Oporto (restaurant)

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Oporto is an Australian-based fast-food franchise known for its Portuguese style chicken (properly known as Galinha à Africana) and burgers as well as its spicy chilli sauce. Oporto has more than 85 stores across Australia and New Zealand and was named the fastest growing franchise in Australia in 2005 by Business Review Weekly. It serves more than 10 million people a year. Oporto’s slogan is "Just Gotta Go!"

Contents

1 Restaurants
2 Food
3 Identity
4 Trivia
5 External links
6 See also

Restaurants

The first Oporto restaurant was founded in 1986 by Antonio Cerqueira, a Portuguese immigrant, in North Bondi, New South Wales. Oporto now has 63 locations in New South Wales, as well as 9 in Queensland, 3 in Victoria, 3 in ACT, 2 in South Australia and 6 in New Zealand. Some of these restaurants are called Oporto Express and offer a smaller range of products- most commonly this means they do not offer a breakfast menu. Many Oporto stores are halaal to cater for the members of the Muslim community.

Food

Oporto’s chilli sauce is its speciality and is available on every product. The chilli sauce is a Portuguese piri-piri sauce made from chilli, ginger, lemon and garlic. Oporto’s most distinguishing product is the Bondi Burger, a double fillet chicken burger with chilli sauce, named after Bondi Beach. Chicken and burgers are usually sold in meals (in sizes small, regular and large) with a side of chips and a canned or bottled drink. Burgers are available in three sizes- single fillet, double fillet and triple fillet. Desserts and salads are also offered and, at one time, a beef burger became part of the menu. Whole, half, and quarter chickens are also available, basted with either Lemon and Herb dressing or Chilli sauce. Chicken Value Meals are served with either Mashed Potato or Chips, as well as a can or bottle of drink. Their breakfast menu includes a Bacon and Egg Burger, a Bacon and Chicken Burger, and a Big Breakfast; hash browns are also available. There are currently plans to introduce Red Bull into the drink menu.

Identity

Because the original Oporto restaurant was located on Bondi Beach, elements of beach culture are incorporated in the restaurant’s identity. Some of the burgers at Oporto have beach inspired names such as Bondi Burger and Otropo Burger. In addition, Oporto’s logo is a sun and its advertising frequently includes images of beach culture, particularly young people in swimwear or carrying surfboards. Oporto uses colloquial words in the names of its products such as Brekkie Burger, Norm Burger and Kiddo Burger. The franchise also distances itself from the perception that fast-food is unhealthy by promoting its chicken as "fresh not frozen, grilled not fried." Oporto also proudly describes itself as a wholly-owned Australian company.

Trivia

Oporto is named after Porto, Portugal's second largest city.

In January, 2006 a prisoner escaped from Long Bay jail after dieting and slipping through the bars but was caught three days later on the steps of Oporto Bondi Junction. Oporto used this as promotion on its website in a tongue-in-cheek way, claiming that it was proof that Oporto’s chilli sauce really is "irresistible."

The Otropo Burger takes its name from the word "tropical" (the burger contains pineapple); incidently, it is also "Oporto" spelled backwards.

External links