Apex bringing burger heaven to more diners
A BRAND synonymous with Cairns takeaway food has expanded to meet the public’s growing appetite for top-quality burgers and fries.
Apex Milk Bar co-owner Bill O’Rourke said the business’s newly opened second venue at Mt Sheridan Plaza had enjoyed a flying start to trade.
“Whenever you set up a new shop, such as a food business, you try and plan as much as you can. You envisage how it will all run,” he said.
“We’re pretty excited to see that, from day one, everything we thought was going to work is working.”
It comes just over three years after Mr O’Rourke bought the longstanding Apex Milk Bar building at Manunda, turning it into a funky burger operation that soon became a popular meeting spot for locals.
He has since been joined in the business by his brother Davy – who owns Cairns cafe Mama Coco – and friend Ricci Whelan.
Mr O’Rourke said the trio saw a “good opportunity” to expand into Cairns’ fast-growing southside.
“We’ve always wanted to grow Apex Milk Bar, and the brand, and be able to offer our burgers across the region,” he said.
“The decision to open up here is really long and complex.
“Aside from making sure the figures stack up, it’s about having the agreement of the three business partners.”
It is the latest feather in the cap of Mr O’Rourke, a high school dropout who found his niche in hospitality as a teenager.
“I was washing dishes and opening tins of beetroot in Canberra,” he said. “At that point I was on not a great trajectory, but I got lucky, I got a job that kept me going.
“I found something that I was good at and developed a passion for hospitality.”
Apex Milk Bar has eight employees across the Manunda and Mt Sheridan venues, with head chef Brad Ansell playing a pivotal role in fineturning the menu.
Mr O’Rourke said quality of product and service were two “pillars” of the hospitality trade. As for the long-term Suite 1, 588 Mulgrave Road Woree, QLD Australia, 4868 Apex vision? The sky seems to be the limit, but Mr O’Rourke was staying grounded for now.
“We’re always open to new opportunities, new things. Who knows?” he said.
“We’re just going to focus on making sure this is right.
“Maybe after six or 12 months we’ll look at what’s next. I like to be diverse and don’t like things being stagnant.”
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