George Calombaris and MAdE group are set to open four Jimmy Grants stores as part of their expansion plan into Sydney.
The first venue will open in Newtown next month, with another store opening in Sydney Central Plaza in October. 2018 will see the opening of more Jimmy Grants Sydney stores and Calombaris and the MAdE Establishment group are already looking for potential restaurant locations for the Gazi and Hellenic Republic brands.
The Jimmy Grants Sydney stores will work with existing architecture, using repurposed or recycled raw materials. Each store will feature the blue neon synonymous with the Jimmy Grants brand and will engage local artists to create graffiti murals unique to each store.
“Having lived in Sydney for the first four years of MasterChef, I fell in love with the culture and the best harbour city in the world,” says Calombaris. “I’m so excited to bring Jimmy Grants as our first brand to Sydney.”
Jimmy Grants is the group’s souvlaki bar, serving classic Greek food with a modern twist.
The menu features souvlas packed with meat and crunchy chips. Jimmy Grants’ signature souvla, Mr Papadopoulos, is slow-roasted lamb, mustard aioli, chips, onions and parsley. In 2016, Mr Papadopoulos topped the list of the most-ordered UberEATS dish globally.
The menu will also include share plates with a choice of succulent lamb or chicken, fresh salads and grains along with desserts.
Jimmy Grants conducted research nationally to identify where the Jimmy Grants customer lives, works and plays. The Jimmy Grants customer is a food enthusiast who loves to be the first to try anything new, so Sydney was a natural fit.
In Melbourne, Jimmy Grants is adding to its five stores, expanding into the iconic beachside suburb of St Kilda and shopping mecca, Chadstone. Jimmy’s will also be expanding in Queensland in 2019.
“People in Sydney may ask, ‘What is Jimmy Grants?’ We serve up traditional Greek street food but often with an unexpected spin,” says James Sutherland, Jimmy Grants’ general manager.
“Jimmy’s is all about celebrating our immigrant heritage and the healthy Mediterranean diet. We started on a side street in Fitzroy, Melbourne, and we can’t wait to bring our delicious food and the Jimmy’s experience to the good folk of Sydney.”
