UPDATE [01/08/2022]: Following news that Mark Wahlburg’s US burger chain had invested no less than $50 million to spread Wahlburgers across both Australia and New Zealand, several locations have now reportedly been confirmed for the brand. The following are, of course, in addition to the first Wahlburgers in Australia, which opened in February at Circular Quay as part of the United Cinemas.
As reported by Daily Mail, the next expression of this US burger chain will be Wahlburgers Manly which will, surprisingly, take over – or maybe fit into – Manly Greenhouse. Considering the source, I’d be surprised if Greenhouse was the actual venue being set aside for Wahlburgers, but it does seem like Manly is one of the “beachside locations” that has been touted since the brand arrived in Australia.
Other locations getting Wahlburgers in the coming months and years include:
- Warriewood
- Dee Why
- Byron Bay
- Surfers Paradise (no surprise there)
- Auckland, New Zealand
According to original plans for Wahlburgers, there should be around 20 venues popping up across Australia and New Zealand over the next five years. Not bad for a burger restaurant that, so far, has been attracting some truly disappointing reviews online.
And while it looks like Wahlburgers won’t be included in our best burgers in Sydney round-up anytime soon, at least there’s a bit of star power and a whole lot of novelty surrounding this US burger chain, stepping into a race for down under supremacy with competitors Five Guys.
RELATED: Wendy’s Plans To Open “Hundreds” Of Stores In Australia (And Not Everybody’s Thrilled)
UPDATE [17/02/2022]: Wahlburgers officially opens in Australia today. You’ll find the first location at 18a/7 Macquarie Street in Sydney (Opera Quays). Find out more here.
With a deal in excess of $50 million, Mark Wahlberg is set to bring US-born burger and bar chain Wahlburgers to Australia later this year. The long-established cinema-themed burger brand, which is co-owned by Marky Mark and his brothers, chef Paul and actor Donnie, will be making its debut at Circular Quay in the coming months, with plans for several venues attached to United Cinemas across Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and across the ditch in New Zealand.
Mark Wahlberg was able to finalise a deal with the Mustaca family, who own United Cinemas, late last year while he was in Australia to film an advertisement for Ladbrokes. The famed actor reportedly arrived in the country at the end of November and was one of several celebrities granted permission to skip mandatory hotel quarantine and self-isolate at a luxury property in Byron Bay which, according to Daily Mail, racked up a rental bill of around $400,000.
RELATED: HBO Is Releasing A Mark Wahlberg Documentary Series Entitled ‘Wahl Street’
RELATED: Five Guys Is Officially Coming To Australia
Somewhere between his luxury quarantine and leading an F45 gym sesh in Woolloomooloo, Wahlberg kicked off a full-scale plan to roll out no less than 20 Wahlburger locations across the two countries. This follows last year’s closure of the one and only Wahlburger restaurant in London, with the COVID-19 pandemic cited as the primary reason.
For those unfamiliar with the brand, Wahlburgers is a bit different to your usual US-born chains like Five Guys and In-N-Out. In the States, the restaurants are plastered with photos and memories mythologising the three Wahlberg brothers, tracking their journey from their childhood in Dorchester to stardom. Other than that, it’s your standard menu of ground beef burgers, salads, sandwiches, loaded tots, and milkshakes.
Interestingly enough, Mark Wahlberg told The Daily Telegraph that Wahlburgers will feature “exclusive content” when it comes to the cinema theme, “so people will see movie trailers early and all that stuff.”
