Down Under Diary

The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur Down Under
November 1 - Mooloolaba, Queensland

Happy Birthday to me! It was Seattle-like in the Brisbane area but it was visiting day, so we headed about an hour north with Bob & Pam to Mooloolaba to see John & Jane Garimort, two more of our Alaska cruising colleagues.

It really wasn't a restaurant day, but we did take a side trip to Mooloolaba Harbour to look at The Hogs Breath Café, a local mid-scale chain of restaurants. In general, there are not chain restaurants in Australia aside from quick service names that you would recognize - McDonald's, Hungry Jack (Burger King), Pizza Hut, Subway - and a few international players like Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood. The independent nature of the industry makes the dining market a bit more diverse, but I think there are opportunities here for people who understand multi-unit operations.

Hogs Breath started in 1990 and apparently is doing a significantly-better-than-the-average business. The menu is very American. Curiously, they close between 3pm and 6pm every day, even though there is still staff in the restaurant cleaning and prepping. Go figure. I also find it strange that no one else has picked up on the idea and opened a competing operation.

To see the photos of the restaurants of Hogs Breath and Mooloolaba Harbour, click here.

For photos of the birthday gang, click here.

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