RE Burger owner Ajay Dhiman, who also owns RE Burger in Palmerston North, said on its opening day the Maria Place business catered for about 300 orders: “We got a lot of love from Whanganui.”
Dhiman said he was not “too concerned” about opening at the same time as BurgerFuel.
“We’re just trying to do our best here.
“There’s no doubt Whanganui is growing, it’s a big town, and there’s a few other towns that also have RE Burger and BurgerFuel together - it’s good to have more options.”
Garner said RE Burger’s marketing offered a “street and youth” appeal whereas the more established BurgerFuel with its “car guy connotations” would attract a different, older customer base.
“If a brand’s coming in, they have a whole lot of criteria because they don’t want to fail, or be seen to fail, because it will resonate throughout the country and reflect on other franchise owners.
“They take calculated risks and they do their homework and due diligence to make sure there’s a market for their product.”
Bloody Burgers owner Kamal Khetpal, who opened his burger joint in Trafalgar Square in 2022, said the new competition had some pros and cons.
“Of course, for the town it’s good to be getting bigger franchises for growth, but business-wise I feel two burger joints opening together ... we’ll see how it goes because I don’t think this town has that much potential.
“You never know though, but there have been a few businesses that have shut down recently.”
Drews Ave’s Easy Tiger owner Isaac Paurini said he thought it was a positive thing and “the more the merrier”.
“I think, even though we all do burgers, we all offer different experiences and versions of the same thing.
“It’s like saying why would you open a Burger King when there’s already McDonald’s? Even though it seems ridiculous at the moment, I think Whanganui can be pretty slow to catch on to things.”
Zoey Sun, who owns Burger Cartel on Victoria Ave, said BurgerFuel and RE Burger choosing to move to Whanganui suggested there was a large enough market for them here.
“The things we all worry about is not new stores opening, it’s more about the costs that keep going up, that’s what closes businesses down.”
Khetpal said the increase in burger joints would mean businesses had to offer more competitive deals.
“I’m not too concerned because we’re doing business as usual but, of course, it’s going to impact us for a couple of months because it’s going to slow.
“People are going to try new food and new things but I think in a month or two it should go back to normal.”
Big franchises were always more known to people so that was a drawback for a small, local business, he said.
Garner said a mix of corporate brands and independent providers was vital to a healthy main street.
“It’s the quality of the product and the service on the street that is the concern. If you’ve got six burger joints and all of them are doing well that says that you’re relevant to your market.”
Paurini said Easy Tiger had a captive customer base of people who visited Porridge Watson bar.
“If it did ever get to the point where it was too flooded with burgers, I could change things up.”
Whanganui BurgerFuel and McDonald’s declined to comment. Burger King did not respond to a request for comment.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
