Find out what Williams brings to the Aussie burger scene, according to Grill'd founder Simon Crowe

He also explains to QSR Media why the two burger concepts won’t result in market cannibalisation.

Williams is breaking into the burger scene with a traditional focus on Australian uniqueness and quality.

Borne out of the friendship between Grill’d founder & managing director Simon Crowe and long-term Grill’d executive Shane Pigdon, Williams is a new burger concept of “Australian hinterland meets coastal”.

“It’s positioned at the intersection of freedom and space, with a real focus on simplicity of lifestyle, creativity and freshness. It combines the best of the city juxtaposed with an effortless, relaxed and open attitude to living, which translates to the high-quality ingredients on the menu, and a superior fit out,” Crowe said.

Designed in partnership with leading architects Design Office and creative agency Moffitt.Moffitt, Williams will feature a smart casual, clean-line aesthetic with a large open kitchen, where customers can see the burgers being made, and relaxed seating for 80 people. Guests are open to dine in and relax with chillout music and a drink, or simply grab a burger and eat it on the go.

Williams is named after a first and middle name that has been in the Crowe and Pigdon families for five generations. Fittingly, the Williams name was started by Shane’s great grandfather and has been passed on by both their grandfathers and fathers to Shane, and Simon to his son.

Crowe said that the aim was to create a “sophisticated yet simple burger experience that’s intimate and all about painstaking craftsmanship and amazing quality and taste”. The idea is simple: to create a completely new burger concept that isn’t restricted or restrained in any way and is representative of the way Australians are trying to live today, through a focus on uniqueness and quality.

The menu, developed by Pigdon and Grill’d Menu Innovation Manager Josh Powell (ex-Vue de Monde, Circa and The Fat Duck), features a concise range of house-made burgers, salads, sides, sodas and shakes, and a curated list of Australian beers, cider and wines. These, he says, are localised "wherever possible", stressing on quality ingredients such as O’Connor beef, Mayura Station Full Blood Wagyu, Summertime chicken and Fish Butchery’s yellowfin tuna.

“Each day, lettuces are washed and cut, ripe tomatoes and vegetables sliced, secret relish and mayo house-made, cucumbers pickled, cheese grated, and sides prepared daily and cooked to order. Sodas are blended and old-fashioned style milk shakes, made from quality ingredients, are churned,” Crowe said.

A selection of Williams' items. Like Grill'd, Williams is exploring plant-based burgers in the future. Photo: Supplied

Whilst Williams is backed by the Grill’d Group, operating with its experience and commitment to quality and sustainability in mind, it is an independent business that operates completely separately to Grill’d, with different offerings and price points.

Williams will aim for a smaller market, with only a maximum of 15 restaurants planned to open in urban cities over the next three years, as opposed to Grill’d’s network of almost 140 stores. Williams will also offer different price points, and aims to attract a different customer base in different locations to Grill’d.

“While Williams has its own identity and dedicated resources, aspects such as property and leasing, IT, finance, digital and design of restaurants will be shared,” Crowe said. “If anything, a small, nimble & legacy-free Williams will help challenge and progress Grill’d on many fronts.”

Positioning for the future
Moving forward, Crowe said that the Grill’d Group and Williams is exploring plant-based burgers in the future to allow for the growing demand for vegetarian and vegan offerings.

Williams, he said, has initially launched with two vegetarian burgers on the menu, which will be reviewed and developed over time depending on customer feedback.

“The Grill’d Group & Williams believes in plant-based burgers and there is a definite rise in customer demand for plant based meat. This is a trend, not a fad,” Crowe said.

“You need to be constantly innovating and improving to maintain consumer interest (which is a great thing), while giving customers value for money while only sourcing the best and freshest local ingredients.”

Customers, he said, are done looking for gimmicks in their food, and are looking for more meaningful experiences that are representative with how they live their life. This means greater weight is given towards brands that reflect their values about sustainability and the protection of the environment.

“The fad of Americana burgers is over. Consumers have seen through the hype and are looking for less ‘slop’, more uniqueness and higher quality,” Crowe said. “Legitimate story-telling, imbued into every element of a brand, is required to connect [to consumers] emotionally and meaningfully.” 

Another Williams restaurant is scheduled to open in Melbourne’s South Yarra in October 2019.

Williams' first location at Level 5, Westfield Sydney,188 Pitt Street. It is open seven days from 11am.