Grill’d, Pancake Manor, The Yiro Shop respond to Rockhampton locals’ calls for franchises
Rockhampton has spoken and they are keen to see more eateries in town. One of the franchises, The Yiros Shop has welcomed the news, offering hope for the future.
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Rockhampton locals are keen to see more eateries in the Beef Capital and have put forward their 10 favourites, after the exciting opening of Guzman y Gomez recently.
The Morning Bulletin contacted each of the outlets and restaurants to ask them their plans for the future. See their responses below.
Guzman y Gomez officially opened on May 14, and its neighbour Banjo’s Bakery is set to open by the end of June.
Plans were also recently approved for an Oporto on the corner of George and Cambridge Streets, with a second drive-thru on the same site yet to find a tenant.
While the town eagerly awaits to see what could potentially fill the site, we put the call out to readers to ask what they’d like to see in the spot.
There were many things on the menu with some suggesting a Sumo Salad, others a Taco Bell.
We went through the comments and made a list of all the fast food franchises locals want to see and reached out to all of them to find out if they planned to come to the region.
Read what they had to say below.
Grill’d
Opening its first store in 2004 and now having more than 100 stores across the country 20 years later, Grill’d was one of the options suggested by readers.
The franchise offers “fresh and guilt free” healthy burgers and a range of sides.
A spokesman for the company said the franchise was always looking for new locations.
“We are always looking for new locations for our next Grill’d, so we will make sure to pass on your request to the wider team, in hopes of landing in your town soon,” the spokesman said.
Betty’s Burgers
A popular “burger shack” to visit on trips down to the southeast corner, many readers said they wanted to see Betty’s Burgers come to the beef capital.
The franchise is well-known for its burgers and thick shakes made with frozen custard ice cream.
Betty’s Burgers has a number of stores around Australia and in Queensland.
Betty’s Burgers has been contacted for comment.
Taco Bell
With Mexican seemingly the flavour of the month, another hot suggestion from readers was American-born franchise Taco Bell.
The first Taco Bell in Australia opened in Brisbane in 2017, with the franchise now having 14 stores across Queensland and 39 across Australia.
Taco Bell has been contacted for comment.
Sumo Salad
With a lot of readers crying out for a healthier fast-food option, many suggested a Sumo Salad store.
The popular salad bar franchise was founded in 2003 and has more than 100 stores across Australia and even internationally.
Sumo Salad has been contacted for comment.
Pancake Manor
Well-known for giving people 24/7 access to the fluffy goodness breakfast food in its name, The Pancake Manor is another establishment readers wanted to see fill the drive-thru next to Oporto.
The Pancake Manor opened its doors in Brisbane in 1979 and offers not just stack of traditional and dessert pancakes, but also burgers, savoury crepes and salads.
Managing director of The Pancake Manor Chantelle Phelan said it wasn’t the first time a site in Rockhampton had been suggested and while there were “unfortunately” no plans to expand to the town, it was always kept as an option.
This has actually is not the first time this has been mentioned. Unfortunately there is no plan for expansion into Rockhampton at this point in time,” she said.
“It is certainly on the radar though, and always kept as an option in the mix. We’d love to support our Rocky followers in the future.”
Soul Origin
Another suggestion by readers was Soul Origin, a franchise which has previously shown interest in opening in Rockhampton.
Soul Origin is known for its coffee and healthy food options.
The franchise has a number of stores around the country, with most of its Queensland stores located around Brisbane and the Gold Coast, with a store also in Cairns.
In 2018 Soul Origin held a pop-up store at Stockland Rockhampton, where locals were treated to free coffee and food samples and staff on the lookout for a potential franchisee.
In 2020 the business began advertising on Seek Business for a franchisee for an outlet in Rockhampton.
The businesses website also has expressions of interest for “suitable franchise partners” in Rockhampton.
Soul Origin has been contacted for comment.
Lord of the Fries
Known for its veggie burgers and vegetarian and vegan alternatives, Lord of the Fries was another franchise suggested by readers.
Lord of the Fries opened its first Australian store in Melbourne in 2004, starting out as a mobile chip van.
A more permanent shopfront opened in 2005.
The business now has a number of stores across the country, including one in Brisbane and one in the Gold Coast.
Lord of the Fries has been contacted for comment.
The Yiros Shop
Serving “fast, fresh and authentic” Greek food, The Yiros Shop opened its first store in Queensland in 2015.
The business now has 16 stores across the state, five of them in a drive-thru format.
A spokesman for The Yiros Shop said there were plans to expand the business up the Queensland coast and into the far north in the next few years.
“That is great news to hear that people are wanting The Yiros Shop to expand into the Rockhampton area. We are absolutely working on expanding into other regions around Queensland and our plan is to open within the next two years up the coast and into FNQ,” the spokesman said.
“In the immediate future we are set to expand and open in South East Queensland with multiple sites opening within the next 6-12 months.”
Zarraffa’s Coffee
While Rockhampton already has a Zarraffa’s Coffee on the northside, there were calls for a second store on the southside.
Zarraffa’s Coffee first opened in Stockland Rockhampton in 2009 before it closed in 2016.
But it didn’t stay away for long, with the Zarraffa’s Coffee drive-thru opening its doors on Musgrave St in 2017.
In January plans were lodged with Rockhampton Regional Council for the popular coffee shop to open in Gracemere.
Zarraffa’s Coffee has been contacted for comment.
Krispy Kreme
It’s a sweet treat locals have long been asking for and again Krispy Kreme doughnuts has been suggested as a potential new business to come to Rockhampton.
It’s common to see passengers on flights between Rockhampton and Brisbane with boxes of the sweet treat.
Krispy Kreme opened its first store in the USA in 1937, before finally landing in Australia in 2003.
There are now dozens of Krispy Kreme stores across the country.
Krispy Kreme has been contacted for comment.
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Originally published as Grill’d, Pancake Manor, The Yiro Shop respond to Rockhampton locals’ calls for franchises
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