Meet Matt Walker of Grill’d Camberwell
For delicious, healthy burgers packed with nutrition, look no further than Grill’d in Camberwell.
Co-owner Matt Walker has run the Camberwell store for 10 years with his brother Brad and said the business had evolved a lot in that time.
The store opened as a simple burger bar with no more than 20 seats, but now offers a bigger space with a seated restaurant environment.
The focus has always been on offering a good product, and the ability to adapt to change has been key to the success of the business, Mr Walker said.
“We’re always looking to learn and find better ways of doing things so that the customer experience is well beyond what the expectation is,” he said.
“There’s speed, there’s ambience, there’s service, there’s product, there’s the ability to make changes – there’s all of these layers in our business that are tricky.
“And now the food landscape is getting bigger and more competitive. It puts huge pressure on businesses to reinvent themselves but I think that’s something we’re quite good at.
“At Grill’d we keep changing, we don’t sit still as a brand. Every year or two, we’re looking to change, whether it’s the way our restaurant looks, whether it’s our service model or our food offering. We’re quite nimble in that sense.”
Unique company culture
Mr Walker said the aim was to try to make the work environment at Grill’d fun and enjoyable, while offering staff the opportunity to learn a lot.
“The hope is that we’re bringing people into the business that are quite green, as far as skill sets and talent go, and develop them into what we do, as part of the mechanics of the business, and teach them life skills,” he said.
“For example, we teach them how to relate to a seven year-old versus a 70-year-old customer, how to work in groups and as an individual, and how to be task orientated. There’s a lot of dynamics that we, behind the scenes, spend a lot of time developing.”
Mr Walker said there was a huge focus on training staff at Grill’d. Staff are trained across different areas of the business to ensure they are well-rounded workers.
Simon Crowes, who founded Grill’d in 2004, worked hard on instilling a culture of fun and friendliness in the workplace environment.
Mr Walker said his store has expanded on that approach to add “people success” and “business success” to the pleasant workplace culture.
Training staff, giving them opportunities and having strong leadership all play a role in contributing to this success, Mr Walker said.
Giving back
Grill’d has long been a supporter of its local community and has become renowned for its Local Matters initiative.
As part of the community donation program, Grill’d restaurants donate $500 each month back into their local community.
Grill’d patrons have the power to vote for the local club or organisation they want to support by placing a token in a jar allocated to the group. At the end of the month, Grill’d splits the funds and awards $300 to the group with the most tokens and the other two groups get $100 each.
“Local Matters is really important to us and one of the cornerstones of our business,” Mr Walker said.
“The intent is to show the local community that we have, and want to have, heavy engagement in giving back to those people that come into to see us that are local.
“We hope that this initiative is having an impact on our local community. A little bit gives a lot to some of these groups.”
The 'Underbelly' pork belly burger available at Grill'd Camberwell
A focus on nutrition
Over the years, the Grill’d menu has evolved to respond to people’s dietary requirements and healthy eating preferences.
“Burgers done good” has been the Grill’d tag line for years, and for good reason.
From the bun to the filling, the eatery offers nutritious and high quality ingredients.
The produce is fresh and often sourced locally, RSPCA approved chicken and Australian grass-fed beef and lamb are used for the burger patties, and in more recent times, the menu has expanded to offer items like sweet potato and zucchini chips, and a low-carb bun.
Those with food intolerances or taste preferences will find options at Grill’d too. Need your burger to come in a gluten free bun? It can be done. After a vegetarian or vegan option? They’ve got that too. Looking to cater to a dairy-free diet? No problem.
The menu also boasts cage-free eggs, no added hormones and no nasties. It’s all about wholesome food.
“Our product is really good, and it’s extremely fresh. We don’t have sugar in any of our buns, we don’t add salt to anything,” Mr Walker said.
“Once you dig into it, you’ll find out that we offer incredibly good quality and highly nutritious meals.”
Visit the restaurant
879 Burke Rd, Camberwell
Phone: (03) 9882 6211