Down N’ Out opens first Sydney restaurant in Bankstown
These incredibly delicious burgers are just the start for food fanciers as rising chain Down N’ Out opens its first Halal restaurant in Sydney.
The Express
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Bankstown’s first Halal burgers — do you want craft beers with that? — will be a game changer for a city which has a large Muslim population.
The popularity of Sydney’s burger chain, Down N’ Out, is expected to grow with the opening of their first Halal restaurant in the centre of Bankstown.
Owner Ben Kagan is a man on a mission, succeeding in the highly competitive food industry after at least 10 failures in his previous life as a graphic designer.
“I always wanted to start a Halal only restaurant because there are not many around,” Mr Kagan of St Peters said.
“We first started a pop up restaurant as a way of helping my business partner Archie (Saliba) promote his DJ work.
“We found out the food was more popular and we started our first restaurant in 2016 in the Sydney CBD.
“We didn’t have any hospitality background but we learnt from others before we opened our first restaurant.”
Their burger chain took off and Mr Kagan and Mr Saliba’s Hashtag Burger parent company, opened more restaurants in Ryde, Crows Nest and Castle Hill.
The burgers being sold at Bankstown will include the classic beef single, southern fried chicken and the vege.
Mr Kagan said all their ingredients and buns are made daily and there will be something for everyone.
While the first few years have been tough, they did not expect to be sued by California-based American burger chain, In-N-Out which launched federal court proceedings last October, saying Hashtag Burgers infringed their trademark. A verdict in the case is expected in coming months.
In-N-Out have had pop up cafes in Sydney in the past.
“We have had a few hard years but we are going OK now, “ Mr Kagan said.
“However, the court case has been very costly for us.
“We are concentrating now on the Halal restaurant with the initial reactions being very positive.
“Though we have only three types of burgers to start with, there will be a weekly special where we create something different.
“We will stock 25 craft beers and also serve milk shakes.
“This is a family-friendly restaurant and children are welcome.”
The small Hash Burgers team includes executive chef Fred Plat, who has French fine dining experience, and Emma Nash, the events co-ordinator.
The restaurant can seat around 100. The launch party is on Wednesday evening for selected guests, with the official opening on Thursday at noon.
Mr Kagan’s company has also been the popular Burgapalooza event held regularly in Parramatta.
Address: 63, The Mall, Bankstown.
Timings: Open daily from 12-9pm.
Details: http://www.hashtagburgers.com.au/