Hungry Jack’s, which Isans usually associate with trips to the Big Smoke, opened its first restaurant in the North West.

Once the breakfast rush ended, the Hungry Jack’s crew prepared for the lunch rush. Then school ended, another rush began. By nightfall, it was no different.

Mount Isa had heard rumours about a Hungry Jack’s coming to town for years. They watched the store take shape, adding signage and furniture. 

For most of the day, the store was packed, the drive-through backed up and Jack’s crews on their first shifts were pushed to their limit. 

For all the diners, the wait was worth it.

In the past, it was a 10-hour road trip to Townsville to satisfy discerning tastes.

 “The wait wasn’t too bad,” said Carol Morgan, who lined up for 10 minutes to get onion rings and a burger. 

For Bette McDonald, the new store and its taste were birthday treats.

She associated the food with growing up in Adelaide, where it was well established.

Callum Preston enjoyed a soft drink and John Hauga broke his diet to feast on burgers.  

There is nothing wrong with having an occasional blow-out.

Some would even argue it is good for the soul.

One diner, who declined to be named, was dissatisfied with the store’s size, calling it the smallest he had visited, but that did not diminish his enjoyment of his onion rings.

“I guess it will thin out with time,” he said about the opening-day crowd.

THE casual hamburger restaurant, which has more than 13,000 outlets globally in 79 countries,  serves a variety of hamburgers, side orders, milkshakes and soft drinks, the flame-grilled Whopper hamburger is its signature product.

The eponymous Jack is Jack Cowin, 71, a Canadian-Australian entrepreneur who controls the rebadged Burger King chain in Australia, and is a director of Fairfax Media, the publisher of the North West Star. 

Hungry Jack’s is second-largest franchisee of Burger King, after US-based Carrols Corp.

When Burger King moved into Australia, it found its brand was already trademarked by an Adelaide takeaway. 

As a result, Burger King provided Cowin with alternatives and the new brand emerged. It is the only franchise to operate under a different name because of a subsequent copyright dispute and legal case between the two companies.

The Australian franchise opened its first store in Perth in 1971 and rapidly expanded to other states. It opened its first Queensland store in 1974. 

The Australian Financial Review reported earlier this month Cowin previously was an investor in Stanbroke Pastoral Company, the largest privately owned vertically integrated beef business. Cowin and associated interests also has stakes in KFC and Domino’s Pizza.

The company was approached for comment several times by phone and email. However, none was received before The North West Star went to print.