Gunnedah burger restaurant More than Burgers opening soon

More than Burgers will set up shop in the new Viva Energy (Shell) Service Station on Stockman Close off the Kamilaroi Highway, to both dine-in and drive-thru customers.

Owner Shane Waters says there'll be something for everyone, and it will be "all geared-up to be something different rather than your big chain like McDonald's".

There'll be five hamburger options, including a vegetarian/vegan option, and two chicken burgers, one with grilled chicken and the other with crunchy fried chicken.

The hamburger options include a cheeseburger, bacon burger, 'the lot' burger, and a simple plain hamburger.

All will have a "decent-sized patty", Mr Waters says.

"We're going to have cold displays inside the shop as well because it's a sit-down restaurant as well as drive-thru," he said.

"There'll also be sandwiches, a selection of cakes, wraps, rolls, all that sort of stuff you get from a bakery/sandwich shop, and obviously drinks."

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He said he'd be using local produce like meat, fruit and veg "to support the town" rather than "buying the frozen stuff through the manufacturers".

Mr Waters, who lives in Newcastle, has been in the hospitality and service centre industry for about 30 years.

He has his own cafe in Toronto called the Boulevarde Coffee Hub, and also ran the Roadhaven Cafe in a busy servo in Beresfield for 16 years before that.

"It was a $1.2 million turnover a year so it was massive for a food outlet. I had 30 staff in that, so it was a pretty big operation," Mr Waters said. "I decided to downsize to a small cafe because it's very frantic when you're in a roadhouse."

He's hoping to hire some capable staff ready for the opening of More than Burgers, and is looking for locals with experience in fast food.

"I don't want to open up with a whole heap of inexperienced people, especially in drive-thru where they're using headsets," the owner said. "The opening date ... depends on the staff I can get for it and when I can get them."

Mr Waters is aiming to open the fast-food restaurant in early February. Anyone interested in applying for a position at More than Burgers can send their resume to shanewaters12@bigpond.com

A Facebook page for More than Burgers is coming soon.