On the 18th December, following months of speculation and intrigue, the shutters on Bowen Park’s iconic hamburger caravan will officially shut for the last time. But Brodburger devotees won’t be deprived for long – the new incarnation of Sascha Brodbeck and Joelle Bou-Jaoude’s hamburger haven is due to open at its new digs at Canberra Glassworks in Kingston on Australia Day next year.
Sascha is coy when it comes to precise details of new premises, but promise that “elements” of the caravan will be incorporated into the fitout. “A lot of people are worried about us becoming too commercial. All I can say is that we’re still going to be unique”, he explains. One detail he will divulge is that it will involve a “theatre-like” open kitchen and will be eat-in as well as take away. Sascha says that while the caravan has served them well, there will be benefits to moving into a larger, more permanent premises. “As you can image, there’s not much room to store food in a caravan. I have to do several trips to the markets every day to buy food. I hate having to tell people we’ve run out of something two hours into service, but we just don’t have room to fit anything more,” he says.
He also expects that the expanded kitchen space (the caravan gives the bare-bones crew a mere two-by-four metres of elbow room) will allow him to speed up service and cut waiting times, which Brodburger lovers are all too well aware can extend well into a second hour on a busy day (though Brodburger lovers also know the wait is well worth it). It will also allow him and Joelle to experiment with an expanded menu – Brodburger mark two will be open for breakfast, have weekly burger specials, a liquor license and will even serve dessert. But the best news? Sascha promises that you’ll be able to order that deliciously garlicy aioli on your chips.
The move follows a drawn out tug-of-war with Canberra’s National Capital Authority (NCA) – which has involved several threats of closure – over the venture’s use of the Bowen Park site, which is officially owned by the ACT Government but ‘designated’ as NCA land. Before opening in early 2009 Sascha and Joelle say they obtained approval from the ACT Government and Parks Conservation and Land to set up shop, but were unaware they also needed works approval from the NCA. Three months into business, they received their first notice from the NCA to vacate the site, which they refused to do, and a long and public battle ensued. To put rumours to rest, Sascha and Joelle say they’ve always paid for electricity, although they do use a moderate amount of water – approximately 20-25 litres a day – from the public taps. Sascha says Glassworks had approached them several times previously about relocating which they’d refused, but they eventually decided to go ahead with the move to put an end to the battle with the NCA once and for all. “There’s been a lot of pressure over the last few years. We might have eventually won, but no matter what the eventual outcome, it would have involved a lot of ongoing stress. The reason the NCA have been leaving us alone [recently] is because they know we’ve been negotiating with Glassworks,” he says.
Though it’s hard now to image Brodburger without the signature red caravan, the concept only came about by chance. Sascha, who had previously worked as a chef in a number of Canberra restaurants, originally planned to open Brodburger as a permanent shop in an arcade at the Manuka shops, but the lease fell through at the last minute. Joelle hit upon the caravan idea after visiting the iconic Harry’s Cafe de Wheels pie cart in Sydney. Brodbruger served its first hamburger in February 2009 at Royal Canberra show, before settling into its permanent spot at Bowen Park, where it quickly began to draw crowds for its huge, freshly made, juicy beef, chicken and haloumi-packed vegie burgers.
Despite the change of scene, Sascha is adamant that the essence of Brodburger won’t change. “Everything is fresh and cooked to order. We’ve never pre-cooked any of our food and we never will. I’d rather have someone wait an hour and a half than to take short cuts to make it quicker. I think our fans understand that,” he says. Judging by the queues, he’s right.
 |
| Brodburger Deluxe - 2 beef patties, 2 fried eggs, bacon and swiss cheese, among other things... |
 |
| Brodburger chicken burger - chicken breast fillet, bacon, aioli and brie |
Ph: 0424 635 824
Until Dec 18 2011: Bowen Park Car Park, Bowen Drive/Wentworth Ave, Barton , ACT, 2604
From Jan 26 2012: Canberra Glassworks, 11 Wentworth Ave, Kingston, ACT, 2604
No comments:
Post a Comment