Toby’s Estate will sponsor runners named Toby for Sydney Marathon

Guess who’s back: The Big Jack returns to Hungry Jack’s

Pallavi MathurAugust 24, 2026

Hungry Jack’s is bringing back the Big Jack, this time with two new siblings in tow. From Tuesday, August 25, the burger returns for a limited time alongside the Double Big Jack and the new Big Jack Angus, making up Hungry Jack’s biggest-ever Big Jack lineup. The Big Jack has had its fair share of controversy too, having previously found itself in a legal stoush with a certain golden-arched rival, who took issue with just how close “Big Jack” sounded to their own signature burger. Either way, it’s stood its ground and this time it’s bringing reinforcements. Hungry Jack’s is doubling down on flame-grilled beef in this new range, with Angus making its first appearance alongside the Big Jack. “What makes Hungry Jack’s burgers taste better is the irresistible smoky BBQ taste that you can only get from flame-grilled our 100% Aussie beef,” said Scott Baird, Chief Marketing Officer at Hungry Jack’s. The range includes: Big Jack: two 100% Aussie flame-grilled beef patties, topped with Hungry Jack’s signature special sauce. Double Big Jack: four flame-grilled beef patties stacked into one burger. Big Jack Angus: two thick Angus beef patties, for a richer, juicier version of the original. “We’re especially proud to be putting Angus front and centre in this range. While others are taking options off the menu, we’re giving our customers more of the premium beef they love,” added Baird. “The Big Jack is all about listening to customers and giving them what they want – a bigger, tastier burger.” The Big Jack range will be available for a limited time at Hungry Jack’s restaurants nationwide, in-store, via drive-thru and delivery. Source: Wrights Communication Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

Cinnabon’s newest freebie comes courtesy of Gabby’s Dollhouse

Pallavi MathurAugust 24, 2026

Cinnabon has a Gabby’s Dollhouse tie-in landing in bakeries, with a free headband up for grabs for anyone who orders the right combo. From today, guests across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne who buy a Classic MiniBon and a CinniFizzie will get a free Gabby’s Dollhouse Headband thrown in, while stocks last, at participating Cinnabon stores across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. The collaboration marks Cinnabon’s first global partnership with the DreamWorks Animation series. Cinnabon has had a strong run in Australia since opening its first local bakery in Brisbane, where opening sales set a global record for the brand amid a global pandemic. Its first NSW store in Sydney’s Darling Square saw guests queue for close to four hours on opening day. The brand now runs more than 20 bakeries across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, with more locations still opening. “Cinnabon has always been a place where families come together over something sweet, so partnering with Gabby’s Dollhouse, a series that sparks curiosity and joy in kids around the world, felt like the perfect match,” said Kerri Christian, Senior Vice President of International and Channels Marketing at GoTo Foods, parent company to Cinnabon. “We wanted every market to experience the magic of Gabby’s world in a way that’s unique to them, and we can’t wait for fans to get their hands on it.” The tie-in, dubbed the Purr-fect Pairing, combines the Classic MiniBon, a smaller version of Cinnabon’s signature roll made with Makara cinnamon and topped with cream cheese frosting, with the CinniFizzie, a sparkling drink served alongside it. The prize headband echoes the cat ears Gabby wears on-screen whenever she shrinks down into her dollhouse. Offer details vary by store, so it’s worth checking with a local Cinnabon before heading in. Gabby’s Dollhouse debuted on Netflix in January 2021 and has since become a global hit, landing in the Top 10 on Netflix in 63 countries and ranking as the most-watched streaming original series for kids, according to Nielsen. Australia has its own tie to the franchise too: Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie held its world premiere in Melbourne in September 2025, before going on to earn more than $80 million worldwide. The Purr-fect Pairing is available now at participating Cinnabon stores across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, while stocks last. Source: Inklink Marketing Find more food culture updates on Crumb Wire.

Toby’s Estate is turning its Fitzroy flagship into a daytime DJ session

Pallavi MathurAugust 21, 2026

Toby’s Estate is turning its Fitzroy café into a four-hour listening session this month, complete with vinyl, DJs and, of course, coffee. Rose St Session runs from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, August 29, at the brand’s 35 Rose Street flagship, with Toby’s Estate teaming up with La Marzocco and Oh! Jean Records for a daytime takeover soundtracked entirely from the decks. On the bill are DJ InokoMAX (aka Max Allison-Brock, owner of Melbourne institution Good Measure and the man behind the now-iconic Mont Blanc coffee) and Toby’s Estate resident DJ Nico Deoki. It’s less nightclub-at-10 am, more a genuinely good live soundtrack with even better coffee alongside it. Oh! Jean Records will run a vinyl pop-up on-site, while La Marzocco joins Toby’s Estate behind the machines. Everything coming through the speakers is on Max and Nico. It’s the latest move from Toby’s Estate to make its Fitzroy flagship a place people actually stick around in, rather than somewhere to grab a coffee and go. The venue, which opened in early 2025, sits right in the middle of Melbourne’s coffee heartland, a city where café culture has long stretched well beyond what’s in the cup. That’s borne out in the numbers, too. Research commissioned by Toby’s Estate found one in ten Victorians has already been to a café rave, more than any other state in the country, and Victorians are also the nation’s most prolific café daters, with 41% having been on a café date compared with 35% nationally. They’re ahead of the curve on coffee trends as well, more likely than anywhere else to have tried nitro coffee, Mont Blanc iced coffee and sparkling coffee tonics. Rose St Session might not technically be a rave, but going by that data, Melbourne clearly isn’t opposed to the idea of a DJ with its coffee. Rose St Session runs from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, August 29, at Toby’s Estate Fitzroy, 35 Rose St, Fitzroy VIC. Source: Bestkept Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

Australia becomes first in the world to get Macca’s Birdie’s Brekkie Meal

Pallavi MathurAugust 20, 2026

Macca’s is launching a new breakfast menu fronted by Birdie the Early Bird, and for the first time, Australia gets it before anywhere else in the world. Birdie, a longtime McDonaldland character known for singing, painting and loving breakfast more than anything, is fronting a new pink-themed menu launch with Birdie’s Brekkie Meal. From Wednesday, August 26, Macca’s is rolling out a full pink takeover: new menu items, exclusive packaging and even an original soundtrack, all built around Birdie’s brand of colourful, feel-good energy. Tobi Fukushima, Acting Marketing Director of Menu for McDonald’s Australia, said: “Birdie has always been one of our most loved McDonaldland characters and we’re excited to bring her colourful world to life for longtime fans and a whole new generation of Aussies. “As a world-first, Birdie’s Brekkie Meal brings Birdie’s optimism, playful spirit and unmistakable pink aesthetic to Macca’s breakfast menu for the very first time. From Birdie’s delicious Brekkie Signature Sauce and Strawberry Shortcake Frappé to exclusive packaging and an original soundtrack, every detail has been designed to bring a little more fun, colour and personality to mornings.” A menu dressed in pink The centrepiece is Birdie’s Brekkie Signature Sauce, a pink, creamy sauce dropped onto a lineup of breakfast classics. Choose a McMuffin or a Brekkie McWrap, pair it with a Strawberry Shortcake Frappé and a Hash Brown, and you’ve got Birdie’s Brekkie Meal, Macca’s usual breakfast staples with a rosy hue and packaging designed to be as photogenic as it is functional. The lineup includes the Birdie Sausage and Egg McMuffin, Birdie Bacon and Egg McMuffin, and Birdie Chicken and Bacon McMuffin, all topped with the signature sauce, alongside the Birdie Brekkie McWrap, which packs bacon, hash brown, egg and cheese into a warm tortilla. The Strawberry Shortcake Frappé completes the package with biscuit crumb swirled through the drink and sprinkled over the whipped cream on top. Birdie’s got her own soundtrack too Macca’s has given Birdie an original theme song, pulling from noughties pop and classic cartoon anthems, streaming on Spotify from August 26. It sits inside a broader Birdie’s Brekkie Beats playlist, which also features remixes and covers from Australian creators and fans. Birdie’s Brekkie Meal is available nationwide from August 26 for a limited time via drive-thru, front counter, McDelivery and the MyMacca’s app. Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

Plate It Forward is celebrating one million meals with a laneway party

Pallavi MathurAugust 20, 2026

Plate It Forward has hit a serious milestone: one million meals donated since the social enterprise was founded six years ago. The Sydney-based hospitality group, founded by Shaun Christie-David, runs venues including Colombo Social, Kyiv Social and Kabul Social. Through its restaurants, catering and events, it creates employment and training opportunities for people facing systemic barriers to work, while running meal programs for communities experiencing food insecurity across Australia and Sri Lanka. It now provides 14,000 meals a week. Of the million meals, around 710,000 have gone to communities in Sydney, with the remaining 290,000 reaching people in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Ukraine and beyond. Christie-David said, “It’s very rare that we stop and reflect on the impact we’ve created, but one million meals is a pretty special moment. When we started Plate It Forward, I never imagined it would become what it is today. Around 710,000 of those meals have gone to communities here in Sydney, with another 290,000 reaching people in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Ukraine and beyond. “What makes me most proud isn’t really the number. It’s the people behind it. We have this incredible team who inspire me every day, and a community we are so proud to feed. Every one of you has a story, every one of you matters, and every meal carries a little bit of the love we put into making it. “I’m incredibly grateful to everyone at Plate It Forward and beyond who has made this possible. I can’t wait to see what the next million looks like.” In Sydney, Plate It Forward provides meals through partnerships with RedLink in Redfern, Rough Edges in Darlinghurst, Redfern Jarjum College in Redfern, Weave Youth & Community Services in Waterloo, and Hume Housing in Telopea. In Sri Lanka, the organisation supports Harvest, a long-term food security program delivered in partnership with Dilmah Tea and the MJF Foundation. The program currently runs across 23 schools, providing daily meals to more than 2,700 children while supporting better school attendance and long-term opportunities in rural communities. To mark the milestone, Plate It Forward is throwing a party in the Kyiv Social laneway, bringing together the team, volunteers, partners, donors and the guests who’ve dined, catered or booked events across its venues over the years. A serious lineup of chefs and hospitality names will be on the BBQ, including Mitch Orr (formerly Ace Hotel and 25hours Hotels), Darryl Martin (Watermans), Brendan King (Derrel’s), NipCooks, Serwan Roman and Andrew Vu (Roman’s Deli), and the women of Kabul Social. Young Henrys will be pouring, with music running throughout the afternoon. Plate It Forward’s One Million Meals Laneway Party runs from 12:30 pm on August 30 at Kyiv Social Laneway, Grafton Lane, Chippendale. Source: Electric Collective Find more dining out updates on Crumb Wire.

Guess who’s back: The Big Jack returns to Hungry Jack’s

Cinnabon’s newest freebie comes courtesy of Gabby’s Dollhouse

Toby’s Estate is turning its Fitzroy flagship into a daytime DJ session

Australia becomes first in the world to get Macca’s Birdie’s Brekkie Meal

Plate It Forward is celebrating one million meals with a laneway party

Grape, Grain & Graze Festival is returning to Sydney Showground