It’s the end of an era: Sizzler fizzles out

11th November 2020 | Eativity editors
It's the end of an era: Sizzler fizzles out

Another COVID-19 casualty, or a sign of Australia’s changing appetites? Sizzler has announced that it will be permanently closing its nine remaining restaurants in Australia.

The American steakhouse-style all-you-can eat chain first arrived in Australia in 1986. At the height of the Sizzler glory days, people would queue for an hour or more to get in for a taste of restaurant’s epic all-you-can-eat feastie foods, from the irresistible cheese toast for starters to the soft-serve ice cream that you just had to leave a little room for.  

Sizzler has waned in popularity since its heyday in the '90s
From queues to the blues: Sizzler has waned in popularity since its heyday in the ’90s.

All remaining Sizzlers will be permanently shutting their doors by November 15. The nine sites to shut are located in Mermaid Beach, Loganholme, Toowoomba, Maroochydore and Caboolture in Queensland; Innaloo, Kelmscott and Morley in Western Australia; and Campbelltown in NSW. Upon announcing the impending closures on Facebook, the brand said: “We hope to see you all for one last slice of cheese toast.”

Sizzler’s parent company Collins Foods, which also owns the KFC and Taco Bell brands, said in a release that “of the three restaurant brands that Collins Foods operates, Sizzler has been hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Six hundred Sizzler employees will be out of a job on November 15.
Six hundred Sizzlees will be out of a job on November 15.

The release went on to say that the chain’s revenue has been slower to recover since COVID, and that the business has been operating at a loss since the pandemic hit. Six hundred employees will be affected, although Collins Foods says it will try to “redeploy as many affected Sizzler employees as possible to its KFC and Taco Bell network”.

As a parting gift that many will be overjoyed to receive, Sizzler has finally revealed the recipe for its cheese toast, that many over the years have tried to emulate. The recipe has remained the same since it originated in the US more than 40 years ago. And here it is…

How to make Sizzler cheese toast
I just can’t get enough: hands up who’s overdone it on Sizzler cheese toast?

Sizzler cheese toast

You’ll need:

Thick sliced white bread
Pecorino cheese
Margarine

Method:

1. Combine equal amounts of margarine with pecorino cheese and mix to create a paste.

2. Spread the mixture on one side of the bread.

3. Cook it in your frying pan on low to medium heat for about 60 seconds. When it’s golden brown, it’s ready to eat.