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Grill’d launches limited-edition Twisties shaker chips

Pallavi MathurSeptember 21, 2026

Grill’d has teamed up with Twisties for a limited-edition collab that turns its Famous Chips into a cheesy shaker snack. For an extra $2, customers can add a sachet of Twisties cheese-inspired seasoning to a regular serve of Famous Chips, tip the lot into a shaker bag and give it a good shake before eating. “Some flavour combinations just make sense, and this is one of them. By combining our Famous Chips with the iconic Twisties® Cheese-inspired flavour, we’ve created something familiar, nostalgic and completely new at the same time,” said Grill’d Chief Marketing Officer Julian Dunne. “Whether you’re a long-time Twisties® fan or simply love our Famous Chips, Twist’d Chips deliver a bold hit of cheese flavour that’s a fun experience and even better to eat.” The flavouring contains no artificial colours or flavours, and Twist’d Chips are available at Grill’d restaurants nationwide, online and through participating delivery partners while stocks last. There’s also a distinctly Melbourne connection behind the partnership. Grill’d and Twisties both started in the city before becoming household names around Australia. “When two iconic brands come together, great things happen. By partnering with Grill’d, we’ve created an unexpected twist on two fan favourites, bringing a little extra fun to people’s day while celebrating the bold flavours Australians know and love,” said PepsiCo Marketing Director Snacks ANZ Tracy Harwick. Grill’d has worked with some unlikely partners before too. In 2025, the brand teamed up with Formula 1 driver and ambassador Oscar Piastri on his own burger range, which proved popular enough to remain on the menu. Later that year, Grill’d partnered with Universal Pictures on a limited-edition green burger inspired by Wicked: For Good. Grill’d x Twisties Twist’d Chips are available now for a limited time at Grill’d restaurants nationwide. Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

Domino’s celebrates New Yorker return with Sydney block party

Pallavi MathurSeptember 21, 2026

Domino’s is marking the return of its 16-inch New Yorker range with a new national campaign and a free New York-inspired block party in Sydney. The New Yorker is the biggest pizza on the Domino’s menu, made in-store with fresh, hand-stretched dough and oversized slices designed to be folded. The range includes five pizzas: The Big Cheese, Pepperoni Boss, Hot Honey Pepperoni Boss, Little Italy and Bacon Kingpin. The campaign is rolling out across TV, out-of-home, digital and social, with the new creative focused on the New York-style fold. “The New Yorker has always been a larger-than-life pizza, so we wanted the creative around its return to feel just as big,” said Domino’s Australia & New Zealand Chief Marketing Officer Dewald Du Plooy. Its TV ad follows a New York firefighter racing through a door with all the urgency of an emergency, only to reveal that he is actually heading home to his family and a box of Domino’s New Yorker pizza. “The idea plays with that feeling of dropping whatever you’re doing when the pizza arrives. In this case, even a New York firefighter has somewhere more important to be when there’s a 16-inch New Yorker waiting at home,” Du Plooy added. “It’s fun, it’s unmistakably New York and, most importantly, it puts the food and those huge, foldable slices right at the centre of the story.” The campaign also introduces “Behold the Fold”, a nod to the New York habit of picking up a slice, folding it and eating it on the go. Last week, a yellow New York-style cab was transformed into a Domino’s New Yorker taxi and driven through Sydney with custom decals and a Domino’s topper. On September 24, Domino’s will bring the campaign to Room 22 in Sydney with a free New York-inspired Block Party. Coca-Cola and Foot Locker are joining the event, which will feature DJs, New York-style photo moments, sneaker drops, giveaways and plenty of 16-inch New Yorker pizzas served with Coca-Cola. The event is open to the public and free to attend, with entry available on a first come – first served basis while capacity lasts. Source: Speak Communications Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

Bacar launches new all-day menu at Sydney Olympic Park

Pallavi MathurSeptember 18, 2026

Bacar Restaurant & Bar has rolled out a new all-day menu at Sydney Olympic Park, with breakfast cocktails, power lunches, hibachi-grilled meats and in-house dry-aged beef all making the cut. Located on the ground floor of Pullman Sydney Olympic Park, the fine diner is leaning further into contemporary Australian food with local produce and a few global influences across breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast starts with a mix of classics, lighter options and a solid vegetarian and vegan selection, but the more unexpected additions are behind the bar. Vodka for Breakfast combines Ketel One vodka, cold-brew coffee and coconut water, while the Guava Bellini mixes guava purée and St-Germain elderflower liqueur with Prosecco. The cocktails join an already established drinks program, with Bacar’s wine list receiving a Goblet in last year’s Wine List of the Year Awards. Lunch is split depending on how much of the afternoon is still expected to be productive. The Light Lunch section covers salads and breads, while the Power Lunch moves into spiced chicken, king prawn pasta, barramundi and vegetarian gnocchi. Dinner is where the menu gets heavier, with seafood, hibachi-grilled meats and a stronger focus on the restaurant’s premium cuts. New dishes include pasture-fed halal white Pyrenees lamb rump with rainbow chard and chermoula, alongside handcrafted potato gnocchi with smoked kumato tomatoes. Bacar’s existing meat selection is sticking around too, including Tajima wagyu and Australian grass-fed beef tomahawk, which is dry-aged in-house to develop flavour and tenderness. Dessert keeps things broad, with Callebaut dark chocolate tart, burnt Basque cheesecake and vegan kaffir lime poached strawberries on the menu, plus cheeses sourced exclusively from Nimbin Valley Dairy in NSW. The new breakfast menu is available weekdays from 6 am to 10:30 am and weekends from 6 am to 11 am. Lunch runs from 12 pm to 3 pm, with dinner served from 6 pm to 10 pm. Source: Evil Twin Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.

Soul Origin targets 400 stores as global growth plans accelerate

Pallavi MathurSeptember 18, 2026

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.

A touch of Tuscany hits Martin Place as The Heritage Room opens its doors

Pallavi MathurSeptember 18, 2026

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.

Grill’d launches limited-edition Twisties shaker chips

Domino’s celebrates New Yorker return with Sydney block party

Bacar launches new all-day menu at Sydney Olympic Park

Soul Origin targets 400 stores as global growth plans accelerate

A touch of Tuscany hits Martin Place as The Heritage Room opens its doors

Maxibon and Barney Banana team up for a nostalgic new release