Opening date for Darwin’s new Guzman y Gomez delayed by power failures
Darwin’s new Guzman y Gomez and Liberty service station has been hit by another delay. Find out when it’s due to open.
Business
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Hundreds of jobs could be at risk as delays hit plans to open a fast food and service station complex in Stuart Park.
Construction on the Liberty Oil and Guzman y Gomez takeaway on the Stuart Highway began last year and was expected to be completed by January.
But a number of serious delays have stalled the opening and it is now not expected to be operating until at least August.
The slowdowns are a blow for job-hunters, with more than 100 employees expected to be recruited at Guzman y Gomez and dozens at the service station when they open.
There are concerns the opening weeks of the business will be at the end of the dry season and the economic benefits of the Top End’s peak business period.
The NT News understands an electrical issue is at the heart of the latest setback.
Developers have had to look overseas to source a transformer and are now waiting for the unit to arrive in the Territory before it can be installed.
The new service station and fast food outlet are being eagerly anticipated in the Northern Territory.
The Territory’s only GyG is south of the Berrimah Line in Palmerston and too far for many Darwin residents to source the tasty Latino treats.
Stuart Park has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to fast food, with a KFC also expected to be constructed across the road from Liberty in coming months.
Located inbound on the Stuart Highway at the old Darwin Suzuki site, the independent fuel supplier Liberty is building the $12m service station and kitchen with in-house seating as well as the GyG.
Liberty Oil director David Goldberger told the NT News last year he was excited about opening his first business in Darwin.
“We’ll have a food kitchen making our own food on-site and customers will be able to sit and eat at the premises if they don’t want to go straight back to their cars,” he said.
“The kitchen’s quite extensive and we will serve good food like sandwiches, burgers and pies in a comfortable environment that’s different to most sites. We pay more attention to the design of our shops and have an industrial look to our design.”
Half-owned by Shell but with an independent management, Liberty will deliver another layer of competition in the Territory.
“This is more competition in the Darwin fuel market and it’s good to have a new player in the town,” Mr Goldberger said.
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