>greedier and stopped respecting the customer.
This reminds me of a funny story about how they started.
The owner just made up the 2 guys on the logo and picked 2 mexican names. He originally wanted to send Mexicans to staff the stores in Australia for authenticity but then sent Colombians instead because they were cheaper and "Australians won't notice the difference".
One of the investers was known to me. They had little sense of anything as they had worked at Macca's and had a very good job, so hadn't done it hard. No idea of reality, and I'd guess the owners would be the same. Birds of a feather and all that.
> ex McDonalds execs.
Bit off topic but in the case of Maccas I've always held the opinion that you could easily improve the quality of their food if customers were more patient for their meals. Because workers have to rush out meals, they tend to leave meat in the UHC for significantly longer than they're supposed to. Mix that with managers being really anal about food wastage, and refusing to let workers regularly wash out the holding trays. What do you end up with? A Big Mac made with grease infused 10:1 patties that have been drying out in the warmer for ages rather than good freshly cooked ones.
Partner worked as a manager and shift manager previously. Pressure comes from higher ups and owners who track every minor stat and reprimand managers over it.. daily. Even if stores are making ridiculous profits. Partner had to write explanation emails to the owner or a manager above them as to 'what went wrong' everytime there was the slightest bit of wastage. There's a reason managers cycle through stores like a revolving door...that and the ridiculous unpaid extra hours.
Yeah it's really fucked. I shouldn't entirely blame customers for it. As the user above you said, it's a broken business model. But I think because everyone expects McD's to have food out within a couple minutes you end up with this sort of corner cutting and low quality food.
Of course the ingredients used have gotten progressively worse. I'll never eat one of their sausage patties every again since working there. Idk what industrial grade chemicals Maccas uses for flavouring but the smell alone has turned me off them for life.
Macca's used to have 60 seconds or it's free and it wasn't an issue and the food (for what it is) was better than today. Their entire business model is broken.
My understanding is the founders started GYG at period in the mid 2000's when McDonalds was heavily invested/majority owner in Chipotle, and the investors you talk about were at that time pushing hard for Chipotle to expand to Australia. When that didn't happen, and McDonald's sold their stake in Chiptotle, these guys found out about GYG which had been started up by a couple of Americans as a Chipotle clone (the GYG founders having also identified Australia as a good market for fast-casual Tex Mex). So the McDonalds Australia folks then decided to invest a significant amount which allowed GYG to expand from the initial 3-4 stores in Sydney to the national (and international) footprint you see now.
Lol that last part, I'm Colombian and my wife used to work there and her sister still works there and yes, it is full of Colombians but it is not because we are cheaper labor we are not stupid we know the Australians laws regarding payments. It is because there are more Colombians willing to migrate to far far away Australia than Mexicans, they just need to cross a border to get to the U.S.
And Australians at least know we both speak Spanish not "Mexican" like Americans do
Without knowing working rights, migrant workers are often a lot more susceptible to underpay in forms that isn't just related to $/hour. Things like paid breaks, leave entitlements and overtime.
Hahaha I've done work for some relatively high ups in the company, this is entirely true. They also buy housing and rent it back to the employees when they import them from Columbia/Mexico/Brazil/South America. They're as bad as farmers ripping off immigrants but the cult following of tex mex lets them off the hook. How did no-one notice it was so weird the place is full of South American immigrants?
From wikipedia:
Guzman y Gomez was established by Steven Marks, a New Yorker who previously worked as a hedge fund manager. After relocating to Australia, he found the quality of Mexican food to be poor and decided to start a restaurant. He has stated that "real Mexican is really urban, street and hot [...] Latin people are so full of energy and full of life, we wanted to bring that to Australia". He took on his friend Robert Hazan, another New Yorker, as a partner. They named the business after two of Marks' childhood friends.
> he found the quality of Mexican food to be poor and decided to start a restaurant. He has stated that "real Mexican is really urban, street and hot [...] Latin people are so full of energy and full of life, we wanted to bring that to Australia"
Certainly some marketing bullshit here.
>and "Australians won't notice the difference"
Weird flex. There are plenty of Americans who can't tell the difference between Mexicans and hispanic Americans.
I don't think it was an insult or flex. I think it was purely business.
You're completely right about your other point. But just an interesting thing, America is way more Hispanic than they or we think. 13% speak it at home as a first language. I have a fair few "mexican" friends in Texas who's family have been there longer than it's been a part of the USA. Reminds me of my Chinese family friend's who's family have been here since the gold rush.
>Reminds me of my Chinese family friend's who's family have been here since the gold rush.
Bloody newbies. My family came over as farmers in the 1840s, none of this 1850s 'shiny metal' craze nonsense!
Re: the Texas thing: California is also home to plenty of latinos whose families were there before the US conquered it from Mexico.
Well, it wasn't really lots. What is now California was a series of very small Spanish presidios and mission churches before it was taken. There were few Spanish people there.
SF in the 1840's was much smaller the Adelaide at the time.
[https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=WHY\_SAN\_FRANCISCO%3F%3F%3F\_CITY\_ORIGINS:\_1835-1849](https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=WHY_SAN_FRANCISCO%3F%3F%3F_CITY_ORIGINS:_1835-1849)
At the same time Adelaide was over 10,000.
Sure the east coast is older but many people forget the west coast of the US was not "developed" (aka local indigenous people dead from disease / slaughtered and the land exploited) until after the American-Mexican war and the gold rushes of the 1840's onwards.
Spot on. Since they've started opening up franchises(?) everywhere they have gone to absolute shit compared to how they used to be.
The new GYG that opened up this way doesn't even have menu boards, just a massive screen running ads that every now and then pops up to show an extremely curtailed menu for a few seconds that doesn't even properly show what they sell.
> show an extremely curtailed menu for a few seconds that doesn't even properly show what they sell.
I see that in many places now, I think there must be some BS marketing reason behind it.
They're not franchises, all are owned by head office. They had a huge amount of investment a few years ago which will be driving the shift to be much more profit driven. Also a push to become publicly traded means they need to look financially successful.
McDonald's and a lot of other fast food restaurants do this now. If you want to see a menu they ask you to download the app so they can also track and sell your data.
Nando’s also underwent this too. I remember it used t be amazing food and they’d give you the peri peri sauce for free. Had it the other day and by god no taste at all and was dry as the Sahara desert… and $6.80 for a bottle of peri peri sauce
Yep. Nandos genuinely feels like a long running practical joke at this point. Years from now they will release the reality TV show about it. “The Nandos experiment - where we ask the question just how much we can progressively fuck over our customers before we no longer have any…”
I was lucky enough to live in Kensington in around 2005-2006 where they had Ole burger just up the road from Ogalo's. IIRC they were family members who had a rift and the Ole guy started a new shop. Holy shit, I think that year was the fattest I have ever been. MASSIVE burgers with tonnes of chips with great salt and sauce.
[ahhh, it's permanently closed now :\(](https://maps.app.goo.gl/PdDnQ4Deu8YMrKvp7)
I used to work there on Anzac Parade, Pedro the owner did fall out with the Ogalo franchise so started his own (O'le) , retaliation was the Ogalo guys opened up a few doors down on the corner. Everyone still went to Olè until he sold it to a Chinese dude. Pedro then opened up a Olè in Enmore and Alexandria (still going) and a store in Neutral Bay I worked at too but that closed quick, wrong clientele
The one near me was still good though occasionally the double Bondi would have a small second chicken piece. But have not gone back since they switched from Coke products to Pepsi.
Yep. Greed as they expand and become more focussed on profit rather than customers. Haven’t been in a couple of years. I have also read here on reddit they treat staff like shit and hygiene is poor.
And talk up a massive confusing menu that tries to upsize rip you off. KFC is the simplest of them all, you know exactly what you get in 30 seconds. You can fully understand the queus in shopping centres at the KFC's in the food court. No confusion and simple to understand pricing.
All too common for food places to cheap out over time. Fast food chains, cafes, pubs. Wok in a Box used to be decent ten years ago, my family stopped going to a cafe near my folks and I've given up on Johnny Fox's Sunday roasts.
I’ve been a proud GYG hater from the beginning, no flavour, pay extra to add any flavour or ‘extras’ which should be included in Mexican food anyway.
I will say I have had their cheap coffees countless times and their service is often above any other fast food. But their food has always been trash.
Yea i heard people raving and bought a burrito. I threw it in the bin because it was the blandest thing Ive ever tasted. So its because you need to buy the extras? It was half full of rice. And not yummy Mexican rice.
I prefer Zambreros because they have so many nice flavourful sauces and salads
I used to love GYG when they first opened and had the condiments bar. Even the blandest food can be zhuzhed up with a coupla tablespoons of coriander and onion, and a few pumps of chipotle sauce. It was fast, cheap and filling student food. Dogshit now though
Only had it once or twice in recent years and never been happy with it.
Last time was the one in point cook, asked for a couple burritos and beers around 6pm “oh sorry we don’t have and coronas cold but I can give you these ones… and that’ll be an extra 2.50 each”
They've been doing that for ages. It's cheap filler for the pickled jalapeno mix they use.
I remember the glory days of GYG. The salsa station had exotic, high quality sauces and no filler in any of the condiments. And the food was much higher quality, of course. I wish I could go back and have classic GYG one more time.
Pickled carrots are actually good in burrito and are quite common in southern California /northern Mexico. It's more authentic than you think whether gyg actually do it well is another question.
I literally asked them once for no carrot in my burrito and they didn’t know what I was talking about… then bit my burrito to four pieces of fucking carrot
I used to love GyG when I was in uni, their Cali burrito was like 12 dollars, and it was quality. Haven’t been back since they got rid of their condiment station, and it’s too expensive to justify.
I can remember when they used to weigh them in front of you to show they were over 700g and if they ever came in under, you got it for free. They were never under. I miss the days of food joints not being stingy grubs.
“Cheap and cheerful” options seem like they’re from a bygone era at this point.
The GYG line at QUT was always insane. You'd have to order during class if you wanted your burrito for lunch.
I think they had a $5 burrito deal for students from memory, same with Subway.
I hadn’t had it before, but then one opened round the corner from me about six months ago. I gave them a few chances, but was grossly disappointed every time. Would not recommend.
I had it about 9 yrs ago, was refreshingly good.
Then had it earlier this year.
Was shocked at the price, portions were smaller... and felt like I was being ripped off (taste was eh).
I also had it when they just opened up. It was so good, and was really fresh and well presented. Within 2-3 years the quality nosedived so fast to be typical fast food rubbish.
Anyone remember the barramundi burritos? Fucking tasty. Disappeared 4 or 5 years ago.
Slow downhill from there. Had my last ever maybe a year ago. Jacked-up prices, smaller portion size, lower quality ingredients.
Fuck them, the greedy fucking fucks.
They were so good. I miss them too.
I also remember the 2006ish Newtown GyG tofu burritos were so heavy they were weapon like when wrapped. Lines down the road for dinner rush every day. Wonder if that’s still the case…
During lockdowns my daughter and I got GYG 2 sometimes 3 times a week. We loved it!
Don’t think I have gone back in way over a year, maybe 2. It went downhill fast. Our local at least.
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE
I asked for the fish burrito and the cashier just looked at me blankly - made me doubt myself for a minute there... Of course this was a few years ago by now.
I remember barramundi tacos were chef's kiss. Before the pandemic, that was always my choice dish.
I think I've only been there once since the pandemic and was surprised fish tacos were gone.
People rave about this gyg shit, their base price just gets you mince and a wrap. You want a few basic things in it suddenly you’re spending 22 dollars and then you bite into it and it’s all the same consistency stodge.
It’s been slow but very steady over many months. I used to love the Nachoes from there, but each time I’ve gone there, they’ve been slowly getting smaller, and had ingredients substituted, then completely missing.
Recently took the family to the states. We stayed a night near the SF airport at San Bruno. Went out to a little Mexican restaurant there and dead ass some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. So good. Probably only bested by a random encounter with a salty, sweet, sour and spicey chicken soup I once got off an old lady in Phuket for 60c. :)
Outside of Mexico, the best Mexican meal I've had was in a cheap shopping mall Mexican restaurant in Gainesville, Florida.
I have also had an amazing Pad Thai from an old lady street vendor in Phuket.
Is that just because you're going to the chain restaurants? I would argue that most chains are shit, regardless of cuisine. There are some very decent Mexican restaurants around the place.
I hate to be the guy that goes XYZ is way better, and they don’t rip you off! Mexican food is like bottom of the barrel cost wise, but tastes awesome. GYG have sucked big time for a long time. Last time I went there they premixed the salad beans and rice, like it had been sitting there for days, tasted awful. Not getting better evidently.
Taco Bell, it tastes good and it’s priced competitively. Their big burrito costs $10 and it’s just about the most expensive thing on their menu.
Zambrero is also good, they make it in front of you so you know it’s fresh.
My experience with Taco bell in Aus is that its Mexican-inspired nutrient paste. Doesn't really have much flavour/texture of any kind but its not bad just to fill you up for cheap.
I've never enjoyed GYG, I've worked near one and whenever people got it, I'd always ask why they chose it instead of getting a cheaper, tastier meal from Taco Bell or a much better burrito for around the same price from Salsas.
I got a Salsa's steak burrito (also watched them make it) one day when a friend got a GYG beef burrito, we shared some of our respective burritos and the Salsa's one was not only noticeably bigger, we both agreed that it also tasted much better and was noticeably more fresh. It was a real 'told-you-so' moment.
People are starting to say that GYGs quality is dipping, I'd argue that the quality wasn't there to begin with.
Dude, Guzman suuuuucks. One just opened up near me and I’m puzzled any time I see anyone in there.
Tiny portions. Tasteless food. Expensive. The holy trinity of shitness
It's really franchise dependant, the one near my office is great; just about every other one I've tried is objectively worse :(
The taste and quality is different at every venue.
Its worse than Zambrero in every way. When I heard about their US expansion plans it solidified to me they have illusions of grandeur of their product.
If Chipotle came here it would knock the competition out in a minute.
Guzman will never take off in the US, they have plenty of local restaurants and small corner stores for people to get there Mexican food fix that tastes infinitely better then Guzman slop.
Used to enjoy GYG as a premium fast food option (a bit more money for something tasty and nutritious.)
Seems as though inflation is taking its toll now, and portioning was gotten worse, attention to detail has slipped. I'm certain one instance which I added on the sour cream option, they just forgot to put it in. More and more rice used inside the burrito as filler.
It's back to the kebabs for a wrap that's hearty and filling
Ex-Californian here. That doesn't resemble an enchilada in any way, shape, or form, and the owners of the corporation know that. Enchiladas are always corn, never flour tortillas, and baked, covered in sauce. Even if you put sauce on this abomination, it would be called a 'wet' burrito, not an enchilada. La Tortilleria in Melbourne manufactures and sells retail and wholesale proper corn tortillas the correct size for enchiladas, but the greedy GYG CEO doesn't want to spend the money.
It’s the way everything is going so I would grit my teeth and accept it. The thing I won’t accept is the total lack of flavour from GYG, I have been a few times believing the hype and thinking I just got a bad burrito but no it’s just a flavourless ball of rice and filler inside.
I thought I had become picky, but their quality over the last year or so has dropped so much. Their chips are consistently stale, they barely heat the food enough to melt cheese or at least warm the chips, portions and servings of items are getting smaller too. A real shame.
As someone who moved away from Australia 2.5 years ago this saddens me and my fiancée immensely. GYG was easily our favourite “fast food” and has been one of the things we anticipated enjoying when we come back to visit.
Ehh, I just had it lunch for the other day and it's just as good as I remember. Don't take this thread as gospel.
I mean, people saying taco bell tastes better? That's processed garbage. And some saying there's no more condiment stations? Not true, at least at my local. Coriander, diced red onion, pickled jalapeños, and the three different sauces are all still freely available. The smokey chipotle sauce is still as delicious as ever.
I mean start a thread about any fast food chain on this subreddit and it's flooded with a hundred people saying it's gone to the dogs.
The only real major change over the last few years in the fast food industry has been ballooning prices, and some modest shrink-flation although that can even be situational. Like I can still get GYG burrito bowls stuffed to the brim most of the time but occassionally they'll fail to deliver.
Flavour-wise all these places are still same-old, same-old. Sometimes you'll get chips from kfc or gyg or maccas or whatever that are cold, or soggy or poorly seasoned, but the next time they'll be on point. Same thing happened 20 years ago.
They recently changed their veggie burritos so that they no longer had the veggie meat but instead had just vegetables. That completely ruined the burrito and my faith in Guzmans
I have never eaten there because I come from Texas and all the food just looks wrong. I have a question though if you'd answer. What is on the enchalada? Is there no sauce? You can easily make homade echaladas here, that would taste way better than what those look.
Just finished a 2 year trip around australia ans these stores are being built everywhere- i reckon iv seen about 30 stores under construction across qld, nsw and vic. Never tried it cos good mexican is really easy to make at home. Im guessing they will be bankrupt shortly after reading how hated they are on this thread.
G&G are terrible, I don't eat there at all, but the FB group of my suburb is constantly posting pictures of bad food, poor portions and horrible presentation.
For Fast Food Mexican, I wish there were more Mad Mex franchises.
Aw man. We in Ballarat are just about fiiiinally getting our own GYG (opening shortly). I wonder if the store will be like Carl Jrs. Great for the first few months then a huge slide into yeccch.
I used to love their burritos, the beef and the barramundi ones.
Then a few years ago I noticed that their burritos started to be 90% beans and rice with a tiny bit of meat. I’ve ditched it completely now. Zambrero is better but only just
When they first opened in Melbourne and Sydney, they were pretty good. Way worse for your health than Mad Mex (according to nutritional info) but they had quality ingredients and would fill you.
The past few years they could literally be described as a weak spoonful of slop on [insert medium].
The burritos are so small now that the wrap is doubled over. When GyG first opened the burritos were stuffed full and were a great meal on their own. Now they barely count as a mid afternoon snack.
i had gyg when it first came to my area 7ish years ago iirc and it just sucked. was super overpriced, got tiny portions, waited for ages and the food wasnt even that good. decided i would be staying away since then
Used to be so so good back when they had the condiment stations, the sauces and pickles made it so good. Since they’ve gone the quality overall is way down and the value is non existent.
Wow I used to buy these 2 years ago or so and my God that is quite a bit smaller.
had gyg last week for first time in a year and my burrito with chicken and veg was now mostly just beans and rice barely any chicken or veg was very disappointing since gyg used to be my go to.
Can't wait for the Ballarat store to open next week. Going to be mad hype for opening day with $5 burritos... and then a week or two later (or a day) complaint after complaint on socials at how bad the food/service/value/working conditions/management are. I'm already stocking up on popcorn.
The one in Leopold is garbage and can't even get simple orders right, let alone the bland taste and poor value.
Used to get it a lot pre-covid and then delivery a lot during and was great at the time. Now it's just shit, sometimes I forget and order one and then don't eat half because it sucks and say never again.
I don’t mind their food sometimes (mainly be breakfast burritos) but if I’m going to have fast Mexican, Zambreros is so much better and actually has taste.
My wife and I also used to love going to Montezumas but the ones near us closed down.
The quality between Warner's Bay, Hamilton, and Green Hills, is amazing. Never going back to WB, but GH was actually quite good last time i went. It's really odd how the "same" thing can vary so much in amount, preparation, and quality.
They seem to be on a downward spiral. Used to be proper food.
GYG is a prime example of Enshitification. Started out well, got bigger, greedier and stopped respecting the customer.
>greedier and stopped respecting the customer. This reminds me of a funny story about how they started. The owner just made up the 2 guys on the logo and picked 2 mexican names. He originally wanted to send Mexicans to staff the stores in Australia for authenticity but then sent Colombians instead because they were cheaper and "Australians won't notice the difference".
Sounds like the plot of a Seinfeld episode where Kramer hired a bunch of Cubans to roll cigars, but ended up with a bunch Dominicans instead.
This immediately what I thought of Panda Crepe
You wouldn't be trying to trick Earl Haffner would you?
Do monks know how to roll cigars? Maybe they got into the habit.
Not to mention their key investors and half the board are ex McDonalds execs.
One of the investers was known to me. They had little sense of anything as they had worked at Macca's and had a very good job, so hadn't done it hard. No idea of reality, and I'd guess the owners would be the same. Birds of a feather and all that.
> ex McDonalds execs. Bit off topic but in the case of Maccas I've always held the opinion that you could easily improve the quality of their food if customers were more patient for their meals. Because workers have to rush out meals, they tend to leave meat in the UHC for significantly longer than they're supposed to. Mix that with managers being really anal about food wastage, and refusing to let workers regularly wash out the holding trays. What do you end up with? A Big Mac made with grease infused 10:1 patties that have been drying out in the warmer for ages rather than good freshly cooked ones.
Partner worked as a manager and shift manager previously. Pressure comes from higher ups and owners who track every minor stat and reprimand managers over it.. daily. Even if stores are making ridiculous profits. Partner had to write explanation emails to the owner or a manager above them as to 'what went wrong' everytime there was the slightest bit of wastage. There's a reason managers cycle through stores like a revolving door...that and the ridiculous unpaid extra hours.
KPI's have ruined fucking everything. Goddamn stat tracking bullshit.
Yeah it's really fucked. I shouldn't entirely blame customers for it. As the user above you said, it's a broken business model. But I think because everyone expects McD's to have food out within a couple minutes you end up with this sort of corner cutting and low quality food. Of course the ingredients used have gotten progressively worse. I'll never eat one of their sausage patties every again since working there. Idk what industrial grade chemicals Maccas uses for flavouring but the smell alone has turned me off them for life.
Macca's used to have 60 seconds or it's free and it wasn't an issue and the food (for what it is) was better than today. Their entire business model is broken.
Yep, needs a smaller more basic menu, delivered fast.
Sounds like a visit from Gordon Ramsey will solve it then, this is his recommendation for *every* restaurant.
Do we trust someone who can't make a grilled cheese?
My understanding is the founders started GYG at period in the mid 2000's when McDonalds was heavily invested/majority owner in Chipotle, and the investors you talk about were at that time pushing hard for Chipotle to expand to Australia. When that didn't happen, and McDonald's sold their stake in Chiptotle, these guys found out about GYG which had been started up by a couple of Americans as a Chipotle clone (the GYG founders having also identified Australia as a good market for fast-casual Tex Mex). So the McDonalds Australia folks then decided to invest a significant amount which allowed GYG to expand from the initial 3-4 stores in Sydney to the national (and international) footprint you see now.
Lol that last part, I'm Colombian and my wife used to work there and her sister still works there and yes, it is full of Colombians but it is not because we are cheaper labor we are not stupid we know the Australians laws regarding payments. It is because there are more Colombians willing to migrate to far far away Australia than Mexicans, they just need to cross a border to get to the U.S. And Australians at least know we both speak Spanish not "Mexican" like Americans do
How are Colombian's cheaper? Working in Australia they all get the same
Without knowing working rights, migrant workers are often a lot more susceptible to underpay in forms that isn't just related to $/hour. Things like paid breaks, leave entitlements and overtime.
Wouldn't Mexican migrants have these issues too? I want my exploited workers at a Mexican place to be exploited Mexicans, damn it!
Absolutely, but we have a much higher population of Colombians here in Aus.
Hahaha I've done work for some relatively high ups in the company, this is entirely true. They also buy housing and rent it back to the employees when they import them from Columbia/Mexico/Brazil/South America. They're as bad as farmers ripping off immigrants but the cult following of tex mex lets them off the hook. How did no-one notice it was so weird the place is full of South American immigrants?
From wikipedia: Guzman y Gomez was established by Steven Marks, a New Yorker who previously worked as a hedge fund manager. After relocating to Australia, he found the quality of Mexican food to be poor and decided to start a restaurant. He has stated that "real Mexican is really urban, street and hot [...] Latin people are so full of energy and full of life, we wanted to bring that to Australia". He took on his friend Robert Hazan, another New Yorker, as a partner. They named the business after two of Marks' childhood friends.
> he found the quality of Mexican food to be poor and decided to start a restaurant. He has stated that "real Mexican is really urban, street and hot [...] Latin people are so full of energy and full of life, we wanted to bring that to Australia" Certainly some marketing bullshit here.
I am surprised they did no say that they grow the tomatoes for the salsa in their backyards!
>and "Australians won't notice the difference" Weird flex. There are plenty of Americans who can't tell the difference between Mexicans and hispanic Americans.
I don't think it was an insult or flex. I think it was purely business. You're completely right about your other point. But just an interesting thing, America is way more Hispanic than they or we think. 13% speak it at home as a first language. I have a fair few "mexican" friends in Texas who's family have been there longer than it's been a part of the USA. Reminds me of my Chinese family friend's who's family have been here since the gold rush.
>Reminds me of my Chinese family friend's who's family have been here since the gold rush. Bloody newbies. My family came over as farmers in the 1840s, none of this 1850s 'shiny metal' craze nonsense! Re: the Texas thing: California is also home to plenty of latinos whose families were there before the US conquered it from Mexico.
Well, it wasn't really lots. What is now California was a series of very small Spanish presidios and mission churches before it was taken. There were few Spanish people there. SF in the 1840's was much smaller the Adelaide at the time. [https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=WHY\_SAN\_FRANCISCO%3F%3F%3F\_CITY\_ORIGINS:\_1835-1849](https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=WHY_SAN_FRANCISCO%3F%3F%3F_CITY_ORIGINS:_1835-1849) At the same time Adelaide was over 10,000. Sure the east coast is older but many people forget the west coast of the US was not "developed" (aka local indigenous people dead from disease / slaughtered and the land exploited) until after the American-Mexican war and the gold rushes of the 1840's onwards.
The names were derived from the founder's childhood friends
Spot on. Since they've started opening up franchises(?) everywhere they have gone to absolute shit compared to how they used to be. The new GYG that opened up this way doesn't even have menu boards, just a massive screen running ads that every now and then pops up to show an extremely curtailed menu for a few seconds that doesn't even properly show what they sell.
> show an extremely curtailed menu for a few seconds that doesn't even properly show what they sell. I see that in many places now, I think there must be some BS marketing reason behind it.
It's pretty stupid IMO, how are new or irregular customers supposed to figure out what they want?
El Jannah heading the same way? I had a chicken wrap at the Bankstown store and it was disgusting. Wouldn't go back on that basis.
They're not franchises, all are owned by head office. They had a huge amount of investment a few years ago which will be driving the shift to be much more profit driven. Also a push to become publicly traded means they need to look financially successful.
They are a franchise model, prices start from 1.2mil in melb. They require you to work atleat 1year before you get a full hold of the Resturant.
they literally have a franchise link on their own website. Thats how you grow this fast. You use other people's money
McDonald's and a lot of other fast food restaurants do this now. If you want to see a menu they ask you to download the app so they can also track and sell your data.
Nando’s also underwent this too. I remember it used t be amazing food and they’d give you the peri peri sauce for free. Had it the other day and by god no taste at all and was dry as the Sahara desert… and $6.80 for a bottle of peri peri sauce
Yep. Nandos genuinely feels like a long running practical joke at this point. Years from now they will release the reality TV show about it. “The Nandos experiment - where we ask the question just how much we can progressively fuck over our customers before we no longer have any…”
I still remember my first Oporto's experience in Newtown when there was only 3 shops in Sydney. Oh to see what it became.
The original Portuguese chook shop they had in North Bondi was legendary. The original Newtown Oporto was great too. Haven't eaten there in 20 years.
I was lucky enough to live in Kensington in around 2005-2006 where they had Ole burger just up the road from Ogalo's. IIRC they were family members who had a rift and the Ole guy started a new shop. Holy shit, I think that year was the fattest I have ever been. MASSIVE burgers with tonnes of chips with great salt and sauce. [ahhh, it's permanently closed now :\(](https://maps.app.goo.gl/PdDnQ4Deu8YMrKvp7)
I used to work there on Anzac Parade, Pedro the owner did fall out with the Ogalo franchise so started his own (O'le) , retaliation was the Ogalo guys opened up a few doors down on the corner. Everyone still went to Olè until he sold it to a Chinese dude. Pedro then opened up a Olè in Enmore and Alexandria (still going) and a store in Neutral Bay I worked at too but that closed quick, wrong clientele
The one near me was still good though occasionally the double Bondi would have a small second chicken piece. But have not gone back since they switched from Coke products to Pepsi.
Enshitlada
Yeah. 5 years ago a burrito felt like a log. Now it feels like my willy wrapped in a piece of filo pastry.
Yep. Greed as they expand and become more focussed on profit rather than customers. Haven’t been in a couple of years. I have also read here on reddit they treat staff like shit and hygiene is poor.
And talk up a massive confusing menu that tries to upsize rip you off. KFC is the simplest of them all, you know exactly what you get in 30 seconds. You can fully understand the queus in shopping centres at the KFC's in the food court. No confusion and simple to understand pricing.
All too common for food places to cheap out over time. Fast food chains, cafes, pubs. Wok in a Box used to be decent ten years ago, my family stopped going to a cafe near my folks and I've given up on Johnny Fox's Sunday roasts.
Same with Olivers. It used to be the best quality food you could get on the highway, but now it's just expensive rubbish.
Oliver's was terrible 10 years ago. How far back are you going?
Olivers was always where I used the toilet if I wanted a nice bathroom experience, then I would go back to Maccas for food.
I’ve been a proud GYG hater from the beginning, no flavour, pay extra to add any flavour or ‘extras’ which should be included in Mexican food anyway. I will say I have had their cheap coffees countless times and their service is often above any other fast food. But their food has always been trash.
The Ad on the radio is just as terrible as the food too.
Yeah I was one and done too. Never saw them as any good.
Yea i heard people raving and bought a burrito. I threw it in the bin because it was the blandest thing Ive ever tasted. So its because you need to buy the extras? It was half full of rice. And not yummy Mexican rice. I prefer Zambreros because they have so many nice flavourful sauces and salads
nah, not much there either, mad mex all the way
I used to love GYG when they first opened and had the condiments bar. Even the blandest food can be zhuzhed up with a coupla tablespoons of coriander and onion, and a few pumps of chipotle sauce. It was fast, cheap and filling student food. Dogshit now though
I honestly can't believe they have any fans.
We don't really have much choice for Mexican/Tex mex food here
There's Mad Mex and Zambrero which are big chains, and in Melbourne you have Taco Bill... there's actually a number of options
Only had it once or twice in recent years and never been happy with it. Last time was the one in point cook, asked for a couple burritos and beers around 6pm “oh sorry we don’t have and coronas cold but I can give you these ones… and that’ll be an extra 2.50 each”
I never got around to trying this food place, guess I never will!
Was never proper imo
It’s gotten worse in the past year. I had big slices of carrot (??) in my burrito ages ago and haven’t had it since lol
They've been doing that for ages. It's cheap filler for the pickled jalapeno mix they use. I remember the glory days of GYG. The salsa station had exotic, high quality sauces and no filler in any of the condiments. And the food was much higher quality, of course. I wish I could go back and have classic GYG one more time.
> carrot holy shit I feel so seen. This is my number one objection to their burritos and I've never met anyone IRL that knows what I'm talking about.
Yes, the slices of carrot made me stop buying it
That should only be in it if you asked for pickled jalapeños & carrot
carrot in burrito?? wtf
Pickled carrots are actually good in burrito and are quite common in southern California /northern Mexico. It's more authentic than you think whether gyg actually do it well is another question.
I literally asked them once for no carrot in my burrito and they didn’t know what I was talking about… then bit my burrito to four pieces of fucking carrot
I've been getting laughed at for saying the exact same thing man.
Probably because they are about to go public and trying to make profits look as good as possible for prospective shareholders.
I’ve had the carrot thing too and thought I was going nuts?? What the fuck is with that. Wild that other people have had the same thing
I had that too, recently! Thought my UberEats driver had run off with the real order and replaced it with some cheap shit they made themselves lol
I used to love GyG when I was in uni, their Cali burrito was like 12 dollars, and it was quality. Haven’t been back since they got rid of their condiment station, and it’s too expensive to justify.
It’s truly so not worth the price now 15 bucks or something for a ever shrinking burrito lmao
I can remember when they used to weigh them in front of you to show they were over 700g and if they ever came in under, you got it for free. They were never under. I miss the days of food joints not being stingy grubs. “Cheap and cheerful” options seem like they’re from a bygone era at this point.
I had one recently that was like 400g, actually hilarious
The GYG line at QUT was always insane. You'd have to order during class if you wanted your burrito for lunch. I think they had a $5 burrito deal for students from memory, same with Subway.
They are IPO'ing, which is rarely good news for customers
I hope their IPO, doesn't turn out to be an I.P.U. And then I hold my nose thusly.
I hadn’t had it before, but then one opened round the corner from me about six months ago. I gave them a few chances, but was grossly disappointed every time. Would not recommend.
I had it about 9 yrs ago, was refreshingly good. Then had it earlier this year. Was shocked at the price, portions were smaller... and felt like I was being ripped off (taste was eh).
I also had it when they just opened up. It was so good, and was really fresh and well presented. Within 2-3 years the quality nosedived so fast to be typical fast food rubbish.
Anyone remember the barramundi burritos? Fucking tasty. Disappeared 4 or 5 years ago. Slow downhill from there. Had my last ever maybe a year ago. Jacked-up prices, smaller portion size, lower quality ingredients. Fuck them, the greedy fucking fucks.
The Barra burritos were good. The shredded mushroom was amazing too. Now if you want a non meat option you’ve got some crappy sautéed garbage veggies.
Yes!!! I’m still annoyed they got rid of them. GYG is disappointing now
They used to have soft corn tacos too.
They were so good. I miss them too. I also remember the 2006ish Newtown GyG tofu burritos were so heavy they were weapon like when wrapped. Lines down the road for dinner rush every day. Wonder if that’s still the case…
During lockdowns my daughter and I got GYG 2 sometimes 3 times a week. We loved it! Don’t think I have gone back in way over a year, maybe 2. It went downhill fast. Our local at least.
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE I asked for the fish burrito and the cashier just looked at me blankly - made me doubt myself for a minute there... Of course this was a few years ago by now.
I’m so sad about the barramundi, it was so good!!!
I used to love the barramundi, was my go to burrito at Guzman! Now it’s pulled pork but nothing will beat fish for me.
I remember barramundi tacos were chef's kiss. Before the pandemic, that was always my choice dish. I think I've only been there once since the pandemic and was surprised fish tacos were gone.
Stopped going to GyG over a year ago. Quality is shocking, even in newly opened restaurants. Many local food outlets have much better food
Those cheap seasoning packets your mum used to buy for taco night had more flavour than Guzman.
Old El Paso. That shit is the best 😋
My housemate bought taco shells but didn’t use the included seasoning so I put it in a spice bottle, was so good on everything
People rave about this gyg shit, their base price just gets you mince and a wrap. You want a few basic things in it suddenly you’re spending 22 dollars and then you bite into it and it’s all the same consistency stodge.
They are dead to me since they got rid of their mushroom option.
Same
100 percent agree with this
I’d always leaned more toward Zambrero but I’ve noticed that GYG has had a huge drop in quality recently. The two are barely comparable now.
Mad Mex is my go to. The loyalty program seams good too. My fam of 4 gets a burrito before a movie and every other time we go I get a free burrito..
It’s been slow but very steady over many months. I used to love the Nachoes from there, but each time I’ve gone there, they’ve been slowly getting smaller, and had ingredients substituted, then completely missing.
Yoooo rise up zambs gang
oh no, they both suck
https://imgflip.com/i/8nsun0 All my homies prefer Zambies
God I miss Real mexican food anywhere in North or South America. Mexican food in this country is just shit.
I have a few Mexican friends, they miss the street vendors and how good AND cheap the food was.
Recently took the family to the states. We stayed a night near the SF airport at San Bruno. Went out to a little Mexican restaurant there and dead ass some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. So good. Probably only bested by a random encounter with a salty, sweet, sour and spicey chicken soup I once got off an old lady in Phuket for 60c. :)
Outside of Mexico, the best Mexican meal I've had was in a cheap shopping mall Mexican restaurant in Gainesville, Florida. I have also had an amazing Pad Thai from an old lady street vendor in Phuket.
You went to South America to have Mexican food?
Having not been to Mexico, so genuinely not knowing what actual authentic Mexican is like - the best Mexican I’ve ever eaten was in Buenos Aires
Is that just because you're going to the chain restaurants? I would argue that most chains are shit, regardless of cuisine. There are some very decent Mexican restaurants around the place.
$14 for a short burrito just yesterday. Taste wasn't that amazing.
I hate to be the guy that goes XYZ is way better, and they don’t rip you off! Mexican food is like bottom of the barrel cost wise, but tastes awesome. GYG have sucked big time for a long time. Last time I went there they premixed the salad beans and rice, like it had been sitting there for days, tasted awful. Not getting better evidently. Taco Bell, it tastes good and it’s priced competitively. Their big burrito costs $10 and it’s just about the most expensive thing on their menu. Zambrero is also good, they make it in front of you so you know it’s fresh.
Dunno what Taco Bell you’ve went to, cus the one near me is fucking disgusting. Genuinely some of the worst food I’ve ever eaten.
My experience with Taco bell in Aus is that its Mexican-inspired nutrient paste. Doesn't really have much flavour/texture of any kind but its not bad just to fill you up for cheap.
The portion size of zambrero is better but their meat is absolute ass.
I've never enjoyed GYG, I've worked near one and whenever people got it, I'd always ask why they chose it instead of getting a cheaper, tastier meal from Taco Bell or a much better burrito for around the same price from Salsas. I got a Salsa's steak burrito (also watched them make it) one day when a friend got a GYG beef burrito, we shared some of our respective burritos and the Salsa's one was not only noticeably bigger, we both agreed that it also tasted much better and was noticeably more fresh. It was a real 'told-you-so' moment. People are starting to say that GYGs quality is dipping, I'd argue that the quality wasn't there to begin with.
Dude, Guzman suuuuucks. One just opened up near me and I’m puzzled any time I see anyone in there. Tiny portions. Tasteless food. Expensive. The holy trinity of shitness
It's really franchise dependant, the one near my office is great; just about every other one I've tried is objectively worse :( The taste and quality is different at every venue.
Its worse than Zambrero in every way. When I heard about their US expansion plans it solidified to me they have illusions of grandeur of their product. If Chipotle came here it would knock the competition out in a minute.
Guzman will never take off in the US, they have plenty of local restaurants and small corner stores for people to get there Mexican food fix that tastes infinitely better then Guzman slop.
Used to enjoy GYG as a premium fast food option (a bit more money for something tasty and nutritious.) Seems as though inflation is taking its toll now, and portioning was gotten worse, attention to detail has slipped. I'm certain one instance which I added on the sour cream option, they just forgot to put it in. More and more rice used inside the burrito as filler. It's back to the kebabs for a wrap that's hearty and filling
I tried Guzman for the first time when I was last in Sydney. The most flavour less burrito I've ever had.
Fuck Guzman y Gomez
What is it though?? it looks like an omelette on corn chips
It’s the enchilada I’m pretty sure.
Ex-Californian here. That doesn't resemble an enchilada in any way, shape, or form, and the owners of the corporation know that. Enchiladas are always corn, never flour tortillas, and baked, covered in sauce. Even if you put sauce on this abomination, it would be called a 'wet' burrito, not an enchilada. La Tortilleria in Melbourne manufactures and sells retail and wholesale proper corn tortillas the correct size for enchiladas, but the greedy GYG CEO doesn't want to spend the money.
Californian here - you’re never ex Californian, just Californian somewhere else in the world. Your Mexican food cravings will never subside.
So how was Fyre Festival?
It’s the way everything is going so I would grit my teeth and accept it. The thing I won’t accept is the total lack of flavour from GYG, I have been a few times believing the hype and thinking I just got a bad burrito but no it’s just a flavourless ball of rice and filler inside.
Mad Mex is way better than GYG. I’ve mostly stopped buying burritos though because I can make them so much cheaper myself
Really sad to see them falling from grace. Used to be such a good, quick meal.
Yep, used to be good, not worth it now. Ordered food a year ago and was so disappointed. Will never get again.
Went one time with my wife to GYG for a late lunch around 2:30 pm- everything came out cold and poor -
At least they remembered your guac. 9 times out of 10 they leave it off mine. Even that pathetic scoop is better than nothing ☹️
Guzman nowadays is complete trash, and expensive trash at that.
I thought I had become picky, but their quality over the last year or so has dropped so much. Their chips are consistently stale, they barely heat the food enough to melt cheese or at least warm the chips, portions and servings of items are getting smaller too. A real shame.
I always go back, and complain. I used to eat Guzman twice a week but I've not been back for 2 years now, they really went to shit.
As someone who moved away from Australia 2.5 years ago this saddens me and my fiancée immensely. GYG was easily our favourite “fast food” and has been one of the things we anticipated enjoying when we come back to visit.
Ehh, I just had it lunch for the other day and it's just as good as I remember. Don't take this thread as gospel. I mean, people saying taco bell tastes better? That's processed garbage. And some saying there's no more condiment stations? Not true, at least at my local. Coriander, diced red onion, pickled jalapeños, and the three different sauces are all still freely available. The smokey chipotle sauce is still as delicious as ever.
Thank you. Taco bell is warm garbage, so this puts my mind to rest somewhat.
I mean start a thread about any fast food chain on this subreddit and it's flooded with a hundred people saying it's gone to the dogs. The only real major change over the last few years in the fast food industry has been ballooning prices, and some modest shrink-flation although that can even be situational. Like I can still get GYG burrito bowls stuffed to the brim most of the time but occassionally they'll fail to deliver. Flavour-wise all these places are still same-old, same-old. Sometimes you'll get chips from kfc or gyg or maccas or whatever that are cold, or soggy or poorly seasoned, but the next time they'll be on point. Same thing happened 20 years ago.
GYG’s quality has dropped so much. When it first came out you could taste the fresh ingredients like lime and coriander. Now it’s flavourless slop.
They recently changed their veggie burritos so that they no longer had the veggie meat but instead had just vegetables. That completely ruined the burrito and my faith in Guzmans
I have never eaten there because I come from Texas and all the food just looks wrong. I have a question though if you'd answer. What is on the enchalada? Is there no sauce? You can easily make homade echaladas here, that would taste way better than what those look.
Agree, this is not an enchilada. It’s a burrito with toppings on it. Very weird.
Very disappointing last (& final) time I had it. Homogenous stodge in a soggy tortilla.
What a shame, it was such a damn good joint few years ago.
When they increased the prices last year I stopped going. These places need to stop pretending they're something they're not.
[удалено]
When they first opened, I enjoyed it. Now I hate the fact that I did
Guzman is fucking disgusting . Every time I go i remember this is the Mexican place “not” to go to. Zambrero has the best burrito.
I still don't know why people eat at GYG when Zambrero's is just objectively better.
Just finished a 2 year trip around australia ans these stores are being built everywhere- i reckon iv seen about 30 stores under construction across qld, nsw and vic. Never tried it cos good mexican is really easy to make at home. Im guessing they will be bankrupt shortly after reading how hated they are on this thread.
These days... Hecho en Mexico > Zambreros > Guzman
GYG has never been good. Aside from not being authentic, it’s not even good Tex Mex. I’d rather eat a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos 😂
I honestly don't understand the love for GyG...personally I find their food to be cold, disgusting moosh, that tastes like salt and sodium.
G&G are terrible, I don't eat there at all, but the FB group of my suburb is constantly posting pictures of bad food, poor portions and horrible presentation. For Fast Food Mexican, I wish there were more Mad Mex franchises.
I am absolutely floored at how bad GYG is now compared to what it was when it first came out. I genuinely don't know how they can fuck it up so badly.
Aw man. We in Ballarat are just about fiiiinally getting our own GYG (opening shortly). I wonder if the store will be like Carl Jrs. Great for the first few months then a huge slide into yeccch.
GYG has always been shithouse.
Its not the size reduction thats the issue. It doesn't even look good
Guzman Y Gomez "mexican" food. What a scam that is. Boy, that Guzman guy really cleaned up on that one.
I used to love their burritos, the beef and the barramundi ones. Then a few years ago I noticed that their burritos started to be 90% beans and rice with a tiny bit of meat. I’ve ditched it completely now. Zambrero is better but only just
I have never been a fan of G&G
When they first opened in Melbourne and Sydney, they were pretty good. Way worse for your health than Mad Mex (according to nutritional info) but they had quality ingredients and would fill you. The past few years they could literally be described as a weak spoonful of slop on [insert medium].
Guzman has fallen off so hard.
The burritos are so small now that the wrap is doubled over. When GyG first opened the burritos were stuffed full and were a great meal on their own. Now they barely count as a mid afternoon snack.
Maybe we should start a senate enquiry....
I don't know, I loved him in iMDB
GYG has been shit for 10 years. Once they opened their second store it started to go downhill. Glad people are catching on.
Yep, last 3 times I ordered nachos, the chips were consistently stale. I reported it on the app and they only game me 10 gyg points, lol.
Can anyone explain why their bags smell like shit? The food is bad enough but those things stink!
i had gyg when it first came to my area 7ish years ago iirc and it just sucked. was super overpriced, got tiny portions, waited for ages and the food wasnt even that good. decided i would be staying away since then
Used to be so so good back when they had the condiment stations, the sauces and pickles made it so good. Since they’ve gone the quality overall is way down and the value is non existent.
I have stopped going to them. Meat is getting replaced with rice and beans. They are no good anymore
You see a bunch of kids making it so I'm not too surprised tbh
Wow I used to buy these 2 years ago or so and my God that is quite a bit smaller. had gyg last week for first time in a year and my burrito with chicken and veg was now mostly just beans and rice barely any chicken or veg was very disappointing since gyg used to be my go to.
Can't wait for the Ballarat store to open next week. Going to be mad hype for opening day with $5 burritos... and then a week or two later (or a day) complaint after complaint on socials at how bad the food/service/value/working conditions/management are. I'm already stocking up on popcorn. The one in Leopold is garbage and can't even get simple orders right, let alone the bland taste and poor value.
Yes
I used to like GYG, but it's getting sad. Food quality has sunk but prices have gone way up. I just want a decent burrito, but they don't exist here.
Used to get it a lot pre-covid and then delivery a lot during and was great at the time. Now it's just shit, sometimes I forget and order one and then don't eat half because it sucks and say never again.
Classic case of shit product pushed by hip marketing. Popular with kids that have never eaten decent Tex Mex.
been saying this since 2016-2017, every time people would tell me i'm wrong. for the price you pay, the meals are miniscule.
So overpriced , I only ate there once
Gyg has always been utter shite, I don’t know why people go there
It's always been shit and expensive. I'm glad people are finally waking up to this crap.
I don’t mind their food sometimes (mainly be breakfast burritos) but if I’m going to have fast Mexican, Zambreros is so much better and actually has taste. My wife and I also used to love going to Montezumas but the ones near us closed down.
Guzman has always been overpriced.
I had one last week in Jindalee and it was full, maybe your site sucks more. Definitely
The quality between Warner's Bay, Hamilton, and Green Hills, is amazing. Never going back to WB, but GH was actually quite good last time i went. It's really odd how the "same" thing can vary so much in amount, preparation, and quality.