The Perth Thread

[Shane Hird]

Over the new year I went to the Gold Coast for a 2 week holiday at mates house. Caught up with a cousin who has been a manager at sizzler there for like 20 years.

She said the whole company is struggling big time around the country. Certain outlets like Mermaid Beach is doing ok but many are running at a loss.

She said there's still 4 or 5 ( can't remember) stores still in Perth.

I've loved her sizzler stories over the years. Giant kiwi families eating them out of business is the main problem.

They can sure eat.

 

[Shane Hird]

June 2015

THE ‘90s are officially over. All those happy memories of cheese bread and all-you-can-eat dessert toppings will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.

Collins Foods will shut some of its Sizzler restaurants after the struggling brand led to a multi-million dollar writedown.

The company, which also owns KFC restaurants, has swung into the red following a $37.5 million writedown to the goodwill of its Sizzler brand.

The restaurant operator posted a $10.4 million loss for the year to March 3, compared to a $14 million profit a year ago.
Collins Foods says it now regards Sizzler Australia as “non-core” to its strategic growth and it plans to close a “limited” number of Sizzler restaurants in 2016 financial year.

“Remaining restaurants will be closely monitored with appropriate action taken as and when necessary,” the company said. Sizzler’s writedown has overshadowed an almost 30 per cent lift in the group’s revenue to $571.6 million.
Underlying profit, which excludes the writedown, was up 37 per cent to $24.6 million.

Chief executive Graham Maxwell said in the past 12 months the group’s core business, KFC, has performed strongly.

“The performance of the KFC restaurants in Western Australia and Northern Territory, which we acquired in 2014, has been very pleasing, and we continue to see opportunity for growth across all KFC regions,” he said.

KFC same store sales were up 4.8 per cent from a year ago, while Sizzler’s same store sales were down 8.5 per cent.

Mr Maxwell said the focus will be on expanding KFC with plans for eight new restaurant builds on top of 18 major store revamps. The group is planning to open two new Sizzler Asia restaurants in Thailand with further expansion likely for China.

The board has declared a final fully franked dividend of 6.5 cents per share, up 8.3 per cent on the prior corresponding period.

Online bookmaker Sportsbet has pegged 2017-18 as the most likely date for the final Sizzler restaurant to close. Hungry Jack’s owner Competitive Foods is being tipped as the favourite to purchase the franchise and hopefully resurrect it.

“It used to be their patrons bursting at the seams but it looks like the sizzle has gone out of Sizzler, judging by their financial results,” said Sportsbet’s Christian Jantzen.

 

[Perth gal]

Nah your probably wrong, Perth people are the most backward citizens of Australia outside of far North Queenslanders

Thanks

 

[bok_party]

I didn't realise Lone Star was still around. They one at Innaloo closed years ago as did the Whitfords one.

So did the Morley one

 

[Shane Hird]

Article from 2012

I always thought there were heaps of poms in Perth and looked it up.
This is from 4 years ago so you'd gather the numbers are higher now.

What's interesting too is the rise in the Indian population.

Perth is no longer the all Aussie sleepy bunch of suburbs around a river. It's more multi cultured than Melbourne.

I didn't know that.


AUSTRALIA BY NUMBERS: The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released the first batch of its census data. We’ve asked some of the country’s top demographers and statisticians to crunch the numbeers.

The 2011 census data has confirmed that Western Australia is the fastest growing state in Australia, increasing by 14.3% between 2006 and 2011. This is significantly above the national growth rate of 8.3%.

Perth is the fastest growing greater capital city statistical area, also growing by 14.3%. This was closely followed by Darwin (13.8%) and Brisbane (11.5%). New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and their respective capital city areas all had growth rates below the national figure.

Such growth is impressive and reinforces WA’s role as the economic power-house of Australia. The 2011 Census data also reveals some interesting changes in the ethnic and religious make-up of WA, especially within the greater Perth metropolitan region.

Perth is a city that has tended not to be seen as multicultural as Melbourne and Sydney, despite having always been a diverse city. The new census data clearly indicates that Perth is becoming a significantly more cosmopolitan city.

So, where are West Australians from and what faiths, if any, do they tend to follow?

The Asian-isation of Western Australia?
Whereas 69.1% of the Australian population was born in Australia this figure falls to 62.3% for Western Australia. As for Perth, 40.8% of the metropolitan population were born outside Australia. Comparable figures for Melbourne and Sydney were 37.4% and 40.7% respectively. In simple demographic terms, then, Perth is more multicultural than Melbourne and Sydney.

However a close look at the top three countries of origin across Perth, Melbourne and Sydney shows that in Perth the list is dominated by people from the UK (11.3%); New Zealand (3.0%) and South Africa (1.7%).

Slightly more than one in four British migrants who live in the Perth metropolitan region, for example, can be found in the adjoining outer local government areas of Joondalup and Wanneroo.

The UK population is the largest overseas born group in both Melbourne and Sydney but they only account for 4.1% of the metropolitan population in both regions in 2011.

The Chinese and Indian communities are comparatively larger in Sydney (3.4% and 2.0%) and Melbourne (2.3% and 2.7%) than in Perth (0.9% and 1.6%).

However, Perth’s Chinese population grew by 210% between 2001 and 2011. This is compared to 154% in Melbourne, 81% in Sydney and 123% nationally.

Some of the other fastest growing overseas born populations in Perth included: the Philippines (209%), Korea (177%), India (129%) South Africa (117%) and Thailand (116%). All of this is a clear sign that the so-called “Asian century” is gathering demographic and economic momentum in Perth/WA.

 

[The Speaker]

I didn't realise Lone Star was still around. They one at Innaloo closed years ago as did the Whitfords one.

As did the Maddington one. I am genuinely surprised there's still one open.

 

[Borry]

The Maddington one is now a franchise of the Pinjarra Bakery.

 

[ioppolo]

The Maddington one is now a franchise of the Pinjarra Bakery.

I haven't us locals taken a liking to that

 

[gaskin]

As did the Maddington one. I am genuinely surprised there's still one open.

It's fairly new too. It would have opened just over a year ago when the new part of Gateways opened.

 

[Beerfish]

It's fairly new too. It would have opened just over a year ago when the new part of Gateways opened.

Is it possible it's not the same Lone Star as the franchise that shut down years ago?

 

[Perth gal]

Its a Perth thread what did you expect. Anything relating to Perth ends up in culture devoid mess of boredom and backward thinking.

thanks for your enlightening post. A post free of a culture devoid mess of boredom and backward thinking.

 

[ep2018]

My memories of Sizzler were waiting in line for an hour and people pushing in, claiming that 'they had family ahead'.

(and putting nacho meat onto potato wedges )

 

[Beerfish]

Have actually never been to Sizzler. I remember when the Riverton one first opened and there were constantly lines out the door. Seemed ridiculous to me.

 

[Spirit Level]

All I remember about sizzler is the dessert eating contests with my brother

 

[ronpingwins]

All I remember about sizzler is the desert eating contests with my brother

Yeah their food is quite dry and arid.

 

[The Speaker]

Have actually never been to Sizzler. I remember when the Riverton one first opened and there were constantly lines out the door. Seemed ridiculous to me.

It was like that for a long time.

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Have actually never been to Sizzler. I remember when the Riverton one first opened and there were constantly lines out the door. Seemed ridiculous to me.

When I lived near the riverton one (2011) it was still lines out the door at times. Had mates that would come up from the country and stay at ours and go there for the breakfast come home and then go back down again for the lunch service

 

[Power Raid]

Ok. That is why they over Police the unpopular ones for easy revenue.
Be Honest, it's because only the honest law breakers are the ones that pay up.

Not me. I'm a **** when it comes to a speeding fine.

I never pay and demand police do their job rather than lazy police work.

 

[Doss]

Have actually never been to Sizzler. I remember when the Riverton one first opened and there were constantly lines out the door. Seemed ridiculous to me.

I went to Sizzler once, in Toowoomba nine years ago.

I've probably never eaten so much mediocre food in my life.

 

[Billy ray]

speaking of all you can eat, anyone remember pizza hut doing all you can eat around early to mid 1990s for like $5 or maybe it was $10?
it was pizza and garlic bread (pffft - bread!) and then they added pasta and dessert (softserve plus mousse were the options I think).
I was in late highschool/early uni and it was only 1 or 2 nights a week but my mates and I slammed down soo much food each week.
this was at Cannington store. I also occasionally did it at the cinema city store.

 

[Plugger35]

speaking of all you can eat, anyone remember pizza hut doing all you can eat around early to mid 1990s for like $5 or maybe it was $10?
it was pizza and garlic bread (pffft - bread!) and then they added pasta and dessert (softserve plus mousse were the options I think).
I was in late highschool/early uni and it was only 1 or 2 nights a week but my mates and I slammed down soo much food each week.
this was at Cannington store. I also occasionally did it at the cinema city store.

Yeah that was great, they had all you could eat lunchtime specials for about 5 bucks, we would pig out on pizza until we were sick.

It's no wonder all the Pizza Hut restaurants went bust shortly after.

 

[Kram]

iirc it was good at the start but sort went to crap when they made the pizza more in advance and just put them out on warmers or something.

One of my older brother's mates in his swimming squad ate something ridiculous like 23 slices one night we went, think I did about 7 which wasn't too bad for a skinny 10 year old.

 

[gaskin]

They were great. Much better than Sizzler.

 

[Billy ray]

iirc it was good at the start but sort went to crap when they made the pizza more in advance and just put them out on warmers or something.

One of my older brother's mates in his swimming squad ate something ridiculous like 23 slices one night we went, think I did about 7 which wasn't too bad for a skinny 10 year old.

my record was 17 and my mate 18. I also had some mousse for that sweet after taste as I stumbled home (walk, well, roll).

 

[Allikat]

speaking of all you can eat, anyone remember pizza hut doing all you can eat around early to mid 1990s for like $5 or maybe it was $10?
it was pizza and garlic bread (pffft - bread!) and then they added pasta and dessert (softserve plus mousse were the options I think).
I was in late highschool/early uni and it was only 1 or 2 nights a week but my mates and I slammed down soo much food each week.
this was at Cannington store. I also occasionally did it at the cinema city store.

They still have that at Pizza Hut Ballarat.