it impossible to miss.”
Mr Guok confirmed Tropicana would be closing at the end of October.
“I understand that some people may be disappointed to see Tropicana go,” he said.
“However, I believe that whatever comes next will bring a fresh perspective to this ‘old’ corner and revitalise the area.”
Rumours that McDonald’s would be taking over the space were fuelled by a Facebook post where local Kellie Marie said it would “destroy Burleigh”.
However, Mr Guok has confirmed McDonald’s would “absolutely not” be moving into the vacant site.
“I won’t kill Burleigh like that,” he said.
“That will certainly kill the ‘village vibe’.”
Mr Guok said “while I don’t plan to open a cafe or business myself at the site, a new venture is in the works to replace Tropicana”.
“As the plans are still being finalised, I’m not able to share further details at this stage.”
He said, while Burleigh Heads maintained a “charming village vibe”, there had been significant changes to the area in recent years, including the Light Rail Stage 3 project.
“I’ll refrain from delving into the light rail debate since the construction is already underway,” he said.
“However I believe that new developments often represent progress, even if it takes time for people to adjust.
“And for those who find it isn’t to their liking, there are always other places to explore.”
Mr Guok addressed community concerns over increased crime in the area and said he hoped council commitments would help combat the issues.
“The recent announcement by the council to install 40 new CCTV cameras, along with increased patrols from the Queensland Police Service, will undoubtedly address recent concerns and contribute to making Burleigh an even more appealing place for locals,” he said.
“Now council needs to get going to build the two multistorey car parks that Tom Tate promoted as part of his election campaign earlier in the year.”
Tropicana, which was formerly known as Pacific Carvery, first opened more than 30 years ago. It was refurbished and renamed Burleigh Tropicana in 2004.
The Ross brothers became its landlords in 2020 after their family fell in love with the site in 1998.
He said he decided to sell the property so he could spend more time with his wife, daughter and granddaughter in Thailand.
“It’s time to pass the property on to another generation, someone who might want to go up another level or two,” he said.
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