Wikipedia

Grill'd

Grill'd is an Australian-owned multinational casual dining restaurant chain specializing in burgers. The chain was founded by Simon Crowe in 2004 and was initially located in Hawthorn, Melbourne.[1] The company has 172 locations across Australia and one in Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia.[2][3]

Grill'd
Company typePrivate with subsidiary and franchise locations
IndustryRestaurant
Founded2 March 2004; 20 years ago (2004-03-02)
HeadquartersMelbourne,
Victoria
,
Australia
Number of locations
150+
Products
OwnerSimon Crowe
Number of employees
4,500+
Websitegrilld.com.au

Grill'd has faced criticism for its labour practices and wage disputes, including allegations of underpaying staff and misusing government apprenticeship programs.[4][5][6]

History

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Simon Crowe founded Grill'd in 2004. He wanted to replicate the "service ethic" that he saw in Milwaukee, United States while working for brewing company Fosters.[7]

Since 2010, all of the company's beef and lamb have been grass-fed and free-range, and in 2016 their chicken became RSPCA Approved.[8] In November 2021, Grill'd began serving Impossible Burgers.[9]

In 2019, Grill'd opened its first international restaurant, in Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia.[3] The restaurant extended the company's Local Matters program internationally, supporting Seminyak's local community groups by sharing Rp2,500,000 with three local groups each month.[citation needed]

In May 2023, Grill'd opened its first halal-certified restaurant in Blacktown. The restaurant serves meat sourced from halal-certified suppliers, removes bacon from products, and does not serve alcohol.[10] As of May 2024, the Blacktown Grill’d is no longer halal. The company now provides halal meat (excluding bacon) to all franchises without restaurant-level certification.[11]

In June 2023, Grill'd opened its first drive-through restaurant in Mount Ommaney.[12]

Charity

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In 2011, Grill'd created the Local Matters program, which supports local community groups through monthly donations.[13]

Grill'd participated in the Polished Man Campaign in 2016.[14]

During the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, Grill'd matched every ace Nick Kyrgios served in the 2020 Australian Open with a $200 donation to bushfire relief.[15] In February 2020, Grill'd donated $2 for every burger a Relish Member bought, and another $2 for every new member signed up, raising a total of $236,302.[citation needed]

Products

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Healthy Fried Chicken

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In 2020, Grill'd launched "Healthy Fried Chicken" with HFC Bites in a campaign _targeted at fast food chain KFC, offering all KFC employees free HFC Bites when they visit a Grill'd store in their uniform. Following this release, in 2021 Grill'd expanded its fried chicken line with HFC Burgers and publicly released its "No Secrets" recipe for their Healthy Fried Chicken.[16]

Vegan foods

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In 2019, Monday, April 15, Grill'd hosted the "24 Hour Meat Cheat", serving only meat-free options to launch the Beyond Meat Burgers onto their menu.

In July 2021, Grill'd, in collaboration with the company Fable and British chef Heston Blumenthal, created three new plant-based burgers with patties from mushroom-based protein.[17]

Marketing

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In 2017 Grill'd launched the ‘Bunny Burger' with a rabbit patty to celebrate Easter and sold a vegan version of the burger in 2018.[18]

In 2021, Grill'd partnered with streaming service Binge to launch season 10 of The Walking Dead with a limited edition burger available in each state of Australia. The campaign was shortlisted in the Mumbrella CommsCon Awards for Best Use of Owned Media.[19]

In 2023, Grill'd launched a burger with a pink bun alongside the release of Barbie called the "Barbie Dreamburger."[20]

Partnerships & sponsorships

Grill'd has partnered with the Melbourne Storm NRL Club since 2020.[21] In commemoration of the partnership, Grill'd created a "Storm Burger" in 2021.[22]

Grill'd has been a partner of the Melbourne Boomers since the 2020 season. Boomers General Manager, Christy Collier-Hill said "we're so excited to welcome Grill'd as a team sponsor for WNBL Season 2020 and we are looking forward to a very healthy, long-term partnership.[23]

Sustainability

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In 2021, Grill'd partnered with not-for-profit environmental organisation Greenfleet as part of the company's Tree Day Tuesday initiative.[24]

Grill'd was named one of Australia's top 10 brands in the 2021 Forces of Good Report,[25] and the number 1 brand in the food category for Corporate Social Responsibility which analysed 190 brands.[26]

Grill'd has recycled over 660,000 litres of cooking oil to create biodiesel, and has converted 62 of its restaurants to green power.[27]

Controversies

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In June 2015, a franchise in Toowong selected anti-abortion group Cherish Life to receive funds from the Local Matters program. Founder Simon Crowe apologised for the alleged mistake, stating that Grill'd is pro-choice.[28]

In July 2015 allegations arose that Kahlani Pyrah, a former employee of a franchise in Camberwell, had been removed from her position after beginning a wage case with the Fair Work Commission for being paid below minimum wage. Grill'd officially denied the allegations, claiming that her bullying of managers was the reason for the dismissal.[4] Pyrah launched a Federal Court case in a bid to get her job back.[29] An interim Federal Court ruling ordered Grill'd to reinstate her, allowing the wage case hearing to go ahead.[30] At the hearing, the Fair Work Commission forced the Grill'd Camberwell franchise to raise employee pay to the minimum wage. Jess Walsh of the hospitality union United Voice said that the ruling was an "enormous win" for Pyrah and Grill'd employees.[31] A planned dismissal hearing at the Federal Court was called off after Pyrah and Grill'd reached an out-of-court settlement.[32]

In 2019 it was discovered that Grill'd was underpaying employees by exploiting traineeship loopholes, siphoning millions in wages each year.[5][33][34] The coverage also included allegations of serious food safety concerns at 1-in-10 company-owned Grill'd restaurants,[5] franchises being mistreated by the company, and founder Simon Crowe falsifying signatures of his business partner on two liquor licenses.[citation needed]

In 2022, it was revealed that Grill'd used $16.6 million (granted by the Australian Government's COVID-19 apprenticeship program) to make 2,800 employees a part of their "hamburger university" trainee-ship program,[6] which they had used to underpay workers.

In October 2024, United Workers Union members and employees of a Grill'd location in Melbourne went on strike, claiming that Grill'd was forcing staff into their "hamburger university" trainee-ship program in order to pay decreased wages to trainees.[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Simon Crowe". Brighton Grammar School. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  2. ^ Kopittke, Morganne (31 July 2024). "Burger chain Grill'd unveils first Victorian drive-thru". SmartCompany. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b ago, Admin Travel Treasures • 2 years (2 December 2019). "GRILL'D TO OPEN FIRST INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT IN BALI". Travel Treasures. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b "Burger chain Grill'd to change pay rates after backlash over worker's sacking". The Guardian. AAP. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Hennessy, James (9 December 2019). "Here are the 5 key learnings from the juicy investigation into popular burger chain Grill'd". Business Insider Australia. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b Mizen, Ronald (8 July 2022). "Grill'd billed taxpayers $16.6m for 'hamburger university'". Australian Financial Review. 9 Entertainment. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  7. ^ Mathieson, Craig (21 February 2016). "How the burger became king in Melbourne". Good Food. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  8. ^ "It's no secret that Grill'd cares about farm animals | Latest News | RSPCA Approved". RSPCA. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  9. ^ Boys, Callan (5 November 2021). "Impossible Beef taste test: America's most famous plant-based burger has finally launched in Australia". Good Food. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Grill'd Opens First Halal-Certified Restaurant". Restaurant & Café. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Is your meat Halal?". Grill'd. April 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  12. ^ Dong, Irene (28 June 2023). "Grill'd opens its first drive-thru restaurant". Inside Retail Australia. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  13. ^ "Grill'd Local Matters". Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Grill'd Joins Polished Man Campaign, Offers Free Burgers In October". Beat Magazine. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Nick Kyrgios Served 100 Aces This Aus Open So There's Another $20,000 To Bushfire Relief". Pedestrian TV. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Grill'd Introduces Healthy Fried Chicken Burger And Publicy Releases 'No Secrets' Recipe". B&T. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Grill'd team up with Heston Blumenthal for new plant-based burgers". 7NEWS. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Grill'd introduces a limited edition vegan 'bunny' burger". VeganNews.com.au. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  19. ^ Wells, Darren (20 April 2021). "Mumbrella CommsCon Awards shortlist announced - Thinkerbell receives 10 nominations". Mumbrella. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Grill'd launches pink Barbie Dreamburger".
  21. ^ "Storm, Grill'd announce new partnership". Melbourne Storm. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Grill'd cooks up a footy storm". Melbourne Storm. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Announcing our new Healthy Eating Partner - Melbourne Boomers". Melbourne Boomers. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  24. ^ "Grill'd partners with non-profit Greenfleet for 'Tree Day Tuesdays' initiative". QSR Media Australia. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  25. ^ Moran, Jonathon (19 July 2021). "Australia's best and worst brands revealed". news.com.au. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Forces of Good - A Study · The Lab". thelabstrategy.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  27. ^ Macdonald, Anna (26 September 2021). "Grill'd aims fast food clowns in first campaign via The Monkeys". Mumbrella. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  28. ^ Agius, Kym (10 June 2015). "Grill'd burger chain apologises for Brisbane store's support of anti-abortion group Cherish Life". ABC News. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  29. ^ Toscano, Nick (20 July 2015). "Sacked Grill'd worker takes claims to court". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  30. ^ Toscano, Nick (27 July 2015). "Sacked Grill'd employee Kahlani Pyrah reinstated, paving way for wage case". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  31. ^ Toscano, Nick (30 July 2015). "Ruling forces Grill'd store to increase wages". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 2 August 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  32. ^ Toscano, Nick (27 August 2015). "Sacked Grill'd worker Kahlani Pyrah receives payout from burger company". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  33. ^ McGinn, Christine (7 December 2019). "Grill'd burgers employee says he was subjected to rock-bottom wages and dodgy traineeship". 7NEWS.com.au. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  34. ^ Jez From, STS (7 December 2019). "Burger chain Grill'd accused of keeping workers in low-paid roles". sky news .com.au. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  35. ^ Katanasho, Gabrielle (19 October 2024). "Grill'd faces Australia's 'first-ever' fast food strike over low-pay, 'unfair' conditions claims". SBS News. Retrieved 25 November 2024.

Further reading

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