And then there was one: Wahlburgers shuts down second-last Australian venue

Celebrity chain Wahlburgers has shut its Surfers Paradise location following a string of closures earlier this year. With only a single store remaining in Bringelly, Sydney, the future of the once-booming, star-backed burger brand now hangs in the balance.

The Queensland location closed its doors on September 21, according to reports, with a Google searching listing the business as “permanently closed”.

The Surfers Paradise closure follows broader company restructuring and external administration of its Australian franchise partner, United Cinemas Australia, which led to the shutdown of multiple national locations. Wahlburgers Australia’s social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook haven’t been updated since July.

The US arm of the business is also undergoing major changes, including sweeping store closures.

Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg, 55, the face of the brand alongside his brothers, actor Donnie and chef Paul. He announced Wahlburgers’ first Australian location at Opera Quays in Circular Quay in Sydney in February 2022.

This was followed by a further five locations in Manly, Byron Bay, Warriewood, and Bringelly in New South Wales and Surfers Paradise in Queensland, in partnership with Australian business United Cinemas.

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Following confirmation of the Manly closure in March, Sam Mustaca, CEO of United Cinemas Australia & New Zealand, told nine.com.au it was a result of a “restructuring of the business”. He confirmed at the time the Bringelly and Surfers Paradise locations would remain open.

“We are very happy with these locations and thank all the patrons and clients that repeat visitations and looking forward to service the community for years to come,” he said.

As for the future of Wahlburgers in Australia, Mustaca said they remained in partnership and are “currently on the hunt” for new Australian locations.

When the venture was first launched, there were plans to roll out more than 20 additional locations across Australia and New Zealand. Planned locations at Craigieburn in Melbourne and Rockingham in Perth never came to fruition.

Mustaca has since been contacted for further comment.

The demise of Wahlburgers follows the 2023 collapse of fitness brand F45, of which Mark was an investor.

The actor bought a minority stake in the Australian-born fitness brand in 2019 through his investment firm, Investment Group MW. He became the global brand ambassador, heavily promoting the group fitness HIIT brand.

After a period of aggressive expansion, the business began to struggle during the COVID pandemic as gym attendance and memberships floundered. The pandemic also meant Wahlberg wasn’t able to travel to Australia for the opening of the country’s first Wahlburgers location.

Wahlburgers was initially founded in 2011, with the famous brothers opening 51 locations across the US and Canada ahead of their Australian launch.

“This all started with my brother, Chef Paul, who has spent his entire career in the kitchen,” Mark explained in a statement released for the opening of Wahlburgers in Circular Quay.

“For the last 10 years he’s dedicated himself to bringing guests an exceptional experience, no matter where in the world they are visiting Wahlburgers.”

The chain was the subject of the television series Wahlburgers, which debuted on A&E in 2014 and aired for 10 seasons over five years.

Wahlburgers partnered with several high-profile corporate entities, franchisees, and groups across the US, Canada and Australia to expand its restaurant and retail footprint.

At its peak there were as many as 109 Wahlburgers locations around the world including in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. In 2024, multiple venues closed, reducing the chain to approximately 32 locations globally.

Several Wahlburger food trucks that operate in partnership with Home Depot Partnership in the US are reportedly still in business, and the burger chain’s signature sauce Wahl Sauce is sold in the US.