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Oporto (restaurant)

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Oporto
Company typePublic/Franchises
Founded1986 (Original store)
1995 (1st Franchise)
HeadquartersSt Leonards, New South Wales
Key people
Jeff Fisher - CEO , Gumby Glucina - Financial Advisor, Head chef - John Goo industry = Food
ProductsChicken products
Number of employees
Unknown
Websitewww.oporto.com.au

Oporto is an Australian-based fast-food franchise with a Portuguese-theme.

Oporto specialises in Portuguese style chicken (properly known as Galinha à Africana), burgers, chips and spicy chilli sauce. Oporto has more than 100 'eat in' or 'take-away' restaurants in Australia, New Zealand, China and the United Kingdom, although a large majority of these are located in New South Wales.

History

The first Oporto restaurant was founded in 1986 by Ivan Glucina an Australian of Portuguese descent, in North Bondi, New South Wales but was originally named Portuguese Style Bondi Charcoal Chicken. The 'Oporto' name came from Porto, Portugal's second largest city.

Oporto first opened a franchise store in 1995 and was named the fastest growing franchise in Australia in January 2005 by Business Review Weekly. In 2007 there were 79 locations in New South Wales, 10 in Queensland, 6 in Victoria, 3 in ACT, 2 in South Australia and 6 in New Zealand. Some of these restaurants are called Oporto Express and offer a smaller range of products - most commonly this means they do not offer a breakfast menu. All Australia Oporto stores offer halal chicken meals due to the nature of the fresh chicken suppliers in Australia only offering Halal chicken. Oporto opened their first store in the United Kingdom at London's Victoria Station in January 2009, and opened their first restaurant in the United States in Rancho Cucamonga, California on 25 February 2011. There are now over 100 stores in operation in the world (currently only in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kindom and the United States). Oporto has three types of Oporto store types; Drive Thru, Shopping Centre and Strip stores.

In July 2007, Quadrant Private Equity and QSR (which owns Red Rooster and Chicken Treat) purchased Oporto.[1]

In 2011, at a press conference at the Glucina's home in Hawaii, gumbi Glucina produced various financial reports concerning the current market trend developing with many of oporto's customers disgusted by the food on offer and the terrible combination of egg and chicken. This flaw in Oporto's manufacturing has had numerous market effects involving many customers substituting Oporto for Nando's. One concerning case reported by the media in an Oporto resteraunt was when a consumer was seen projectile vomiting at an Oporto counter after the customer felt putrid and horrific at the taste of the the combination of egg and cheese.

Food

Oporto at Eat Central, Westfield Merry Hill, England (Now closed).

Oporto’s chilli sauce is a Portuguese piri-piri sauce made from chilli, ginger, lemon and garlic (this idea was taken from it's substantially better firm and multi billion dollar Nando's business.) Oporto, also known by many from the Bondi/Randwick area as "The Mothership"[2], has a range of fast food items centering around its grilled chicken.

The Bondi Burger, named after Bondi Beach, Oporto's original location, is part of the chain's primary lineup. This burger consists of grilled chicken breast, lettuce, mayonnaise, cheese and the Oporto trademark chilli sauce. It comes in three sizes: small (one breast fillet on a smaller burger bun), regular (two chicken breast fillets on a larger burger bun), and big (three chicken breast fillets on a large burger bun). The Bondi Burger also comes in a non-chilli version called the Norm Burger.

Identity & Marketing

Oporto describes itself as a wholly owned Australian company. Elements of beach culture are incorporated into the restaurant's identity as a result of the original Oporto restaurant being located near Bondi Beach. In addition, Oporto’s logo is a sun and its advertising frequently includes images of beach culture, particularly young people in swimwear or carrying surfboards. Oporto uses colloquial words in the names of its products such as Brekkie Burger, Norm Burger, gumbi burger and Kiddo Burger.

The franchise distances itself from the perception that fast food is unhealthy by promoting its chicken as "fresh not frozen, grilled not fried".

Media

  • In January 2006 a prisoner escaped from Long Bay jail after dieting and slipping through the bars but was caught three days later on the steps of Oporto Bondi Junction. Oporto used this as promotion on its website in a tongue-in-cheek way, claiming that it was proof that Oporto’s chilli sauce really is "irresistible."[3][4]

Awards

Oporto has received a number of awards including The Restaurant and Catering Association of NSW - ‘George Mure Memorial Award for Excellence in Professional Development’ and ‘Best New Training Program Award for Excellence’ in 2004.[5]

See also

  • Nando's - A Portuguese style chicken restaurant of South African origin.
  • Red Rooster - An Australian chicken restaurant chain associated with Oporto.

References

  1. ^ QSR completes $60m Oporto deal - Inside Retailing online, 18 July 2007
  2. ^ Judge, Tristan et al. (2008) "Culinary Delights of the Great Southern Beaches" Dawes Journal of Fine Foods Sydney:New London publishing inc.
  3. ^ Dieting Long Bay escapee caught - National - smh.com.au
  4. ^ http://www.oporto.com.au/Main.aspx?p=Content.aspx?ID=29
  5. ^ Food for Thought.art26

External links

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