Huxtaburger: expanding with the lot

Far from a one-store wonder, this burger business has plans to upsize with the lot.

Melbourne-based Huxtaburger is set to embark on an aggressive expansion strategy that will see 50 burger joints open in five years.

Customers queued on the street when its first store, a spin-off of Collingwood restaurant Huxtable, opened in 2011. But can the hipster-foodie haven go large and still sustain its mojo?

“We are ambitious people, we want to attract people to join our journey, but we want to do it responsibly,” chief executive Matt Fickling says.

“If you look at some other burger chains that are 130 stores Australia-wide, we have no dream of scaling the business that big - we really want to stay true to who we are and our origins.

“Fifty stores in five years seems like a big number, but compared to our competitors in this casual space, it's very achievable.”

Next stop Perth

There are six Huxtaburgers in Melbourne, with the most recent opening as a franchise in gentrified western suburb Footscray. Perth will be the first stop on the interstate expansion with plans for a CBD store at Hibernian Place to open next month. Two more eateries will open this year, one each in Fremantle and Leederville. Read more