Soul Origin wants to more than double in size over the next decade, with plans to grow from 178 locations across Australia and New Zealand to around 400 globally. The expansion will take the brand well outside the shopping centres and food courts it is best known for, with airports, drive-throughs, service centres, hospitals, universities and regional locations all in the mix. Airports, drive-throughs and 400 stores Six new stores are expected to open before Christmas 2026, including a new flagship inside Sydney International Airport’s T1 terminal in December. The airport location will have a stronger grab-and-go offer and a menu tailored to travellers, while keeping specialty coffee as a key part of the format. Sydney Airport is forecasting around 18.2 million T1 passengers in 2026. Soul Origin already operates four stores in New Zealand, including two airport locations, and plans to open around 10 more across the country over the next two years. “A key part of my focus will be identifying where the brand has the strongest opportunities internationally and ensuring we approach each new market with a clear understanding of local customers,” said Soul Origin co-founder and Managing Director Hao Quach. Closer to home, its second drive-through is expected to open in Cranbourne West, Victoria in February 2027. Two more hybrid service-centre locations with Ampol are also expected before the end of 2026. Regional growth is being explored across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria following the performance of stores in Darwin and Cairns. The expansion also comes with a change at the top. Current Chief Financial Officer George Gebran will become CEO, while Quach will focus on long-term strategy and future growth. “Each format gives us an opportunity to reach customers at a different point in their day. We will draw on customer insights and the experience gained across our network to tailor the menu, service model and operations while keeping fresh food and specialty coffee at the centre of the offer,” Gebran said. The scale of the business is already significant, with around 22 million customer visits a year and more than 30,000 coffees served daily. Soul Origin also topped the December 2025 Fonto customer satisfaction rankings for QSRs. Quach originally spotted a gap in shopping centres for fresher food and specialty coffee that could still be served quickly, and roughly 70 per cent of that original menu remains available today. “Two of the soups that became staples of our menu came from my mum’s recipes, and many of the products we developed in those early years remain on the menu today,” Quach said. Dinner, matcha and potato gems Soul Origin is working on a dinner menu, rolling potato gems out more widely after testing them through its drive-throughs and expanding its iced drinks and matcha range as younger customers drive demand. More than 80 per cent of stores now use FLOW, which gives baristas live information on each coffee extraction and helps track consistency and training. Soul Origin has allocated $1 million to technology in 2026, with a rebuilt app, upgraded loyalty platform and digital menu boards also underway. Breads, prepared chicken, sauces and proprietary dressings are produced centrally before reaching stores, reducing some of the more complex cooking, cooling and food-safety processes at store level. The central production model gives Soul Origin more control over consistency and supply as the network grows, while store teams can focus on preparing food, building displays and serving customers. “As Soul Origin has grown, we have retained the close relationships and personal support of a family business while drawing on the scale, systems and resources of a much larger network. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together,” Quach said. Source: Narrative Communications Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

The Heritage Room has opened its doors in Sydney’s Martin Place, bringing more than 200 wines and a touch of Tuscany to the CBD. The 35-seat venue is the latest from family-run Esper Group, which also operates nearby Rovollo, and has taken over the corner site at 25 Martin Place. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrap around the space, while inside, a curved rosa marble bar sits at the centre of the room. Tasmanian Blackwood finishes, French wash walls, vintage banquettes and large-scale custom artworks give the space its old-world Italian feel. There are two smaller areas off the main bar. One leads through to the working wine cellar, while the other is a private dining room hidden behind floor-to-ceiling wooden doors. A very Tuscan wine list Head sommelier Giulia Ceruzzi, formerly of LuMi, The International and Fratelli Paradiso, has worked with 15 suppliers to build a list of more than 200 bottles, including 38 wines by the glass. Tuscany features heavily, with vermentino for $18, Vernaccia di San Gimignano for $22 and Chianti Classico for $26 among the by-the-glass options. The list also includes Brunello di Montalcino, Super Tuscans and a mix of Italian, French and Australian wines, alongside magnums, half bottles and vintage pours. Ceruzzi, who was named one of Australia’s top 50 sommeliers in 2026, has also sourced a selection of rare white wines made from red Italian grapes, including wines grown on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna. The cocktail list comes from Esper Group head of bars Alissa Gabriel, a former bartender of the year, with drinks including a Lime Leaf Gimlet, Strawberry Boulevardier and Heritage Martini. How many pasta trials?! The antipasti menu includes imported meats and cheeses such as Prosciutto Toscano and truffle pecorino, while executive chef Cami Feliciano’s larger dishes make use of the Josper oven and grill behind the bar. A signature beef short rib schiacciata is slow-roasted for 12 hours and served with Tuscan cheese fondue. There’s also a deconstructed lasagne made with wild boar ragu and house-made Tuscan kale pasta sheets, which took 20 different pasta trials to get right. Much of the produce has been sourced from Tuscany, including prosciutto, cheeses and olive oils, with the food designed to pair closely with the wine list. The private dining room offers four set menus with more of a focus on the grill, including Tuscan bistecca and infused, dry-aged steaks. It can seat up to 25 people, while the full venue can also be booked for larger events. The Heritage Room is open from midday until late, Tuesday to Saturday, with bookings and walk-ins available. Source: Wineglass Media Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.

Barney Banana is making another comeback, but not in the form most fans will remember. This time, the nostalgic freezer favourite has been folded into a Maxibon, combining banana-flavoured ice cream with choc biscuits and choc vanilla biscuit crumb. Barney Banana first launched in 1958 and has had a stop-start life on supermarket shelves ever since. Fan demand helped bring it back for limited-edition runs in 2009 and 2017, and the requests clearly never went away, with petitions, Reddit threads and comment sections still calling for another return. “Barney Banana is one of those products Aussies have an incredible amount of nostalgia for. We knew if we were going to bring him back, we had to do it in a way they wouldn’t expect,” said Peters Ice Cream Head of Marketing Andrea Hamori. This time, instead of simply re-releasing the original, Peters has paired it with Maxibon for what it says is a first for both brands. The new Maxibon Barney Banana features banana-flavoured ice cream between two choc biscuits, with the other end dipped in choc vanilla biscuit crumb. “Pairing that iconic banana flavour with Maxibon felt like the perfect way to give an Aussie favourite a new lease on life. We think longtime Barney fans are going to go bananas for it, while those meeting the Aussie icon for the first time might just discover a new freezer favourite. It might even turn the heads of a few banana deniers along the way,” Hamori said. The launch has already started making the rounds with food creators. @nickvavitiss called it the “perfect balance of choc and banana”, while @nectoriouspapi’s review has pulled in hundreds of comments from people keen to try it. Nostalgic food releases have been everywhere lately, with old favourites repeatedly returning in new formats. Research cited by the brand found 42% of consumers are motivated to try familiar favourites with a fresh twist. Maxibon Barney Banana is now rolling out nationwide in multipacks at Coles, Woolworths and independent grocery stores for RRP $5.60, as well as loose packs in petrol, convenience and impulse stores for RRP $11.50. For longtime Barney Banana fans, it is another chance to revisit a freezer classic. For everyone who missed it the first few times around, it makes for a a fairly chaotic introduction. Source: Wired Co. Find more food culture updates on Crumb Wire.

Domino’s latest range of desserts comes with a handsome helping of Nutella, owing to a new national partnership with Ferrero. The new Desserts Featuring Nutella range launches as part of Domino’s “Drop Everything, It’s Domino’s” campaign and pairs the spread with brownies, lava cakes and churros. The Desserts Featuring Nutella range includes: Chocolate Brownies with Nutella – 6 rich, hot choc fudge brownies served with Nutella. Chocolate Lava Cakes with Nutella – Oven-baked chocolate cake with a gooey middle and paired with Nutella. Churros with Nutella – 4 golden, crispy churros dusted with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with Nutella. The new collection is positioned as an add-on to pizza orders, a late-night dessert option or a standalone sweet treat. “We are delighted to be working with Ferrero to bring Domino’s and Nutella together for an unforgettable collaboration and take our dessert range to a whole new level,” said Domino’s Australia & New Zealand Chief Marketing Officer Dewald Du Plooy. “There aren’t many things better than finishing pizza night with something warm, chocolatey and indulgent, and adding Nutella makes these favourites even harder to resist. Whether you’re adding something sweet to your pizza order or dropping everything just for dessert, we think Australians are going to love this range, and we encourage everyone to pop into one of our participating stores for a free taste.” For Ferrero, the collaboration brings Nutella into a new eating occasion through Domino’s menu. “Nutella has a special place in the hearts of Australians, so we’re delighted to bring its unmistakable taste to another much-loved favourite,” said Kara Jones, Customer Director at Ferrero Australia & New Zealand. “We can’t wait for fans of Nutella and Domino’s to try the new range and discover a delicious new way to enjoy Nutella.” The partnership follows a busy week for Domino’s Australia, including the launch of its new “Drop Everything, It’s Domino’s” campaign, the return of the New Yorker Pizza Range and Coca-Cola joining Domino’s as its new nationwide drinks partner. To celebrate the launch, Domino’s will host free tasting sessions at select stores from September 18 to September 20. The tastings will take place at Domino’s Surry Hills in Sydney, Elizabeth Street in Melbourne and Queen Street in Brisbane. The Desserts Featuring Nutella range is available at Domino’s stores across Australia, starting from $6.50 pick up. Source: Speak Communications Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.