International dining chain, Vapiano, has opened its first Australian restaurant in Brisbane's CBD.
The business, which serves old-fashioned Italian meals using local produce, began in 2002 in Germany and now has more than 65 locations worldwide. Another 100 stores are currently in development in the US, Europe and Middle East.
Located in Albert Lane, Australia's first Vapiano cost $2.4 million to fit-out and includes two bars, a living olive tree and a herb garden.
Vapiano's local director, Will Cooke owns a 12 year development agreement for Australian outlets, with each restaurant having a 20 year franchise agreement.
"When I was overseas I fell in love with Vapiano's philosophy of fresh food made daily on the premises - to get its food 'from farm to fork' as quickly as possible - and just knew that other Aussies would too. Australians have long-enjoyed authentic pizza and pasta as a pleasurable part of our cuisine; we naturally gravitate towards a fresh casual approach to quality Italian dining. I'm confident Vapiano will strike a real chord here," he said.
Cooke has a great deal of experience with the franchising system, spending seven years as chief operating officer with McDonald's Sweden, where he oversaw 225 restaurants.
Tim Johnson, previous franchise manager for McDonald's, is the general manager of Vapiano, a role which will grow into national operations manager as more stores open across Australia.
There are plans to open a second Vapiano in Brisbane and one on the Gold Coast in 2010, with Sydney scheduled to get its first Vapiano in 2011.
Vapiano will bring with it a unique ordering system, where diners will be given a chip card on arrival which they can charge all food and drink to as they order, and then pay at the end. "The chip card system is very popular overseas, because customers can order what they want when they want and at the end of the meal they don't need to worry about splitting the bill with friends or colleagues. It's a flexible system which puts the customer in constrol," Cooke said.
