Less is more for restaurateur

THE boss of one of Australia’s fastest growing restaurant chains says the days of the supersized fast-food meal are numbered amid the growing obesity problem.

Guzman y Gomez founder Steven Marks ( pictured) said his rivals would come under increasing pressure to offer customers smaller portions with fewer calories.

“People should be eating less,” said Mr Marks, whose 120-outlet Mexican chain already offers customers a mini-range on its menu. “Portion size should be the next big thing for the fast food sector.”

The company claims to serve 100 per cent “clean food” with no added preservatives, artificial flavours, added colours or unacceptable additives. Unacceptable additives are ingredients that have been identified by the World Health Organisation as cancerous, faced consumer backlash or have been subject to warnings in other parts of the world.

Researchers who compared data from 1995 to 2012 found portion sizes for a large proportion of Australia’s most commonly consumed junk foods had risen significantly.

Mr Mark’s call for a more healthy fast food industry comes as Guzman announces major expansion plans in Queensland including new drive-through restaurants to be opened at Helensvale, Arana Hills and Maroochydore by the end of the year.

“Queensland has changed the game for us and is one of our best markets,” he said.

The company now operates 120 restaurants and drive-throughs across Australia, Singapore and Japan.