Burger franchise’s 15 new jobs important to Sandpiper
Monday 15th August 2011, 2:30PM BST.
Manageress Claire Lenkowiec with one of Gourmet Burger Kitchen’s giant burgers. alongside her are staff members, left to right, Ilona Nascimento, Aivis Steinfelds, Gundars Skipars, Steph Hughes, Josie Ayre and Emma Boughey. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 1170281)
THE opening of Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Market Square last week created 15 new jobs.
The restaurant, which has taken over in the premises of the former Market Brasserie and The Square restaurant, can seat more than 120 diners with at least 50 alfresco seats.
‘The introduction of GBK is another quality franchise we’re delighted to invest in and bring to Guernsey,’ said Sandpiper CI chief executive Tony O’Neill.
‘We’re very pleased how well fit out has gone and are now looking forward to welcoming Guernsey diners to try out GBK’s award-winning, high quality, fresh products at very affordable prices,’ he said.
‘And perhaps more importantly, we’ve trained a number of locally-qualified staff to GBK standards adding an additional 15 new roles to our headcount which we see as important during the current economic climate.’
The food chain was established in 2001 by three New Zealanders who wanted to create a unique burger restaurant and now has more than 50 outlets across the British Isles.
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Oh dear, it seems the doomed chain is failing already with a staff walk out the other day!
I heard from a pal in London that it is not a popular chain there either.
Cant we get anything right here?
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A popular chain?? What with 50 in the UK?? Are you insane? The food is poor, terrible value for money, disorganised, it takes an age to get your food and when it does arrive, its cold. If you want to drag this island out of the dark ages, get a proper chain over here. e.g, Burger King, McDonalds, KFC, Dominos pizza… The list is endless for the things this island need. Sunday shopping, a decent cinema…… No wonder so many people are giddy with excitement when impending holiday comes around and they all comment the same, “cant wait to get off this rock”. I moved back here last year after spending 7 years in Australia and i’m starting to think that it was one of the worst decisions of my life. Buy a house here? Dream on? Ill see if i can get a pay increase to £60,000 a year shall i, rather than getting a massive mortgage and spending the next 25 years living in abject poverty while i’m paying off a massively over priced house. this island has got so many things wrong with it, so don’t think for one second that getting a naff, third rate burger chain is going to smooth over the cavernous sized flaws this island has. I for one will probably sell my business next year and move back to Australia, at least the Government there can admit to being inept, unlike our precious states members. rant over
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Without wishing to cause offence to the staff !!! But I see no Guernsey names amongst the employee’s of this new “franchise” – “jobs for Guernsey” ????????? – but why franchise ?????? Can Sandpiper not create something of its own for Guernsey
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dan pinchemain – you’re having a laugh comparing GBK unfavourably to the fast food junk that you mention. It may take an age to get the food in comparison, but that is because it is proper food and a proper sit-down restaurant, not a junk food outlet.
you are entitled to your opinion about this island, but if you see things that way, why bother to comment at all? there are plenty of people who love this island and appreciate what it has to offer compared to the usual alternatives.
when I’ve been in the UK and visited GBK it has been highly regarded by my UK friends and has been good food with average, busy bistro style service.
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Have to agree with Dan, this Island needs dragging into the 21st century, yes to Sunday shopping, I work all week and have to pack any retail/food shopping into Saturday as well as entertaining the kids, would be so much nicer to be able to browse around the shops on a Sunday at a leisurely pace, yes to a decent cinema, down the North of the Island.
Ok so back to the topic about a Burger chain, but give the majority what it wants and thats a McDonalds, not some overpriced posh burger.
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Whilst the previous comments digress slightly from the subject, sadly I have to agree with everything thats been said. The Markets have gone the way of the Odeon cinema, the Royal Hotel, and other well-loved island venue’s.
Gourmet Burger..no thank you. You won’t be the only one to sell up and get a one-way ticket out of here Dan.
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@dan… why would Guernsey want to bring over fast food corporations? One of the things that make Guernsey unique and appealing to tourists is that it has not been taken over by the “proper chains” you mention. To take the island “out of the dark ages” would be to lose some of it’s character, surely? Also remember the great success of Burger King…. At least this Gourmet Burger Kitchen seems like a classier chain….
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Is there any parking outside?
No?
Then it is doomed
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Yet another foreign food chain brought to these shores employing foreign workers, this time dishing out hot dogs in Market Square – a further step towards Guernsey being assimilated into broken Britain.
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Ray
Most people, thankfully have full use of their legs. There is plenty of parking on the nearby piers – a very pleasant walk unless it is pouring with rain.
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Well I went on Friday, service was a little bit slow, but the food was fantastic, it was well priced but the beer was warm :-(
Turn the fridges on and I will be back
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burdock
Agreed,but you’re viewing this burger shop as a high end restaurant,which most people will bother to walk to for an evening out
If they attract restaurant type customers then the very best of luck to them,but if they are going to rely on a big turnover of normal burger shop custom then the lack of parking will see them off.So will their price list
I have always looked upon the likes of the L’Ancresse bunker looking eatery as an ideal burger place if it stayed open into the early hours
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to be honest im not a massive fan of fast food anyway, if you want a real good, healthy fast food, get a sushi bar over here!!! thank you to all the people who see where im coming from too, fair enough the island is tranquil and relaxed but you have to draw the line somewhere, its the 50somethings and upwards who say, and before i get a load of comments having a go at me im only speaking the truth, that Guernsey has always been peaceful and quiet. thats fine but its the younger generation that live here now that are the future and they are the one who are leaving in their droves because this island has virtually nothing to offer. apart from the time i spent away ive been living here for 36 years so i know what Guersney is all about as much of the rest of the people that live here. but times do change and progress in a necessity. we do have our good points here but they are starting to be heavily outweighed by the bad points at at an increasing fast rate. do we really want to be left in the wake of jersey? i think not
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Gourmet Burger sounds just like a way to charge a lot more money for a burger. It seems you stick Gourmet in front of burger add a few extras and you have a better quality product Not ground up the animal leftovers squashed into a burger.
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Ray
My understanding is that it is, indeed, a restaurant rather than a fast food outlet. I agree entirely on your suggestion of The Bay (I think that’s it’s name) being a suitable burger venue as long as the potential littering was well policed. Incidentally I would say that after several of seasons of uninspiring cuisine, service etc at this venue the new management seemed to have ‘turned up trumps’ and provided good food in pleasant surroundings this year. Long may it continue.
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Once the furore settles down, I’ll check G.B. out. I don’t think it’s fair to judge them yet when the staff are finding their feet and the place is getting hammered by initial trade. They are clearly going for a more upmarket demographic than the usual fast food chains – and ultimately, their ability to produce good quality home-made burgers on a consistent basis will make or break them. If you prefer something artificial from BK or McD’s for £1.99 and looks like the box it came in has been stepped on, I doubt this will be the place for you..
I, for one, have no desire for our high street to appeal to the lowest common denominator and become a row of Burger King/McD’s/KFC/Pizza Hut’s etc. One of the great things about our Island is that it doesn’t look like “just another” UK town. The aforementioned sell plastic processed garbage disguised as food.
We have loads of great restaurants and bistro’s in town already, with their own character. If you want great home made burgers, there are some great local eateries that do so already. Roquettes are excellent, as are the the Beach House, The Doghouse and the Pony’s. Theree are many others too. Now, if G.B. can get it right, there’s one for those stuck in town of a lunchtime.
If you HONESTLY believe that by not having the very worst of international franchises, we are somehow being left behind, you have a backwards view of what you view as aspirational.
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No offence………but shouldn’t we be employing Guernsey people first ?? Stop hand-outs from the Social and give them the incentive to work for a days labour instead of being given money for sitting around doing nothing but drinking and smoking.
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Terri – yes we should! You are right, the money for nothing culture should be stopped.
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Terri/Cheesed off.
Could not agree more and maybe some of the beautiful hotels around the island could be put to better use as opposed to doss holes.
Also where will all this end, look at the state Jersey is in with regard to their non local population and we are not far behind!
Doomed
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Terri – are you prepared to work long hours for poor wages? if so, I’ll bet there are plenty of food outlets in Guernsey who would be more than happy to give you a job. Sadly, few “True Guerns” are willing to apply themselves for these sort of jobs as they somehow feel that serving burgers is beneath their dignity. Apparently it would seem that living off the States is not however. I would love it if more local people got stuck in and did these jobs – but frankly, looking at some of the Flumps hanging around town with their stomachs out, fag in one hand, baguette in the other, I am more than happy to be served by attractive eastern European types who are civil and intelligent and don’t grunt at you the way some of our local population do!
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Junk Food
Junk Island
A match made in heaven.
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Dan
I think hojo’s are knocking out sushi of an evening these days? but I agree on everything you say, bring over Yo!Sushi
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pb you’re back !
I thought you had eloped with Paul Le Page and Martino
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I’m not trying to pick on individual people but looking at the names of the staff above, 3 of them could very easily be local girls judging by their names and of the other 3, I’m aware of one of the ‘exotic’ names being a family that has lived in Guernsey for many, many years so chances are, that girl is Guernsey born (assuming it’s the same family) so I’m not sure where the criticism of employing all non locals is coming from. And besides, Sarnia Expat sums it up very well when he/she says that a number of unemployed locals wouldn’t do the work for the hours and wages available.
In terms of the restaurant, I haven’t been to this one yet but will and have been to GBK in the UK and Dublin. They are not fast food outlets but are proper sit down restaurants – maybe not ‘fine food’ in the same league as Le Nautique or Pier 17 but it is a restaurant nevertheless. The food I have had in other GBKs has been excellent, decent burgers and I’m looking forward to going.
For all those arguing that we need to get Burger King, McDonalds, KFC etc over here – we’ve tried that in the past and it doesn’t work. Burger King didn’t last long, nor did the Wimpy before then. I would hate to see Guernsey filled with mass produced fast food chains but do agree that a decent sit down burger place, somewhere near the coast would be brilliant. Obviously I’m not saying we shouldn’t have any chains at all (I am supporting GBK after all)but at least keep what we do ‘import’ of a decent quality.
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I’ve been away Ray. I tried to join the exodus but without its great leader I was left rudderless and directionless so I decided to come back. Can’t wait to try the burgers though!
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St Marcouf – well I guess all the foreign workers get the jobs, because the lazy locals are stealing benefits or in the dole queue as usual?
Sorry, just an observation!
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As a university student, I split my time between the UK and Guernsey. The great thing about Guernsey is that it is a haven away from commercialised chains – and I (a “young person”, along with a lot of my friends) intend to come back here after I finish my studies, because the quality of life here is much better.
Being a student, I’m not flash with my cash but I’d rather spend a bit of extra money on a burger (that is guaranteed to be quality beef) rather than grab something that is likely to be lukewarm and with no nutritional value…
Terri – maybe no Guernsey people went forward for the job? I’m sure the non local candidates working there are very hardworking and experienced.
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@dan pinch
Great posts i couldnt agree more…people would say stuff like this more often but i think they would get ganaged up on by the majority of people here who are not the next gen islanders.
As for burgers, theyre not my sort cuisine!
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Please can someone bring Wagamama here ?? Please no Maccy D’s or Burger King…do people really want the harbour full of burger cartons and cups plus it won’t help the obesity problem….
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VQ
I think you’ll find that the Wimpy was here for many years. But then again the Wimpy was a cut above McDonalds, BK etc, so perhaps that’s why it lasted longer.
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I’m loving a lot of the misinofrmed jump to conclusion nonsense on this thread, from people forming opinions seemingly without any information at all.
Seriously, at least try it before you assume it fast food or Junk.
I’ve been to a couple of GBK’s in the UK, and they have all been very very good, I havent tried the Guernsey one yet, but I will be, try the mexican chicken mmmmmmmm.
As for foreign workers, well, you can find out of work locals, but you cant find out of work locals willing to work the hours, put the graft in, and most of all keep smiling in the face of the type of clientele thats already made up its mind about an establishment before they have even ordered…….
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Couldn’t agree more Dave, if it had been another expensive resturant then there would have been no backlash, do knock it till you try it, it knocks spots of off McDonalds and the likes,
I recomend the Habanero it’s delicious!!
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Maybe they should market the guernsey burger
“out dated,dry,tasteless and four times the price”
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@ pbfalla
You can make suggestions for different burgers via GBK’s website. They’ve already had a suggestion for The Heaven burger so you would have to think up a different name for yours……
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@Cheesed Off
What about the “Credit Crunch” burger?
Just a 3mm thick piece of meat and a bun, no relish or anything else, sale price £1.
Or the “Hell” burger. Chilli sauce and extra chillis with pepperoni, with bhut jolokia for that extra kick. Sold with a disclaimer which has to be signed and returned before you are allowed to purchase it :-)
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How about the Catholic burger – a piece of fruitcake with a liberal helping of nuts – labelled “dangerous to children”
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@Cheesed Off
for PB Falla..what about the Troll Burger, bitter, twisted and tasteless :0) ideal for pb falla.
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Or how about The Grass is Always Greener Burger. It would sound better on the menu than it would be in reality???
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I have eaten in GBKs in London a few times. They are good food, not junk or fast food, and fit into a slot below “posh” but significantly above the likes of Mc Donalds, to which we rightly say “no thank you”. The nearest equivalent I have had on the island might be found at the Deerhound in Forest. I wish them well.
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You can get a McWicked burger up the Plaza for less,
A McWicked Meal with fries and large Cola costs less than the ‘Classic’
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I cannot BELIEVE the response to this article!!
Firstly, you xenophobes need to get the hell over yourselves and stop seeing EVERYTHING as a threat. I know more than one of the employees photographed above and they are Guernsey born and bred. Just because the don’t have Norman surnames, doesn’t mean they’re not local.
Secondly, I am shocked at how many Guernsey people STILL think we’re somehow missing out because we don’t have scummy, tasteless junk food outlets on our lovely island. Guernsey has some of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to and we have been famous for our fresh, good quality produce for a very long time. We are an island of foodies with, generally, very high standards. I thought the people of Guernsey had better taste than to pine after slimy, cold, heart-attack-burgers with questionable contents. Of all the things keeping Guernsey in the past, a lack of McDonalds is DEFINITELY not one of them.
If you really want fast food, there are some really fantastic fish & chip shops here (which are a rarity in the UK, I can tell you) and some kebab shops who I’m sure will make you a burger if you ask them very nicely.
Finally, the people with “friends in the UK” who say that GBK is sub-standard are, quite simply, wrong. I lived in London and GBK is one of my favourite places to eat. Yes, you have to wait a few minutes to get your food, but that is because it is a RESTAURANT, not a JUNK FOOD JOINT, and a REAL burger takes more than twenty seconds to make. They are delicious and the service in my experience has always been great.
So, we have a great quality restaurant opening in Guernsey and creating jobs (for locals AND non locals) – and somehow, people here seem to think it is the end of days.
What the hell is wrong with you people?! Does ANYTHING make you happy???
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Kitty Cat can’t you make comment’s without using the word HELL ??
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@ Kittycat. It’s not the demands of locals that bring in the English fast food ……
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Dan Pinch.
I agree with you fully about the 50 something baby boomers. They want to live in silence and don’t give a hoot about the next generations boredom as long as they are happy. Time for a cull.
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Myself and a friend had the idea of trying out this new BGK the other day. The plan was to go and order a take-away and enjoy it at home.
The take-away option was “not yet available”.
This was fine as we had enough time so we sat in to eat.
After ordering (repeating our order about three times), our drinks took quite a while to come to us as they were sent to another table first, who rejected them.
When the order came to our table my ‘gherkins’(ONE tiny sliced gherkin) was on my friend’s burger instead of mine.
The chips were very cold but the rest of the meal was lovely.
The Cajun chicken was aboslutely amazing, the dips were very expensive but very tasty.
The management were very polite and organised but many of the other staff seemed to be very confused at what they were actually meant to be doing and where they should have been.
Everywhere has teething issues, no matter how well prepared and experienced the staff.
We WILL be going here again, probably on many occasions.
Kittycat….. Well said!
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I went to GBK in Jersey and thought it was rather good, a little pricey but very tasty.
The only thing that put me off a little bit was that all the staff kept using the word Guys “are you guys okay” “would you guys like fries” “have a good day Guys”.
But apart from that it wasvery good food and nothing like McDonalds …Thankfully !!
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I shall comment on the restaurant only:
I went for lunch in the first week with a friend.
I won’t be going back, it’s not comfortable and doesn’t have much ambiance. I wouldn’t say it was upmarket, sorry!
Am pleased it’s created jobs, but it isn’t my cup of tea….
Feel free to put your money where your mouth is and try it yourself.
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I dined in gbk on saturday and i have to say it was the most pleasant experience i have had out in a while. The team seem great – very knowledgable and attentive without being overbearing, and the manageress is quite something! I ate the mighty and my wife had a chilli chicken salad and both were cooked to perfection – you can taste the quality. I asked how long it takes to cook a burger medium and it takes 10mins on the grill so all those looking to gbk as fast food, you really shouldnt be – it is an authenically cooked and prepared from scratch meal.
i will definately be back, keep up the great work gbk!
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Mark – yes, the ‘guys’ thing so-oo annoys me too!! We’re all guys now, male or female, another americanism that’s crept into the UK/Gsy. Used to be ‘folks’, much nicer I think, covers male/female and somehow sounds friendlier. Back to GBK, I’ve had one in UK and it had a fantastic flavour and well worth waiting for. Anyone who thinks McD’s is as good needs their tastebuds testing. Am trying new one here shortly with great expectations, hope I won’t be disappointed.
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Kittycat
No good fish and chip shops in the UK. I think you need to get out a bit more. London is not the UK.
Also noticed some anti English sentiment creeping to some people’s posts. If you don’t like England please don’t go there and use there services.
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Sapphire
| August 22, 2011 at 12:07 am
@ Kittycat. It’s not the demands of locals that bring in the English fast food ……
English fast food ? perhaps you could find out where fast food come from before posting.
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Great post Kitty kat. Deals with quite a few sad comments on this thread.
@ Dan
I can think of few things more depressing that seeing the food chains you mention in your first rant/post, Dan Pinchemain. Progress isn’t getting fast food chains, nor the plastic coated chain cinemas you see up and down the UK. Going to the cinema with 2 chilldren shouldn’t cost upwards of 40-50 pounds a time. That is what you will get if you have your wish. A population of 60-000 isn’t enough to support a large cinema complex anyway. Sorry.
As for children and teenagers and young folk who complain “that there is nothing for them here” then two things…firstly there are a plethora of sports and communities right on their doorsteps. There is plenty to do (an infinite amount more than say the kids and young adults have on the poorer estates/ghettos throughout the world). Secondly perhaps it would do alot of the younger adults a bit of good to get off the island and see what is out there in the big bad world. Then they can come back and see what a relative paradise and luxury there is to be had on this “Rock”
As
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Yeah realised the error after posting but i think most people wouldn’t be so patronising and would have known what i meant! With ref to “anti English sentiments” the same goes for English coming to Guernsey, if u don’t like our local way of life over here stay where you are instead of trying to bring in unwanted outside influences. We’re a small picturesque Island stop trying to turn us into a mini mainland, the Island isn’t big enough for it!!!
There are enough food places locally so if there was a huge market for anything like GBK then someone local would have set up their own we don’t NEED “imports”
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@ Dan Pinch
Good to see after you moaning about Guernsey that you are leaving, most people just moan and then stay and moan more!
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