Ex Retail Food Group executive Tom Elliott is the new CEO of the Hog’s Breath Cafe

The new chief executive of Hog’s Breath Cafe says he will be ‘doubling down’ on what matters most to revive the troubled restaurant chain.

Can this man bring Hog's Breath back to life?

Former Retail Food Group executive Tom Elliott will take the helm at Hog’s Breath Cafe aiming to revitalise the restaurant chain to meet the challenges of an evolving dining landscape.

An experienced franchise and hospitality executive Elliott has been charged with re-establishing Hog’s Breath’s as a leader in casual dining across Australia.

The company, which is headquartered in Cleveland, has had a number of franchisees close or go into liquidation over the past six years as costs, the covid pandemic and labour shortages took their toll. Elliott will take over for Steven Spurgin.

New Hog's Breath chief executive Tom Elliott.

Elliott says his strategic vision for Hog’s Breath is built around three core pillars – elevating guest experiences, accelerating digital capability, and delivering value-driven marketing that resonates with modern Australian diners.

“Few brands have that level of nostalgia and customer affection,” he says.

“But the dining landscape is evolving fast. At Hog’s Breath, we’re doubling down on what matters most – great food, great value, and great experiences.”

Founded by Don Algie in Airlie Beach in 1989, Hog’s Breath Cafe became well known for its

slow-cooked prime rib steaks and what they claim is an unmistakable Aussie attitude.

In 2020 Algie and Ginger White, operating as HBC Management. The business currently has 22 restaurants.

Long goodbye

After almost four decades in the game commercial property veteran Graham Norris says he won’t be renewing his lease.

Norris, who has been involved in string of ground breaking deals, says he has not resigned from K2PP but he’s looking forward to spending more quality time with wife Bronwen at their Sunshine Coast residence at Golden Beach between stints at their house in France.

Property stalwart Graham Norris.

He will officially leave the building at the end of the year but in the meantime continue to work with his long term contacts and friends including Peter Bauman from Cobay and Garry McDowell from HMC when and where needed – and if he’s not in France.

A nostalgic Norris says he started his real estate career under the tutelage of industry great Tony Atkinson at Raine and Horne Commercial in 1986.

Over that period he brought on and mentored people like Nick Dowling, Dirk Long, Ben McGrath, Greg Russell and Adam Flaskas who is the founder and owner of Howard Smith Wharves.

Over the years he’s worked at Chesterton, Jones Lang Wotton, Savills, Ray White Commercial before his last stint with Stuart Moody at Keystone Private which morphed into K2PP.

He wishes all of his past and present associates well and au revoir.

A picture from 1998 of Colliers’ Andrew Coleman and Simon Beirne and Graham Norris (far right) at a development site in Morningside.

Tool time

The liquidation of a major hardware store will have a silver lining for tradies, with more than 20,000 new top brand tools up for auction at below retail prices.

The company behind Total Tools Biggera Waters went into liquidation on April 17, with estimated debt of more than $4m, including $970,000 of secured debt to the Commonwealth Bank.

Tools from brands including Milwaukee, Festool, Dewalt, Topcon, Husqvarna, Unimig, Greenworks, EGO and Cigweld are on offer in a series of online auctions in May, with the first three closing on Monday.

Auctioneer Glenn Screech from Argus Auctions said the entire contents of the store must be sold and were likely to be heavily discounted.

Originally published as Ex Retail Food Group executive Tom Elliott is the new CEO of the Hog’s Breath Cafe