Meet The Locals

If you’re a Robina local or passionate foodie, you’re probably well acquainted with The Kitchens’ resident restaurateur Stanley Lee, the culinary mastermind behind popular Asian eateries Saiko Teppanyaki, Ari Thai and Mad Asian. One of the original tenants to join The Kitchens when the food playground first opened, Stanley already had a cult following from his time as co-owner and head chef at SAIKO Teppanyaki in Brisbane’s Emporium where he sliced, diced and flipped with expert precision. The Hong-Kong born chef decided to bring his authentic Japanese dining experience to the Gold Coast, opening SAIKO 2.0 upstairs at The Kitchens in 2016. Four years on, the masterchef has expanded his Asian empire significantly, adding two more restaurants to The Kitchens’ foodie line up, Mad Asian and Ari Thai. 

Drawing on his heritage and rich cultural experiences, Stanley’s menus are exciting and diverse, offering everything from Bangkok-inspired street food, teppan-grilled Japanese feasts, and Malaysian and Vietnamese eats that pack a serious flavour punch. Keep an eye out for this smiling epicure on your next visit to The Kitchens, who splits his time between the three upstairs venues, cooking up a storm for hungry lunch and dinner patrons. 

Issue.1 embodies the modern, fashion conscious but practical woman and we take pride in being able to offer ‘something for everyone’.

Our brand curation focuses on Australian labels and we’re increasingly incorporating locally made, sustainable and environmentally friendly brands.

As a busy wife, mother and business owner myself, I understand the need for fashion that is easy to wear and exudes effortless cool. - Brooke, Issue.1

Coming Home Co's Belinda and her husband Scott always dreamt of opening a restaurant that felt like a home away from home.

“I grew up eating dinner every night at the table with the family and now that tradition lives on in our house. We play a game called ‘High/Low’ every night, where we share the events of the day with one another. For me, eating together with family and friends is what it’s all about."

Summer’s coming and that can only mean one thing: heavenly smoothies, fresh juices and frozen treats on the daily.

Robina Town Centre’s very own Boost Juice is one of the Coast’s most popular juice bars, attracting queues of thirsty shoppers looking for that delicious pick-me-up, but what you may not know is that this healthy hub is actually a family-owned franchise - who happen to be locals, too. Tina and husband Brad, along with his sister Kylie and parents Karen and Steve, first joined the Boost business in 2003, before launching at Robina Town Centre in 2009.

Over the past 10 years, the family’s Robina store has become a buzzing hot spot for locals, pumping out their famous smoothie combos (the Mango Magic is easily a crowd favourite, according to Tina!), and serving locally-made grab-and-go style snacks, like their popular chocolate protein balls. This close-knit family now owns and operates four stores across the Gold Coast, but it’s their Robina store that holds a special place in their hearts, employing over 20 locals and enjoying the gratification that comes from having a loyal following of customers that return time and time again. 

Family owned, family operated. When it comes to Crafted Coffee Co it’s double the family love! 

The ‘Clasen’s and the Bitzios’ are the two families behind the fresh brews, delicious bites and welcoming service at Crafted. Friends for 25 years, the two families work together creating delicious cups of liquid caffeine gold and specialise in providing fresh roasted blends. With an exclusive local The Kitchens blend and their own Signature Blend, the caffeine curators are passionate and as innovative as ever – rolling out new blends every few months.

Whether it’s sit down cuppa or beans to go, freshly roasted coffee, coffee making accessories, cold brews, Bulletproof or the ultimate Death by Coffee – as soon as you enter The Kitchens, simply follow the delicious wafts all the way to their coffee machine to find them. 

Bec Chidgey is the curator behind the beautiful clothing and homewares store for little humans, Tiny Trader.

As a Mum of two young children, Bec had always dreamt of owning her very own store, although never would’ve imagined that her dreams would become a reality, all whilst having an 8-month-old.

‘I was shopping at Robina one day and was without the particular dummy we used, it was then that I saw the opportunity to open my own store that would stock popular baby brands, along with all the essential items that “us Mums” are really looking for’.

Many of Bec’s regular shoppers have described her store as a beautiful and inspiring Instagram feed.

‘It’s been a juggling act balancing mum life and work life, as I do everything from managing the website to working behind the counter and serving customers - but I absolutely love it!’ 

Find Tiny Trader located on Ground Level, Big W.

Meet George. Every morning at the crack of dawn, George takes off to source the freshest of fruit and veg for his customers. Selecting top quality produce from local farms and the Brisbane markets, it’s no wonder why EARTH MARKETS has been a local favourite for over 30 years. 

The family owned business boasts a warm and welcoming vibe as soon as you enter the store. The team loves to inspire their customers with seasonal produce, recipe recommendations, cooking demonstrations and recipe cards. Now offering a dedicated delivery service for Gold Coast locals, EARTH MARKETS make the weekly food shop even easier! 

When it comes to fine food deli items, gourmet imported delicacies, local produce and organic fair trade coffee, Barbosa Deli is a one stop shop. Local owner and operator of 22 years, Jose Teixeira says nothing beats seeing a local come in with a recipe they haven’t tried before and being able to help them select some gourmet ingredients – so they can go home and cook for their loved ones. 
 
Whether it’s pizza dough for a Friday night feast, a traditional carbonara sauce with real Italian pasta, risotto, paella or a range of gourmet cheeses, crackers and meats for a family entertaining platter – the range and inspiration is truly endless at Barbosa!
 
“Over the last few months, a lot of people have really enjoyed entertaining at home and getting more creative in the kitchen – these challenging times have actually brought a lot of families together” says Jose.

Ice-cream with a smile. Meet Julie from Giardina Gelati. Setting them apart from your regular gelataria, all their gelati is made completely from scratch, by a Sicilian with 40 years of experience. It doesn't get more authentic than that. Oh and if ice-cream isn't your thing, their range of Italian sweets are made fresh on site every day. They're also the only gelati store in the region that sells a large range of sugar free/low calorie ice-cream.

NIKE

You wouldn’t guess that Nike is one of our longest standing tenants! Owners, Peter and his wife Leanne grew up right here on the Gold Coast and started up the very first Nike store in Australia in 1993. They moved several times over the years, but always found themselves drawn back to the Gold Coast. For them, Robina Town Centre is home and they look forward to having their local regulars pop in. Find Nike located Ground Level, near Apple.

Glen Hatton is a Gold Coast local of five years and is the owner of Grill’d at Robina Town Centre. He’s excited to see locals back dining in at the restaurant and enjoying healthy burgers! Yes, there’s such a thing! Wanna know what makes a burger healthy? They serve up 100% natural, healthy burgers on the daily with 0% artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. Try them today on the Promenade.

Gold Coast local of 15 years, Broson Tai opened Mrs. Fields Bakery Café at Robina Town Centre two years ago and his famous cookies have been the talk of the town ever since!

Renowned for his “World Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies” that are baked daily, Broson and his team are excited to be welcoming locals back to their bakery. Serving award-winning coffee, toasties, pieces and plenty of savoury or sweet bites, Broson says he’s excited to be back in ‘kitchen’ but can’t wait to be mingling with his customers once again.

If you have an insatiable sweet tooth (guilty!), chances are you’ve paid a visit to The Kitchens’ centrally located patisserie Mark Daniel’s, where buttery croissants, melt-in-your-mouth macarons and vibrantly coloured petit gateaux tempt tastebuds from behind the cabinets. This sweet-as bake shop is the brainchild of Brisbane pâtissier extraordinaire Mark Daniel who opened his very first cafe inside The Kitchens in 2016 as one of the original tenants (at the ripe old age of 24! Impressive huh?!). 

As is often the case with many great success stories, Mark’s business commenced operations out of his family home, where he would create edible masterpieces from a make-shift commercial kitchen. Soon outgrowing the space, Mark took a leap of faith and assumed residency on ground floor of The Kitchens, launching a gorgeous, modern venue with an eye-catching blue and white fit out, ample seating and glass cabinets brimming with sweet treats.  Four years on, Mark Daniel’s has certainly become the go-to for coffee and cake dates.

Trained by celebrity pâtissier Kirsten Tibballs, while working alongside Adrian Zumbo, Mark’s baking repertoire is innovative and vast, so be sure to wander past the in-house kitchens right near Mark’s patisserie, as you may just catch a glimpse of the macaron maestro in action as he bakes everything fresh onsite daily. 

Wondering how an investment banker from Sydney made the transition to owning and operating a successful restaurant franchise operation on the Gold Coast? That’s precisely what Tom Graham of Guzman Y Gomez (or GYG as it’s affectionately dubbed) set out to do when he was offered the opportunity to join the rapidly expanding international Mexican eatery chain, as a franchisee.

With a fire in his belly to bring fresh, mouthwatering Mexican eats to the Coast and redefine what ‘fast food’ means, Tom opened his Robina Town Centre restaurant in 2013 (which saw the restaurant give away a whopping 6,360 burritos in nine hours on launch day!), and now owns six GYG stores right here in his backyard!  

Underpinned by GYG’s modern mantra “clean is the new healthy”, Tom is making it his mission to serve up delicious fast food to locals without the guilt factor that typically comes with it, something that he is particularly passionate about. 

“We have a no compromise approach to the quality and freshness of our food, so diners can be guaranteed that they won’t find any hidden preservatives, artificial flavours, added colours or unacceptable additives in any of our dishes,” says Tom. Cheers to that! 

Slinging authentic Mexican bites featuring local ingredients and prepared in-store daily, GYG is a firm favourite among the local foodie crowd, who flock to this vibrant street-style taqueria in the Food Atrium in droves. Crowd favourites range from the Spicy Chicken Burrito Bowl with guacamole (made using only the finest Lilydale free-range chicken, of course), to the Beef Cali Burrito (hold the rice, swap in fries!).