November 11, 2019
A new eatery is opening in Kingaroy on Tuesday but there’ll be some familiar faces behind the counter.
Husky’s – located in the forecourt of the recently renovated SupaIGA complex in Avoca Street – has been a long time in the planning for owners Daniel and Mary Huskisson.
The couple had originally hoped to open their new venture last Christmas but unavoidable delays pushed the opening date back.
Dan and Mary are probably best known for being half of the team that took over Kingaroy’s former Utopia Cafe a few years ago and transformed it into one of the town’s most popular eateries, U-Cafe & Grill.
While they’ll still retain their interest in the Kingaroy Street cafe, Dan and Mary have now decided to branch out into gourmet burgers to give the South Burnett a taste of the trend that’s been sweeping Brisbane for the past few years.
The couple have put in long hours to source the ingredients for their burgers, and a small fortune installing a state-of-the-art kitchen, freezers and cold room to keep everything running smoothly.
The new store will trade from 7:00am to 7:00pm Mondays to Saturdays, and 7:00am to 2:00pm on Sundays.
It offers specialty burgers, sliders, toasties and wraps; home-made cakes and slices; barista-brewed coffees, teas, shakes and soft drinks.
Diners can dine indoors or outdoors in the shaded atrium, as they prefer.
“We were born and raised in Kingaroy and we love the South Burnett,” Dan said.
“Growing up in a small town has given us a real passion for our community and the things it has to offer.
“From the outset, we decided Husky’s burgers had to be something unique for our region, to give locals and visitors a new experience.”
Dan said this included bringing a positive change into people’s lives.
“We understand the world we live in can get pretty negative at times, so part of our mission statement is to have a positive impact on all the lives we come in contact with.
“We may not always live up to that goal – we’re only human – but we’ll never stop trying to give our customers not just great food, but something to lift their spirits a little bit, too.”
The new store is deliberately bright and airy, with positively themed table numbers (“you’ll be ‘Table Adorable’ or ‘Table Enjoyable’, not Table 6 or 8”) and staff who’ve been selected – amongst their other skills – for having bright and happy personalities.
Husky’s employs eight full-time and part-time staff.
“We’re also very community focussed because we believe the bigger and stronger our community grows, the more opportunities it will create for everybody,” he said.
Husky’s had an “unofficial” soft launch last Thursday so the team could put the new restaurant’s equipment through its paces.
On Tuesday – when the store has its official opening – Dan is confident everything will be running like clockwork.
