Getta Burger shut 14 of 17 stores rather than raise prices or cut quality

On 24 November 2023, Queensland fast-food franchise Getta Burger announced it had closed 14 of its south-east Queensland stores, leaving only Townsville, North Ward and Kirwan open. A liquidator was appointed for director Brent Poulter's six companies, which also ran Cach Song Vietnamese Coffee and OnlyFries in Capalaba. 107 staff learned about it from the announcement — several said they were not told until they turned up to work on the Thursday morning.

Poulter framed the collapse as a refusal to compromise: 'I couldn't see a way to keep our great standards and keep the business going.' The chain had absorbed COVID losses voluntarily without government assistance, and Poulter said he would have had to cut the quality of the burgers to stay viable — 'we don't want to sell inferior meat and charge the same price' — while also resisting passing costs on to customers as 'increasing costs' piled up.

The numbers he cited were stark: a 30 per cent surge in power bills in the past year, a 300 per cent price hike on potato chips, and rising costs for frying oil, packaging, utilities and shipping. 'Small businesses nationwide are grappling with soaring rents, increased costs, and staffing hurdles — without any support at all,' he said.

The chain carried a decade of inflation on its own books instead of repricing the menu or shrinking portions.

It absorbed COVID-era losses without JobKeeper-style help, entering the cost crisis with no reserves.

Premium standards at unchanged prices made every store financially unviable as energy and inputs spiked.

The closure hit 107 workers days before Christmas, with staff finding out on arrival at work.

Refusing to pass on costs can be a brand promise, but it is still a pricing decision — and a menu that no longer pays for itself eventually closes every door that carries it.

Liquidation proceedings covered all six of Poulter's companies; three Townsville-area stores kept trading while the other locations — Capalaba, Clayfield, North Lakes, Cannon Hill, Victoria Point, West End, Bridgeman Downs, Carina, Springfield Lakes, Holmview, Yamanto and Yatala — shut.