Cobb & Co. (restaurant)
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Comment: Should this end up in mainspace, we would probably want to turn Cobb & Co into a WP:DAB page. -- RoySmith (talk) 18:55, 2 February 2019 (UTC)
- Per WP:MULTIDABS, hatnotes may be sufficient, but I don't have a strong preference either way. Muzilon (talk) 02:02, 3 February 2019 (UTC)
| Company type | Limited |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | 1973 in Auckland, New Zealand |
| Founder | New Zealand Breweries |
| Headquarters | |
Number of locations | 8 |
| Website | www.cobb.co.nz |
Cobb & Co. is a New Zealand family restaurant chain.[1][2]
It is New Zealand's oldest restaurant chain, having opened its first branch in 1973.[3] Its name derives from the Cobb & Co stagecoach business originally founded in Australia in the 19th century by Freeman Cobb, although the chain has no direct historical connection with that company.[4]
The chain's trademark feature is a stagecoach theme with red saloon-style doors. It offers a casual dining menu with steak, hamburgers, seafood, and similar items.[1] It is known for its non-alcoholic mocktail drinks.[5][6]
History
Originally owned by New Zealand Breweries (now Lion), the first Cobb & Co opened in 1973 in Auckland's South Pacific Hotel.[7][2]
At its peak in the 1980s there were 37 Cobb & Co restaurants around New Zealand, but as of 2019[update] the chain had shrunk to eight branches: six in regional towns and centres in the North Island (Rotorua, Taupo, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Levin, and Whakatane), and two cities in the South Island (Dunedin and Invercargill).[1][8][9][3]
In the 1980s it ran a series of television commercials featuring British actor David Jason.[10][11]
In 2012 the chain was purchased by Sue and Ben Gower, who had originally been franchisees of the Tauranga branch.[3] In 2016, plans to re-expand the chain were announced.[3][1][12]
Controversy arose in 2017 when a newly relaunched branch located in the historic Dunedin Railway Station[13] applied for a licence to include slot machines on its premises, with the Problem Gambling Foundation criticising the presence of gambling machines in a family restaurant.[14]
Two more branches are scheduled to be relaunched in 2019, in Christchurch and Porirua.[15]
References
- ^ a b c d Anthony, John (7 October 2016). "Cobb & Co planning a comeback with up to 30 new restaurants". Stuff.co.nz.
- ^ a b "Cobb & Co restaurant, Auckland, around 1974". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. Retrieved 2 February 2019. NOTE: this source gives the founding year of the chain as 1974, but the majority of sources state 1973.
- ^ a b c d "Cobb & Co's big comeback". New Zealand Herald. 7 October 2016.
- ^ Little, Paul (29 May 2018). "A brief history of Cobb & Co". Noted. North & South.
- ^ McSweeney, Philip (12 October 2016). "Everything you ever wanted to know about Traffic Light drinks". Stuff.co.nz.
- ^ "Toni Street shocked by birthday surprise". Spy News. NZ Herald. 6 September 2017.
- ^ "Cobb & Co Restaurants Nationwide". Signal Group. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Clayton, Rachel (6 October 2016). "Cobb & Co lives on with new Dunedin railway station restaurant". Stuff.co.nz.
- ^ Bradley-Smith, Anna (25 April 2015). "Cobb & Co leaving town". Stuff.co.nz.
- ^ Belfield, James (9 May 2016). "Actor David Jason on Cobb and Co and his love of NZ". Stuff.co.nz.
- ^ Jason, David (2014). David Jason: My Life. Penguin Random House. p. 212. ISBN 9780099581161.
- ^ "Cobb & Co. back to the Good Old Days". Franchise New Zealand. 27 June 2017.
- ^ Lewis, John (6 October 2016). "Cobb & Co to open railway station restaurant". Otago Daily Times Online News.
- ^ Loughrey, David (27 June 2017). "Restaurant gambling machines 'appalling'". Otago Daily Times Online News.
- ^ Chumko, Andre (2 February 2019). "The rise, fall and rebirth of Valentines buffet restaurants". Stuff.co.nz.
External links
- Cobb & Co. (official web site)
Category:Restaurants established in 1973 Category:Theme restaurants Category:1973 establishments in New Zealand