Guzman y Gomez’s big plans for Gold Coast
Growing Australian-owned Guzman y Gomez aims to double the number of its drive-through stores in Queensland this year - with three to open soon on the Gold Coast. SEE WHERE NEW STORES WILL BE
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IN the battle for fast food dollar it’s all about convenience.
And for Guzman y Gomez Queensland development director Humberto Maradiegue, who will be rolling out 11 new stores this year in Queensland, including three on the Gold Coast, the ultimate in convenience is the drive-through.
“The drive-throughs have been a massive success for us,” he said.
“I suppose it’s just catering for that convenience market. Everyone wants everything now. They don’t want to wait.”
From Queensland’s first Guzman y Gomez drive-through store in Nerang on the Gold Coast — opened in 2015 as an alternative to “burgers and chicken” — Queensland now has 11 drive-throughs out of its 40 stores, by far the most of any state.
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On June 26 it will open a drive-through at Rothwell in north Brisbane and in quick succession will roll out 10 more, including new outlets at Helensvale, Southport and Pimpama.
Guzman y Gomez is targeting 12 new stores a year in 2020 and 2021.
Mr Maradiegue said demand for the Californian Mexican fast food “is definitely there”.
“We’re pretty much in all the major shopping retail areas we want to be and now we’re focused on the drive-through,” he said.
“We’re finding tradies love our burritos as they’re easy to eat in the car and travel really well and they’re a great feed.”
From entrepreneurs Steven Marks and Robert Hazan’s first GYG store in Newtown, Sydney in 2006 the company has 112 outlets in Australia, seven in Singapore and four in Japan. It will open its first store in the US in Chicago by the end of 2019.
Mr Maradiegue, who with his brother Eduardo, bought Guzman y Gomez to Queensland from
Sydney in 2010, said developers were embracing the brand.
“We’re finding that developers are coming to us,” he said.
“The funny thing is a lot of time they’re customers and they love what we offer. So they are already familiar with the product and they can see the future and growth.”
Originally published as Guzman y Gomez’s big plans for Gold Coast
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