Royal Stacks founder Dani Zeini knows the value of excellent ingredients and exceptional customer service.
Dani was a consummate hospitality professional when he fulfilled a dream to own a restaurant in his local neighbourhood. In 2006, he opened the doors to Dandenong Pavilion, serving a modern Australian bistro menu. And the local community loved it!
“I was super keen on doing my own business, and it was a thrill to run my own restaurant in the area I grew up in and live in,” Dani says.
However, a visit to New York in 2010 took him in a whole new direction.
“Two days in a row I walked past a huge queue. It was for the legendary Shake Shack store and of course I had to try a burger. And it was unbelievable!” he says.
“It really triggered something. I was familiar with McDonald’s or the local takeaway burger. This was an eye-opening experience,” Dani says.
“It was top quality beef from the best butcher in New York, there was care in grilling it and seasoning it, the texture, colour and fat content was just right. And it was in a potato bun.”
A burger sensation that kickstarted the Royal Stacks journey
For someone whose culinary training had been European-based cuisine, this gourmet beef burger was a revelation.
“I judge a meal not just on how it looks and tastes but by how I feel afterwards. It felt light and fresh,” Dani says.
“That experience changed my mind about a lot of things. I decided to bring the gourmet burger concept to the Pavilion,” Dani says.
He experimented with burgers and breads to get the product right. He also introduced a Secret Burger menu to entice customers to spend the extra dollars he needed to charge to cover costs.
“It was a disarming approach and it worked. The burger option picked up through word of mouth, and then when The Age listed it as a top burger there were lines out the door,” Dani reveals.
The success of the burger concept encouraged him to take it into a standalone business – spurred on by critics suggesting he was just a big fish in a very small pond.
“That sparked a fire in me because I was working so hard. I decided to test myself: could I open a large restaurant serving burgers?”
The first store in the heart of Melbourne
So Dani went all in, and opened the first Royal Stacks in Melbourne’s high profile Collins Street, a move he now describes as “very naive”.
He was working between 80 and 100 hours a week to make the business a success.
“We were playing in the right space when burgers were a new fad. People came in and had the same experience with me that I had enjoyed at Shake Shack.”
Apart from the gourmet burger, the brilliant customer focus, there’s a distinct retro vibe in a Royal Stacks restaurant and each is tailored to the local customer base.
“I never wanted this to be a cookie cutter restaurant chain,” Dani says.
The Moorabbin store, for instance, with its young family demographic has a fun, cool, old-school ’90s colour scheme.
“You have to be interesting and offer value. People are responding to what we’re doing.”
Dani proved to himself, and everyone else, his unique formula is a winning restaurant concept.
Winning three sites at the MCG
And there was no better stamp of approval than an approach to open a restaurant at Melbourne’s iconic MCG.
“The venue was looking for something fresh. People’s dining habits have changed in the last 10 years and there’s been a dramatic shift in Australians’ palates; the traditional food offer has declined,” Dani says.
The brand has been at the MCG for four years, operating two kiosks and a restaurant. The Royal Stacks team worked with the venue’s culinary experts to understand the customer flow and meet the need for speed.
The hard work paid off, Dani says, with a big spike in business not just on site, but at all the restaurants.
“It was a dream, I can’t believe it. I got to stand on the hallowed turf there for a photo, with my burger in my hand. It still gives me goosebumps!” he says.
It isn’t just an iconic venue that sees value in the Royal Stacks brand; sports stars including Shaquille O’Neal, football players and MFA fighters have partnered with the brand.
The latest initiative is as food partners of new theatrical event Beetlejuice at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre.
“We’ve created a special menu based on the Beetlejuice characters, and we’re really excited,” he says.
Customer experience, brand values
Dani believes the brand’s strength is its consistency in living its brand values.
“Our sauces all small batch made in store which preserves the integrity of the sauce; we use fresh herbs and spices to maximise flavour. Breads are baked fresh, using classic techniques.”
It’s important for Royal Stacks’ customers to enjoy an experience that matches the premium food, he says.
“I learned at the Pavilion to make sure every customer feels valued. My top tips are don’t skimp on the ingredients, charge accordingly and deliver on the promise. And don’t be scared to go for it,” he says.
“I like to push myself every day. It’s been a great journey with Royal Stacks and I’m excited to be part of Victoria’s eat out scene. It is something really special I can hang my hat on,” Dani says.