Supermarket and cafe to serve up Asian delights
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A SLICE of the Philippines has arrived in the North Burnett to dish up some exotic Asian delights.
Mulgildie Asian Supermarket and Restaurant opened in early June in the small village just outside of Monto.
Owners Ross and Joann Duncan reopened the former Friendly Grocer shop to a large reception of hungry patrons on their first day.
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“We received huge opening sales on our first day through the supermarket and restaurant,” Mr Duncan said.
“It really shows that the area is fighting back after the coronavirus.”
Mr Duncan formerly ran the Friendly Grocer several years ago, before leasing the supermarket to separate tenants.
After meeting his partner Joann in the Philippines soon after, they both came to realise they wanted to open their own Asian supermarket and restaurant.
Upon returning back to Australia, Mr Duncan found the previous tenants had neglected the store, and failed to pay several months in rent.
They soon vanished, leaving close to $15,000 in damages.
Since then, the couple has renovated the entire building, installed new windows, doors, kitchen, and more.
Now their business is up and running for the hungry folks in Mulgildie, with numerous Filipino brands available to buy in their supermarket.
“This has been something we’ve been talking about since Joann and I have known each other, so it’s been in the pipeline for just about two and a half years,” he said.
“The restaurant has always been a part of it as well, where we’ll be cooking predominantly Filipino, and Thai cuisine.”
They’ll be adding another asset to their business in the coming months in the form of a laundromat, pending council certification.
Mr Duncan and his partner are excited for the future, with more stock arriving day by day to fill the store.
“You can really tell that the area is improving, with Rural Aid coming back, and with the drought renewal projects too,” Mr Duncan said.
“We’ll be getting heaps of tourists through here once everything opens up again.”
Their opening times are Monday to Thursday, 7.30am-5pm, Friday to Sunday 7.30am-8.30pm, and Sunday 7.30am-2pm.
