Grill'd

Last updated

Grill'd
Company type Private with subsidiary and franchise locations
IndustryRestaurant franchising
Founded2 March 2004;21 years ago (2004-03-02)
Headquarters Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Number of locations
172
Products
OwnerSimon Crowe
Number of employees
4,500+
Website grilld.com.au

Grill'd is an Australian restaurant chain specialising in hamburgers, founded in 2004 by Simon Crowe in Hawthorn, Melbourne. [1] [2] The company operates 172 locations across Australia and one international location in Seminyak, Bali, operating primarily as a company-owned business with some franchised locations. [3] [4]

Contents

The chain markets itself as a healthier alternative to traditional fast food, using grass-fed and free range beef and lamb since 2010, and RSPCA-approved chicken since 2016. [5] Grill'd has expanded its menu to include plant-based alternatives and fried chicken products, while implementing community engagement programs such as its Local Matters initiative. [6]

The company has faced controversies over labour practices, including allegations of underpaying staff through trainee programs and disputes over working conditions, resulting in legal action and industrial disputes. [7] [8]

History

The chain was founded by Simon Crowe in 2004, [2] who was inspired by the "engaging service ethic" he had seen in the US city of Milwaukee while working for the brewing company, Foster's. [9]

Since 2010, all lamb and beef sold by Grill'd has been grass-fed and free range, and then by 2016, all chicken sold has been RSPCA approved. [5]

In December 2019, Grill'd opened its first international restaurant in Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia. [4]

In November 2021, the chain began offering a plant-based burger called the Impossible Burger. [10]

In May 2023, Grill'd opened a halal-certified restaurant in Blacktown, New South Wales. The restaurant served meat that was sourced from halal-certified suppliers, removed bacon from products, and did not serve alcohol. [11] As of May 2024, the Blacktown Grill'd was no longer the only halal Grill'd location, with Grill'd now providing halal meat (excluding bacon) to all locations without restaurant-level certification. [12] Which means while the meat is halal, the preparation of an individual restaurants might not meet halal standards.

In June 2023, the chain opened its first drive-through restaurant in Mount Ommaney, Queensland. [13]

In August 2024, a second drive-through restaurant was opened in Chadstone, Victoria. [14] [15]

Products

Burgers

Since opening in 2004, Grill'd has been serving a variety of burger types, ranging from seasonal items to sliders. They also offer a selection of burgers based on a range of dietary requirements, with specific menus outlined for those who are vegetarian or vegan. [16]

Healthy Fried Chicken

In 2020, Grill'd launched "Healthy Fried Chicken" with "HFC Bites" in a campaign targeted at fast food chain KFC, [17] offering all KFC employees free HFC Bites when they visit a Grill'd store in their uniform. Following this release, in 2021, Grill'd expanded its fried chicken line with HFC Burgers and publicly released its "No Secrets" recipe for its Healthy Fried Chicken. [18]

Meat alternatives

On April 15, 2019, Grill'd hosted the "24 Hour Meat Cheat", serving only meat-free options to launch the Beyond Meat Burgers into its menu such as the Vegan burger "Vegan Garden Goodness" or the Vegetarian "Beyond Simply Grill'd". In July 2021, Grill'd, which is in collaboration with the company Fable and British chef Heston Blumenthal, created three new plant-based burgers with patties from mushroom-based protein. [19]

Marketing

Special products

In March 2017, Grill'd launched a "Bunny Burger" with a rabbit patty to celebrate Easter and sold a vegan version of the burger in 2018. [20] The 2017 iteration caused controversy on Facebook. [21]

In April 2021, Grill'd partnered with streaming service Binge to launch season 10 of The Walking Dead with a limited-edition burger available in each state of Australia. The campaign was shortlisted in the Mumbrella CommsCon Awards for Best Use of Owned Media. [22]

In July 2023, Grill'd launched a burger with a pink bun alongside the release of the Barbie movie called the "Barbie Dreamburger." [23]

In February 2024, Grill'd launched a burger co-designed with Formula One driver Oscar Piastri. [24]

Partnerships and sponsorships

Grill'd has partnered with the Melbourne Storm NRL club since 2020. [25] To commemorate the partnership, Grill'd created a "Storm Burger" in 2021. [26] During the 2023 finals season, Grill'd released another iteration of the "Storm Burger" with a purple bun and a limited-time free offer at one of its Melbourne stores. [27]

Grill'd has also been a partner of the Melbourne Boomers since the 2020 season, with their General Manager, Christy Collier-Hill stating that the franchise was "[very] excited to welcome Grill'd as a team sponsor for WNBL Season 2020" and eager to start "a very healthy, long-term partnership." [28]

In 2022, Grill'd announced a four-year sponsorship of the Australian Institute of Sport. The 2022 Winter Olympics gold-medalist Jakara Anthony was chosen to be a Grill'd ambassador for the sponsorship. [29]

In January 2024, Grill'd collaborated with former tennis player Ash Barty, Grill'd stated that the chain would donate $100 thousand to the Ash Barty Foundation to help young tennis players. [30]

In April 2024, Grill'd announced a partnership with Australian Commonwealth Games gold-medalist Harry Garside. [31]

In January 2025, Australian Rules Football team, the Melbourne Demons announced Grill'd as a new major partner. [32] [33]

Community involvement

In 2011, Grill'd created the Local Matters [6] program, which supports local community groups through monthly donations. [34] Local community groups such as charities, school groups, and sporting teams in each restaurant's area apply to the store to take part, with three groups being selected monthly. Grill'd customers are given a bottle cap with each purchase, which is placed in a jar corresponding to each group. Whichever group receives the most caps at the end of the month receives $300, and the others receive $100. [35]

They also participated in the Polished Man Campaign in 2016, which raises funds for programs aimed at ending violence against children. People who took part in the campaign by polishing a fingernail were able to receive free burgers from the chain during the event. [36]

The restaurant in Seminyak, Bali, extended the company's Local Matters program internationally, supporting Seminyak's local community groups. [37]

During the 2019–20 Australian bushfire disaster, Grill'd matched every ace Nick Kyrgios served in the 2020 Australian Open with a $200 donation to bushfire relief, totaling $20,000. [38] In February 2020, Grill'd donated $2 for every burger a Relish Member bought, and another $2 for every new member signed up, raising a total of $236,302.[ citation needed ]

Sustainability

In 2021, Grill'd partnered with nonprofit environmental organisation, Greenfleet, as part of the company's Tree Day Tuesday initiative. [39]

Grill'd was put as one of Australia's top 10 brands in the 2021 Forces of Good Report, and the number one brand in the food category for Corporate Social Responsibility, which analysed 190 brands. [40] [41]

Grill'd has reportedly recycled over 660,000 liters of cooking oil to create biodiesel and has converted 62 of its restaurants to green power. [42]

Controversies

Partnerships and sponsorships

In June 2015, a franchise in Toowong selected Cherish Life to receive funds from the Local Matters program. Founder Simon Crowe apologised for the alleged mistake, stating that Grill'd is pro-choice [43] .

Working conditions and pay

Grill'd has faced criticism for its labor practices and wage disputes, including allegations of underpaying staff and misusing government apprenticeship programs. [7] [8] [44]

Underpayment

In July 2015, allegations arose that Kahlani Pyrah, a former employee of a franchise in Camberwell, had been removed from her position after beginning a wage case with the Fair Work Commission for being paid below minimum wage. Grill'd officially denied the allegations, claiming that her bullying of managers was the reason for the dismissal. [44] Pyrah launched a Federal Court case in a bid to get her job back. [45] An interim Federal Court ruling ordered Grill'd to reinstate her, allowing the wage case hearing to go ahead. [46] At the hearing, the Fair Work Commission forced the Grill'd Camberwell franchise to raise employee pay to the minimum wage. Jess Walsh of the hospitality union United Voice said that the ruling was an "enormous win" for Pyrah and Grill'd employees. [47] A planned dismissal hearing at the Federal Court was called off after Pyrah and Grill'd reached an out-of-court settlement. [48]

"Hamburger University" and trainee programs

In 2019, it was discovered that Grill'd was underpaying employees by exploiting traineeship loopholes, siphoning millions in wages each year [7] [49] [50] . The coverage also included allegations of serious food safety concerns at 1-in-10 company-owned Grill'd restaurants, franchises being mistreated by the company, and founder Simon Crowe falsifying signatures of his business partner on two liquor licenses [7] [51] .

In 2022, it was revealed that Grill'd used $16.6 million (granted by the Australian Government's COVID-19 apprenticeship program) to make 2,800 employees a part of its "hamburger university" traineeship program, which the chain had used to underpay workers. [8]

In October 2024, United Workers Union members and employees of a Grill'd location in Melbourne went on strike, claiming that Grill'd was forcing staff into its "hamburger university" traineeship program in order to pay decreased wages to trainees [52] .

References

  1. ↑ "Simon Crowe". Brighton Grammar School. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 B, Cameron (3 September 2008). "Simon Crowe, building the Grill'd name". Dynamic Business. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  3. ↑ Kopittke, Morganne (31 July 2024). "Burger chain Grill'd unveils first Victorian drive-thru". SmartCompany. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Grill'd to Open First International Restaurant in Bali". Travel Treasures. 2 December 2019. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 "It's no secret that Grill'd cares about farm animals | Latest News | RSPCA Approved". RSPCA. 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Local Matters - Local Causes, Big Impact". Grill'd Healthy Burgers. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Hennessy, James (9 December 2019). "Here are the 5 key learnings from the juicy investigation into popular burger chain Grill'd". Business Insider Australia. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 Mizen, Ronald (8 July 2022). "Grill'd billed taxpayers $16.6m for 'hamburger university'". Australian Financial Review . 9 Entertainment. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  9. ↑ Mathieson, Craig (21 February 2016). "How the burger became king in Melbourne". Good Food. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  10. ↑ Boys, Callan (5 November 2021). "Impossible Beef taste test: America's most famous plant-based burger has finally launched in Australia". Good Food. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "Grill'd Opens First Halal-Certified Restaurant". Restaurant & Café. 30 May 2023. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Is your meat Halal?". Grill'd. April 2024. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  13. ↑ Dong, Irene (28 June 2023). "Grill'd opens its first drive-thru restaurant". Inside Retail . Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  14. ↑ Kopittke, Morganne (31 July 2024). "Burger chain Grill'd unveils first Victorian drive-thru". SmartCompany. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  15. ↑ "Grill'd Burgers Chadstone Village - Healthy Burger Restaurant". Grill'd Healthy Burgers. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  16. ↑ "Grill'd Healthy Burgers - Menu". Grill'd Healthy Burgers. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  17. ↑ Dean, Usha (22 January 2024). "Grill'd vs KFC: Healthy fried chicken trade mark success". Griffith Hack. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  18. ↑ "Grill'd Introduces Healthy Fried Chicken Burger And Publicy Releases 'No Secrets' Recipe". B&T. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  19. ↑ "Grill'd team up with Heston Blumenthal for new plant-based burgers". Seven News . 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  20. ↑ "Grill'd introduces a limited edition vegan 'bunny' burger". VeganNews.com.au. 27 March 2018. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  21. ↑ Bennett, Lindsay (13 April 2017). "Grill'd cops 'Bunny Burger' backlash". Ad News. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  22. ↑ Wells, Darren (20 April 2021). "Mumbrella CommsCon Awards shortlist announced - Thinkerbell receives 10 nominations". Mumbrella . Archived from the original on 17 December 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  23. ↑ Tanevski, Olivia (17 July 2023). "Grill'd launches pink Barbie Dreamburger". taste.com.au. Archived from the original on 9 March 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  24. ↑ Leong, Matthew (18 February 2025). "Grill'd hops into the passenger seat with Oscar Piastri partnership". Mumbrella. Archived from the original on 9 March 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  25. ↑ "Storm, Grill'd announce new partnership". Melbourne Storm . 10 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  26. ↑ "Grill'd cooks up a footy storm". Melbourne Storm. 12 April 2021. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  27. ↑ Jolly, Nathan (5 September 2023). "Grill'd launches free purple burger to celebrate Melbourne Storm's finals berth". Mumbrella . Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  28. ↑ "Announcing our new Healthy Eating Partner". Melbourne Boomers. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  29. ↑ "AIS Announces Sponsorship with Grill'd". Australian Sports Commission (Press release). 28 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  30. ↑ Jolly, Nathan (4 January 2024). "Ash Barty teams with Grill'd for range of Barty Burgers". Mumbrella. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  31. ↑ Leong, Matthew (19 April 2024). "Grill'd strengthens its stance with Harry Garside partnership". Mumbrella. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  32. ↑ "Grill'd x Melbourne Football Club Partnership". Grill'd Healthy Burgers. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  33. ↑ "Dees team up with Grill'd". melbournefc.com.au. 28 January 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  34. ↑ Digital, B. C. M. (4 October 2022). "Grill'd Local Matters supporting The Common Good". The Common Good. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  35. ↑ "Local Matters". Grill'd. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  36. ↑ "Grill'd Joins Polished Man Campaign, Offers Free Burgers In October". Beat Magazine. 29 September 2016. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  37. ↑ "Introducing Gogon Grill'd Seminyak: Drinks Connoisseur". Jakarta Jive. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  38. ↑ "Nick Kyrgios Served 100 Aces This Aus Open So There's Another $20,000 To Bushfire Relief". Pedestrian TV. 27 January 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  39. ↑ "Grill'd partners with non-profit Greenfleet for 'Tree Day Tuesdays' initiative". QSR Media Australia. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  40. ↑ Moran, Jonathon (19 July 2021). "Australia's best and worst brands revealed". Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  41. ↑ "Forces of Good - A Study · The Lab". thelabstrategy.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  42. ↑ Macdonald, Anna (26 September 2021). "Grill'd aims fast food clowns in first campaign via The Monkeys". Mumbrella. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  43. ↑ Agius, Kym (10 June 2015). "Grill'd burger chain apologises for Brisbane store's support of anti-abortion group Cherish Life". ABC News. Australia. Archived from the original on 11 February 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  44. 1 2 "Burger chain Grill'd to change pay rates after backlash over worker's sacking". The Guardian . Australian Associated Press. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  45. ↑ Toscano, Nick (20 July 2015). "Sacked Grill'd worker takes claims to court". Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  46. ↑ Toscano, Nick (27 July 2015). "Sacked Grill'd employee Kahlani Pyrah reinstated, paving way for wage case". The Age . Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  47. ↑ Toscano, Nick (30 July 2015). "Ruling forces Grill'd store to increase wages". The Age . Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 2 August 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  48. ↑ Toscano, Nick (27 August 2015). "Sacked Grill'd worker Kahlani Pyrah receives payout from burger company". The Age . Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  49. ↑ McGinn, Christine (7 December 2019). "Grill'd burgers employee says he was subjected to rock-bottom wages and dodgy traineeship". Seven News. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  50. ↑ Jez From, STS (7 December 2019). "Burger chain Grill'd accused of keeping workers in low-paid roles". sky news .com.au. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  51. ↑ Ferguson, Adele (8 December 2019). "Grill'd co-founder Simon Crowe forged business partner Simon McNamara's details on liquor licence applications". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 19 June 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  52. ↑ Katanasho, Gabrielle (19 October 2024). "Grill'd faces Australia's 'first-ever' fast food strike over low-pay, 'unfair' conditions claims". SBS News. Archived from the original on 18 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.

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