TWO WAYS MENUS ARE WINNING ATTENTION

Standing out on a crowded strip or in a competitive dining precinct has never been easy, and two very different Australian food stories from the past few weeks show just how differently venues are tackling the problem. One is a slow, provenance driven win built over generations. The other is a fast, youth focused brand built on mascots and merchandise. Neither approach suits every venue, but together they offer a useful reminder that there is more than one legitimate way to earn a guest’s attention and loyalty.

The provenance story: a Queensland Wagyu takes the world title

Earlier this month, a Wagyu fillet bred and raised at Torrens Creek in Central Queensland was named the World’s Best Steak for 2026, beating 470 entries from around the globe at the World Steak Challenge in Amsterdam. The animal was raised by fourth generation cattle producers Adam and Hayley Rea, finished on a bespoke grain program, and processed by Brisbane based Paradigm Foods under its Senku Pure Wagyu label. “This is the first time we have ever entered the World Steak Challenge, and we’ve come away with the top title, judged blind against the best in the world,” said Paradigm Foods general manager Nick Thompson. Within days, the winning cut sold out at Brisbane restaurant Fatcow on James Street. That is the commercial power of a genuine provenance story: a single verifiable, awarded fact about where an ingredient came from and how it was raised can sell out a menu item faster than any promotion.

The experience story: mascots, merchandise and the “little treat” economy

At the other end of the spectrum, a wave of east and south east Asian fast food and quick service brands has been opening across Australia since 2023, and the strategy has almost nothing to do with provenance. Chinese bubble tea giant Mixue now has more than ten Australian locations, and it has been followed by chains such as Marrybrown, Nana’s Green Tea, Miguelitos and Molly Tea, with newer arrivals like Sederhana and Makkee Dessert opening this year. Teresa Davis, associate professor of marketing at the University of Sydney, points to the packaging and visual identity as the real drawcard: “their marketing and visual merchandising cuts through the extremely competitive fast food market.” Sydney cafe co-owner Michael Yee describes the approach as intentionally “bombastic,” built around bright colours, mascots and novelty flavours designed to travel well on social media. These brands are not selling a heritage story. They are selling a cheap, shareable, slightly indulgent moment, and younger customers are queuing around the block for it.

The underlying opportunity

While neither case may be directly appropriate to all clubs and hotels, both stories point to the same underlying opportunity: know which lever your venue actually has to pull, and pull it properly rather than half-heartedly. If your kitchen sources genuinely distinctive local produce, whether that is a regional beef supplier, a boutique brewery or a family run seafood business, tell that story specifically and often, because a vague “locally sourced” line on a menu does none of the work that a named farmer or a competition result does. If your venue’s real strength is atmosphere, novelty and a younger crowd, invest in the visual identity and social presence that makes a night out feel like an event worth posting about, rather than trying to compete on provenance you don’t have. Trying to do both half-heartedly, a bit of local sourcing language alongside a generic room with no real personality, is usually where menus and marketing budgets get wasted. Pick the story your venue can actually tell and tell it with the same conviction as a fourth-generation cattle producer or a venue with a queue around the block.

 

Sources

• Time Out Australia, “The World’s Best Steak for 2026 has been crowned, and it’s a Queensland Wagyu” — https://www.timeout.com/australia/news/the-worlds-best-steak-for-2026-has-been-crowned-and-its-a-queensland-wagyu-091826

• The Guardian, “Mascots, merchandise and Mixue: the new wave of Asian fast food chains in Australia” — https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/sep/17/mascots-merchandise-and-mixue-the-new-wave-of-asian-fast-food-chains-in-australia