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Illuminate with KATE WOOD-FOYE
THE GUTS, GRIT AND GROUNDWORK OF REMARKABLE REGIONAL E N T R E P R E N E U R S , I N N O V AT O R S , LEADERS AND GAME CHANGERS.
The Burger Rebellion burst onto the scene six years ago, completely changing the restaurant game serving up a radically delicious wave of gourmet burgers in a world filled with fine dining and fancy eats. Founders Matt and Bec Conway have led this family business from the front, creating a hugely successful eatery built on hard work, guts, collaboration, creativity and fun. As they pass the baton on the beloved business that will continue to thrive under the TBR crew, they reflect on what they have built and the happiness they have served up as a side dish to the 687,600 burgers sent across.
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hat was the inspiration behind its creation? We have both travelled extensively and took note of a lot of cool little places to eat. Port Macquarie, at the time, didn’t have a gourmet burger restaurant and we saw a window of opportunity. Our concept started off as an “I wish Port had a great burger restaurant.” Then, the idea kept
110 GREATER PORT MACQUARIE
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MATT & BEC evolving into theme ideas and menu items and then into what we could call our own. Why was it so important to cut through the trend and bring something fresh to the market? Matt’s background in chefing over the years has been a lot of fine dining experience. We really wanted to marry some ideas together. High quality product, gourmet flavours, quality service in a relaxed, funky atmosphere. Our idea right from the start has always been to support local businesses and produce wherever we could. In doing this it meant we also ticked off another prerequisite for our business in providing the freshest and highest quality local ingredients. Matt & Bec – you have gathered an amazing crew of staff across the years that helped bring The Burger Rebellion to life. How important has the early creation and retention of this tight team been in the success of the business? Hospitality generally attracts a younger transient team. We have been lucky enough to retain several of our original crew. They have been an integral part of keeping our business running and we will miss them dearly. We have employed many staff and
a number of apprentices whom we have brought up through the ranks. We have loved working with a fun, reliable team! We had the approach of, treat them how you would like to be treated, and it has served us well. People don’t work for companies, they work for people. So building relationships and supporting them is essential. Matt, you are a man of many hats starting your career as a chef at Sails Resort then becoming a qualified electrician and now a teacher. How has this flexibility, focus and agility helped you in your business and leadership journey? To be honest, the diversity in my career has helped immeasurably. Chefs are extremely organised and can work well under pressure, whereas electricians are methodical and are great problem solvers. Along with the ever-abundant willingness to learn, I have been very fortunate to adopt the skills required to undertake the challenges of business. During the six years, we have had to think quickly and be ready for whatever is thrown at us. We have come up against drought, fires, floods and then Covid, and having agility in small business is paramount.
