New Whanganui restaurant owner surprised by early support

Kamal Khetpal of Bloody Burgers in Whanganui. Photo / Bevan Conley.

A new Whanganui burger restaurant owner is surprised by how busy it has been in its first week of business.

Bloody Burgers opened in Trafalgar Square on Friday, April 1, and during the first week co-owner Kamal Khetpal was pleasantly surprised by the support from diners.

"It's actually been better than what we expected."

Khetpal and his business partner are originally from Auckland, and Khetpal agreed to move to Whanganui permanently to manage the restaurant.

Due to Covid-19, the process of moving from Auckland to Whanganui was an especially long one.

Once Khetpal eventually arrived in Whanganui, the impact of Covid-19 meant he was faced with a shortage of staff and a shortage of some building supplies and there were concerns about when it would be able to open.

However, Khetpal said when they started to put signage up, there was community interest.

"As soon as we put the sign up, somebody posted it on Facebook, so I think that's how everybody got to know," Khetpal said.

Bloody Burgers offers a range of burgers, including beef, chicken and vegetarian 'no blood' options, as well as 'Bloody Specials' such as the 'Snapper' fish burger and 'Mr Big Stuff', a double patty beef burger.

There is also a range of sides, such as kumara chips and poutine (fries with gravy and cheese sauce), as well as a selection of drinks including milkshakes.

Bloody Burgers is located in Trafalgar Square, next to Tank, and is open daily from 10.30am to 7pm.