A team of 20 have been employed and trained in time for Wollongong's newest burger bar to open at 7am Thursday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Bourke St Burgers will open for breakfast daily and trade until late opposite the Novotel Wollongong Northbeach in Bourke Street, North Wollongong.
Among the team welcoming customers at the trendy new eatery will be supervisor Monique Angelkovski who expects to be busy, especially with the signature dish the Bourke St Burger on special over the weekend.
Ms Angelkovski said it was exciting to be part of something so fresh and new in the North Wollongong, Cliff Road, Bourke Street area.
She will be working with very experienced Wollongong head chef Shane Debnam who has been helping train staff and building a menu in recent weeks that offers something for everyone.
Owner and manager Andrew Harrison said the restaurant will start each day with a cafe style breakfast similar to what the Lagoon Seafood Restaurant does on the deck.
Mr Harrison wants to help create a community village feel in that part of town which is already known as one of the city's dining precincts.
"And then the kitchen will probably stay open until about 9pm," he said.
Mr Harrison said with the spring weather expected to warm up next week the team expect to be busy leading into summer. He hopes people will take advantage of the casual feel of Wollongong's new burger joint during the day.
It is also licensed with craft beers and cocktails and is expected to cater for a slightly different market at night.
"We have been getting a lot of interest. Staff at the Lagoon Seafood Restaurant have been taking calls from people asking when Bourke St Burgers is going to open.
"And lots of people have been coming in applying for jobs".
Mr Harrison said he decided to open a burger bar because he loved hamburgers and the new eatery allowed him to offer something different to the restaurant his family have run for 30 years.
He thinks the two will compliment each other at either side of Stuart Park
Mr Harrison was also inspired by many of the trendy new burgers bars opening up in Sydney and Melbourne in recent years.
"People love burgers," he said.
Mr Harrison expects Bourke St Burgers to appeal to locals, day trippers and holiday markers as well as business people staying nearby for conferences and corporate events.
In coming weeks a Melbourne style laneway area will be created on the western side of the burger bar that was formerly the site of the charcoal chicken shop.
Read more:
