Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg’s celebrity burger chain has opened in New Zealand today, with crowds flocking to Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour to experience the taste.
With a menu to last all day, Sam Mustaca, who runs the business in Australia and NZ, says he’s “overwhelmed” with the turnout.
Mustaca said he was looking to start a business with a “Hollywood experience”. After contacting the Wahlberg brothers while on holiday in the US in 2018, “that’s how it all sort of came together”.
The restaurant sits beside the waterfront at former Euro restaurant's site on Princes Wharf. At the opening today, there were lone diners, couples and crowds at tables, all rating the experience as a stream of waiters emerged to take and deliver orders.
A couple told 1News it was a “solid” 10 out of 10 experience, saying the Truffle Beef burger exceeded expectations.
“The bacon’s great, the beef pattie is perfect, everything is nice and hot, you can taste the truffle in there – it’s perfect.”
The price point for most of the burgers is around $20 and fries about $7.
The menu boasts a wide range - from breakfast options like granola, toast and pancakes - to a full breakfast burger.
Fried pickles with a side of the famous Wahl family sauce is a favourite of Mustaca, who says his pick for Kiwis is the New Zealand burger.
“It’s similar to the Aussie burger but it has a New Zealand twist to it…you guys have pineapple,” he says. But that’s not all, it drips with egg, is loaded with beef, bacon and cheese along with lettuce, onions and tomato.
“We are curating and tailoring it to New Zealanders’ taste buds and the beauty of the produce here is that everything is fresh.
“Nothing is imported, everything is fresh – there’s nothing frozen we are using.”
There’s a kids menu – Mac and cheese, chicken tenders and you guessed it, burgers. Vegans are taken care of, there are also salads for the ultra-healthy and adult-only boozy milkshakes.
The sports bar, situated at the end of the restaurant, has a Hollywood feel to it.
“We are bringing in later on in the year, a tequila brand which Mark is involved in - so we will be adding a curated tequila bar next door in a few months.”
Mustaca says he expects the Wahlberg brothers to show up for that.
Two more Wahlburgers are expected to open this year - in Bay of Plenty and Queenstown.
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