Calling all meat lovers! Carv’n It Up is tapping into an Aussie favourite – Mum’s roast lunch with a twist – now it’s a business concept you can invest in.

The Albury-based restaurant has a 10 year history of dishing up roasted delights for the locals. It’s just been refurbished and doubled in size, and is ready to relaunch its franchise model.

Graham Sessions, who owns and operates the restaurant with his son Stephen, admits the pair were inexperienced when they tried out the franchising idea a few years ago. Now they know just what it takes to deliver for franchisees, and the pair are geared up with a five year plan.

“We’ve been working through the process of getting the shop right, and getting the numbers right,” Graham explains.

It’s a business with a real niche. 

“We turn over tonnes of meat!” he says. “What we do is different – we have the roast in a hot bain marie and we carve the meat in front of them, prepare meal in front of their eyes. We are providing families with healthy meals. We found there aren’t many places that offer what we do.”

Carv’n It Up ready to franchise

The Albury store operates both as a dine-in and takeaway and for franchisees there is flexibility to operate as purely takeaway in a food court with a rationalised menu that caters for mornings through lunch to afternoon tea.

While the focus is on the carvery, the menu will include lasagne, chicken kiev and schnitzel but steer clear of hamburgers and fish and chips. 

Carv’n It Up was a concept dreamed up by Stephen after holidaying in the Gold Coast and loving the hot roast meat rolls he tasted. He brought back the idea to the family, which had always operated restaurants or supermarkets.

Now the business is set for measured growth, with the target of one franchise opening this year, four to open in 2021 and within five years to have reached 23 outlets.

The initial opportunity is likely to be Sydney or Melbourne, both cities within easy reach of Albury where the franchisee will spend two weeks training at the headquarters, before a week’s training either side of the outlet opening. 

Franchise support includes media launch, uniforms, loyalty cards, and menus, and franchisees will operate within an exclusive territory.