Brisbane-based Hashtag Burgers & Waffles is a brand born from a dream. Founder and CEO Matt Rollo always had a passion to create his own hospitality business. He imagined and cooked up the Hashtag burgers: brilliant burger combos that deliver a modern taste alongside much-loved traditional flavours, served in a funky and unique setting.

Although the brand is only seven years old, it’s forged in food retail experience: Matt had already established a career in hospitality when he launched his fresh idea.

“I’ve done every job there is in a restaurant, from washing dishes to managing the books,” Matt says. 

Washing dishes at just 14 led to casino shifts at 18 and pub management by 21; within two years he was managing operations for franchise systems.

Add to this six years of teaching hospitality, from basic training to advanced diplomas, working with Indigenous communities and youth justice programs.

Matt’s diverse and extensive experience instilled two key principles: a non-negotiable standard for operational efficiency, and a social conscience – he was keen to develop ethical, sustainable processes in a fast food setting. 

And of course it led to the Hashtag Burger & Waffles concept; a distinctive, high-quality take on the classic burger, crafted with premium ingredients.

Turning the burger dream into restaurant reality

Not only did Matt have the perfect burger in mind when he created the Hashtag concept, he had the restaurant setting too.

“When I was working split shifts at the casino at 18 I was designing floorplans for restaurants in my breaks,” he recalls. “This has always been my dream.”

While still working out the details of his business idea, Matt moved to Melbourne to immerse himself in the business of franchising. He knew that to scale the business it needed robust systems and processes so he could replicate success.

The resulting Hashtag brand is the fusion of Matt’s culinary passion and his operational expertise.

Now the Brisbane business has a production kitchen in Ashgrove, which ensures consistency and quality control, and gives the burger chain a competitive advantage.

“We don’t like being boring, so we run specials, we follow trends. And because we have our own production kitchen we can pivot quickly,” Matt reveals.

He admits to waking up some mornings with a spark of an idea, thinking ‘that will be sensational’.

Hashtag’s quirky innovations include cheesy toast, swapping burger buns for waffles, a chicken banana and maple syrup burger, and a croissant burger that received 11 million views on social media.

Innovation backed up by quality and processes

While the novelty aspect adds a little bit of fun to the burger experience, the brand has sustained its high standards for ingredients and production. Most of the food is freshly prepared and cooked, beef patties are made daily.

Its innovation and execution have been recognised in the food arena; Hashtag’s Ava-Go burger scooped the Best technical burger avocado crisps award in the 2025 Australia’s Best Burger Awards in Melbourne.

“Our customers love the quality of food, and the novelty, and we take pride in the flavours we have created,” Matt says. He is heavily invested in researching the flavour combos that make a burger taste good. 

With four stores under his belt, Matt is ready to expand across the east coast – at a measured pace. He has set a conservative, sustainable goal of four new stores a year over the next five years. With its production kitchen able to offer the proprietary product across the country, there’s plenty of opportunity for growth.

Matt is strategically rebuilding his support team with a dedicated operations manager and sales manager to handle lead generation and franchisee support.

With Hashtag Burgers & Waffles, Matt has combined his passion and culinary curiosity with disciplined operations, and customers love it. He has forged strong foundations for growth.