Why Singapore-based German restaurant chain Brotzeit, or gourmet burger brand Grill’d could be for you. 

We look at two more food franchises making their mark on the casual dining market. 

Brotzeit

Brotzeit has a strong presence in Asia; with locations in countries including China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, and now it has its sights set on Australia.

CEO Aidan Hay explains the brand offers a unique franchising opportunity. “Unlike most other segments in the multi-unit food and beverage franchising industry, Brotzeit has no organised competition.

“It does not sell single-unit franchises in a new market. Rather, it has chosen to develop by selling market areas, which require the franchise developer to open a number of units, typically three to six over a period of six years.”

He says Brotzeit is a family friendly, casual dining restaurant concept, and its food and beverage offerings are German-inspired. “It offers a twist on culinary specialties from the southern region of Bavaria and Central Germany to the North Atlantic Sea – it seeks to reignite traditional German fare in bold new ways.”

Authentic German-beer sourced from the nation’s best breweries is also a drawcard for the brand. “Only the finest quality German-imported beers are offered at our restaurants, and the drinks menu is constantly expanding to include new lagers, pilsners, wheat beers and dark beers,” Hay explains.

Unlike fast food brands where people tend to opt for their own individual meal, Brotzeit encourages a shared style of dining.

“The focus of the meal is all about sharing, communal dining in big groups and celebrating festive occasions. In addition, we offer a variety of affordable lunch options and specials, catering to working professionals seeking lighter meals during the day.”

Brotzeit venues capture the German culture in a way that separates it from its competitors, says Hay. “It offers a refreshing departure from traditional German restaurants. It has shied away from old fashioned dark wood interiors and instead opts for a contemporary, chic and comfortable ambience.

“Venues feature oak tables, leather benches and unique glass bottles displays, and each is fit-out with a contemporary bier bar,” he adds.

Hay explains Brotzeit takes the training and support side of things very seriously. “We have pulled all the stops to give our franchisees strong and extensive support in all areas – from marketing and promotional materials to recipes, proprietary spices, site selection, restaurant decor and even local supplies.”

“Brotzeit employs the best practices in the industry. Franchisees can expect the company to be fair and transparent in all aspects of its relationship, and it has been careful to avoid the typical conflicts that arise in the franchisee/franchisor relationship,” he says.

“Franchisees have full access to the Brotzeit’s Franchise Resource Centre, where they can download manuals, marketing materials and R&D items.”

Grill’d

While the humble burger forms the basis of its business model, the product offering at Grill’d is vastly different from fast food chains that specialise in the much-loved menu item.

The Grill’d philosophy is simple: ‘burgers made good,’ and the brand prides itself on serving up healthy yet equally flavoursome burgers.

The brand’s founder, Simon Crowe explains he came up with Grill’d as a means of diversifying the Australian burger market.

“Before Grill’d, in almost every other country bar Australia, the burger landscape was shared across many different sub-segments, whereas in Australia the category was dominated by multinationals.

“It was very evident that in every other food category in Australia – be it Thai, Indian or Italian there was a full spectrum of offerings, from low, to mid to high end.”

Crowe wants to prove to the Australian public that burgers can be both healthy and tasty, and recognises it as an ongoing challenge.

“At Grill’d we want to reposition the burger in the consumer’s mind so it is perceived as contemporary, nutritious and healthy – that challenge was born 10 years ago and is still very relevant today,” he says.

The brand offers beef, chicken and lamb burgers that contain lean cuts of meat, as well as steak sandwiches comprising grass fed scotch fillet an a selection of veggie burgers.

The burgers contain fresh salad, and each item on the menu is accompanied by a kilojoule rating so customers can better manage their daily intake.

The brand aims to provide its customers with what Crowe terms the ‘Grill’d experience,’ which is produced when a range of elements of the store come together.

“It is the layering effect of sound, smell, theatre, ambience, temperature, lighting, music and service. It can be really powerful in the way it draws customers in,” he explains.

Grill’d aims to avoid being perceived by locals as just another large business, and the company goes that extra mile to look after its franchisees and staff.

“The brand is genuinely local – we try to integrate into the community as opposed to being perceived as an imposter in that community.

“Unquestionably we have a very good business model that delivers a really strong bottom line, but to focus on the output makes no sense to us, we want to focus on the input. We feel the bottom line profit will look after itself if we look after our people and by default they look after the customer,” he says.

In keeping in line with this approach, Grill’d stores vary according to location, however they typically feature indoor and outdoor seating options and tables of varying shapes and sizes, from smaller varieties with brightly coloured chairs to large, wooden tables for congregations of people or a series of smaller groups.