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Reminiscing About Sizzler–Australia’s Favourite Steakhouse Paradise

If you’re under the age of 30, the word Sizzler probably doesn’t mean a great deal. But for those of us lucky enough to grow up during the 90s, this chain of steakhouses was one of Australia’s great dine-in experiences.

At least that’s how I remember it.

Also Read: All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Hut, We Have to Go Back

Nostalgia has a funny way of interfering with old memories, making us yearn for a better time that probably wasn’t as great as we imagined. So even if I’m remembering my experiences with Sizzler through rose-tinted glasses, the restaurant continues to hold a special place in my culinary heart, along with a generation of Aussies.  

Humble Beginnings

For the uninitiated, Sizzler was founded in 1958 by Del and Helen Johnson in Culva, California. The humble eatery paired mouthwatering cuts of prime beef with an all-you-can-eat buffet salad bar. Charging just USD99c per meal (roughly US$10 today), Sizzler became a hit with post-World War II families looking for decent grub that didn’t cost a fortune.

It didn’t take long for Sizzler restaurants to start popping up all across America. At its peak, there were around 270 Sizzler eateries across the US, with restaurants also opening in Japan, China, Thailand and Australia

The first Sizzler in Australia opened in Brisbane in 1985 with the classic buffet salad bar along with the child-pleasing all-you-can-eat dessert bar. By the time the 90s rolled around, Sizzler had joined the likes of McDonalds, KFC and Hungry Jacks as part of the new wave of cheap ‘family restaurants’ taking over the country.

My First Time

My first experience with Sizzler was when I was around nine or ten. A Sizzler opened near where I grew up in Modbury North, South Australia. My olds decided to treat my brother and me for dinner one night and settled on Sizzler, which was a surprise. Normally when we ate out as a family it was at the local Chinese restaurant (my old man is a sucker for salt and pepper squid), but the buzz behind Sizzler was enough to prompt my parents to discover what all the fuss was about.

Now my memories aren’t exactly crystal clear, but it’s hard to forget the garish white and green colour scheme and the restaurant’s famous cheese toast. I used to call it French toast as a kid, even though it shares no similarities bar using toast as the key ingredient. Sizzler’s Cheese Toast is basically a piece of toast with a crispy cheese crust, but boy oh boy did it taste good!

This hunger tamer is so revered you can find dozens of recipes online detailing how to make it yourself. People love it so much The Coffee Club were even slinging officially endorsed Sizzler cheese toast for $4.99 at its venues early in 2024. 

Another highlight of any visit to Sizzler was the dessert bar. While I’m sure my parents forced me to eat some form of salad along with side helpings of pasta and chicken tenders, I was all about the dessert bar. Similar to Pizza Hut, the dessert bar had several soft serve machines and a slew of toppings to choose from. Hot chocolate sauce, sprinkles, jelly and nuts were my top picks. It was heaven for a young kid, especially as you could go back as many times as you desired. 

I returned to Sizzler several times over the years, mainly with friends from school during the holidays. We’d starve ourselves all morning then head to Sizzler for lunch, heaping large servings of spag bol, roast potatoes, bacon bits and some form of green vegetables onto a single plate and stuff our guts before going back for more. 

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Sadly, like most things that were a hit in the ‘90s (Happy Pants and portable CD players anyone?), Sizzler got left behind at the turn of the century.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why Sizzler failed, but several factors led to its demise in Australia. The rise of cheaper fast food outlets, Australia’s growing restaurant culture and people becoming more concerned about eating healthy all contributed to Sizzler falling out of favour with dinners.

Sizzer also stuck with its all-you-can-eat buffet menu and dated colour scheme, relying on people’s nostalgic feelings towards the family-friendly locale to keep customers coming back. 

By 2017 only 17 stores remained, 11 of those in Queensland. Management insisted Sizzler would solider on, but then the pandemic hit. Nobody wanted to go near a buffet with COVID-19 causing havoc, resulting in the closure of all the remaining Aussie Sizzler restaurants. My local is now a Westpac Bank branch. 

If you search online you’ll find plenty of testimonials written about Sizzler, and after reading several, it seems there’s a mixed response to the restaurant of my childhood, especially the grub, with one Reddit user commenting. “Each of the three times I went – I threw up.” Yikes. 

Even if my memories are misplaced, it’s always sad when something you loved from your youth no longer exists. And while I don’t think I would ever visit a Sizzler today if they were still around, if my childhood cravings for a buffet surface, I can always head to Charlie’s Diner at the Brighton Metro Hotel where for just $29.95 I can indulge in all the dessert I can stomach.


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