“We obviously don’t want for people to be doing it tougher out there,but in an economic environment that becomes challenging,Grill’d is actually better placed than anybody,” Crowe told this masthead.
He pointed to the global financial crisis,during which he said the burger chain saw a “significant uplift in volumes”.
“We see people who decide to tighten their belts a little migrate from premium casual dining to fresh or fast casual dining,exactly where our brand sits ... We gain a net influx of guests coming to us from above because they still want quality and service,but they want more affordability,and we provide all of those.”
Grill’d’s range starts at $12.50 and increases to $16.90 for a single burger. A ‘snack’-sized side of chips and a 600ml Pepsi Max would bring the meal to $21.90 for the cheapest burger.
The burger chain was among several foodservice brands thatraised their prices last year amid mounting supply chain pressure and rising ingredient costs,but Crowe said he was not expecting to pass through any further price increases to customers in 2023.
“A lot of the pricing pressure in the supply chain have already been brought to the fore,and I don’t expect there to be significant pressure going forward.”
Crowe also owns premium chocolate brand Koko Black,which he said had just seen off the “strongest Christmas we’ve ever had”. Like Grill’d,the business owner is similarly unconcerned that cost-of-livingpressures will stop Australians reaching for sweet treats.