After more than twenty-five years in the corporate world, Anthony Wong had a dream to grow his own business.
Rather than starting a business from scratch, he researched the idea of becoming a franchisee.
“I’d never run a business before, so I felt like a franchise would provide me with the flexibility to learn the business as a manager while having the support of head office,” explains Anthony. “And it made sense to find a food franchise; the restaurant business is in my blood.”
As teenagers, Anthony’s parents migrated from China on their own and had nothing to their name. After meeting through the small Melbourne Chinese community, they married and opened their own fruit and veggie stall at Queen Victoria Market.
Their next business was running one of Chinatown’s first Chinese restaurants inside the basement of the David Wang’s Emporium furniture store on Little Bourke Street.
“I grew up in the restaurant. I’ve done everything, from helping to wash dishes to frying, prep, cooking and waiting tables,” laughs Anthony. “But my three older brothers and I decided to pursue our own ambitions. So my dad closed the Little Bourke Street restaurant and opened other restaurants in Elsternwick and East Malvern until he retired.”
While looking for unique food franchising opportunities, Anthony discovered Melbourne-based burger company Huxtaburger and its ‘happiness through taste’ motto. With the support of his family, the opportunity arose to open a Huxtaburger franchise in a council-owned building in Footscray in 2017.
The Footscray Huxtaburger store features a unique fit-out with nods to skateboarding and skateboard art, drawing inspiration from skateboarders in Footscray. It’s been a thriving presence in Byron Plaza for five years, with the store serving more than a thousand burgers a week.
Anthony’s go-to menu item is the Huxtaburger. “Huxtaburger’s gourmet burgers taste so different from the run-of-the-mill burgers. They’re made with quality ingredients, such as beef from grass-fed cows, house-made sauces, fresh produce as well as buns that are baked locally.
“We also cater to vegetarians and vegans, offer fried chicken and other options to appeal to everyone in the family.”
Anthony’s vision, for now, is to keep pumping out the best burgers and create connections and a fun atmosphere for his staff and customers at his store.
But perhaps, the most important of all – he will continue being 100% committed to the burger!
