Guzman y Gomez abandons plans for 24/7 new store hours after furious response from Mosman residents

A popular Mexican chain restaurant has backflipped on plans to operate a 24/7 restaurant in Sydney’s north after sparking a furious uproar from local residents. See their concerns.

A burrito brawl has boiled over in Mosman as Mexican restaurant chain Guzman Y Gomez backtracks on plans to open a 24/7 store in the suburb in response to a furious response from locals.

Grabbing a 3am quesadilla will no longer be a possibility for north shore Mexican food lovers after Guzman Y Gomez responded to community concerns over its proposal to launch an around-the-clock restaurant in the Military Rd shopping strip.

In the one-month period since the plans were released, more than 130 residents have written to Mosman Council calling for the proposal to be rejected while dozens more have signed a petition raising concerns the store could cause “anti-social impacts” and attract “riff raff”.

In response to the feedback, Guzman Y Gomez has abandoned the proposed 24/7 operating hours and will instead only seek to operate the outlet from 6am to 10pm.

The retailer said the changes were aimed at “resolving items raised by the community” which largely focused on objections to the 24/7 operating hours.

A concept image of the proposed store

Submissions to the council have centred on noise, anti-social behaviour, heritage impacts, traffic and the potential for the store to shatter the ambience of the suburb.

Resident Rachael Kohn – in a submission to the council – argued the planned restaurant on Military Rd could “undermine the character of Mosman which is a neighbourhood that is largely at home in the evenings”.

Maria Fusco said she “couldn’t think of anything worse than unwanted traffic flying up and down (the road) in the early morning and disrupting the peace and quiet of our tranquil neighbourhood.”

An architectural plan of the proposed store.

Similar concerns were raised by Tim Longstaff who said the store could “attract riff raff” to Mosman.

“We already have a problem with Uber drivers and the like getting McDonalds from Military Rd Cremorne and loading rubbish in the gutters of Mosman after dropping off a ride,” he said.

Judy Savage questioned the demand for a 24/7 restaurant in the suburb.

Guzman y Gomez has made changes to its planned store in Mosman.

“As anyone in Mosman knows you can fire a cannon down the street at 9.30pm – how can a company like this be able to retain and pay staff and security to work 24/7 without passing trade. It is a business disaster,” she said.

A spokesman for Guzman Y Gomez said the 24/7 operating model was aimed at “providing a fast food option that is good when on the go”.

Plans for the store stated staff would also be trained to address anti-social behaviour including reporting “any suspicious activity” to police

Former Mosman mayor Peter Abelson is among residents who have opposed the store.

The furore over the 24 hour store is not the first time residents in Mosman have rallied against developments in the suburb’s main shopping strip.

Woolworths faced similar community opposition over its plans to open a new Metro store on Military Rd – a proposal that generated more than 500 submissions from local residents.

There were also concerns over the Military Rd Dan Murphy’s outlet which was ultimately settled in court after a planning battle with Mosman Council.

The store is planned for the Military Rd shopping strip.

Not all residents had opposed the 24/7 Guzman y Gomez store, with one person commenting: “Who doesn’t want 24-hour burritos?”

Other objections by residents centred on the proposed alterations to the Military Rd shopfront which sits within a Heritage Conservation Area, while

Former Mosman Mayor Peter Abelson wrote to the council saying the 24/7 restaurant could impact residents’ ability to enjoy “peace at night time periods”.

The development proposal for the store with reduced operating hours remains under assessment by Mosman Council.

If approved the restaurant will be located next to Lululemon store at 890 Military Rd and will become the 65th Guzman y Gomez store in NSW.