Steve Costi’s Famous Fish franchise has plans for five new stores to open this year, with a primary focus on New South Wales and Victoria. 

Famous Fish originates from the Costi’s Seafood brand which has been operating since 1958. In 2014, Steve Costi partnered with Jon Sully (formerly co-owner of Michel’s Patisserie) and a group of partners to evolve the brand, the menu and the business model to the casual dining model that is Famous Fish.

Although the casual dining space is a competitive one, Famous Fish offers seafood casual dining opportunities and options for fast food, backed by the renowned Costi brand.

Sal El-Houli, general manager at Steve Costi’s Famous Fish, said that there is a “massive gap in the market” for seafood casual dining, which is why the brand has aggressive growth plans for metropolitan and regional New South Wales and Victoria.

“We anticipate five new stores this year, and are on the lookout for sites and franchisees,” said El-Houli.

The initial investment cost for a franchise typically starts at $200,000 (depending on fit out and site conditions), and comes with a fully integrated HR rostering support, payroll systems, digital menu solutions, and marketing support.

“There’s been a complete evolution of the brand (from the Steve Costi model),” said El-Houli.

With a new look and feel to the franchise model, and a menu in place, El-Houli said that the brand is “constantly evolving” with new product developments underway.

Find out more about becoming a Steve Costi’s Famous Fish franchisee.