As Bidfood celebrates 30 years in Australian foodservice, we sat down with some of our customers who have shared the journey with us to uncover the secrets behind their success, hear about their experiences over the decades and meet the people who have helped shape foodservice in Australia.
Golden Chicken was founded in Hervey Bay in 1986 by brothers Simon and Diploma. Tim and Tracy Tester now own and operate the Urangan store, continuing the tradition of quality food and great service that Golden Chicken is known for. Text Here
At 9:30 on a Thursday morning, you’ll find Tracy Tester doing what she’s done most mornings for the past three decades – getting prepped for the day ahead.
“I’m slicing tomatoes right now, getting the cabinet ready for service,” she says, attentive to the conversation but with one ear and one eye tuned to everything around her. “Next, we’ll move on to crumbing the schnitzels.”
Over 30 years in business, Tim and Tracy Tester have covered countless shifts, employed hundreds of people and created relationships that have lasted decades. And along the way, they’ve built a customer base so loyal that many have followed them across different sites.
“There’s never a dull moment,” says Tracy. “I quite enjoy it!”
Tracy began her career at Golden Chicken in 1995 working as a cashier. “I originally wanted to be a chef but the hours didn’t suit me when I was young. I was talking about this with the owners at the time and they told me they didn’t want me to go – so they offered me a little bit more money and I said, ‘Right-o!’ I graduated grade 12 and pretty much started full-time straight after that.”
As to what has kept her in the industry so long, she laughs. “I’m not the kind of person to sit down. I was never going to be an office worker or anything like that.”
For any business to last 30 years is a huge achievement. But for a hospitality operation and its operators to see out three decades takes grit and determination. And, according to Tracy, good food.
“Everything is cooked to order. I think that’s the secret. We don’t have anything sitting ready apart from our barbecue chickens, which take two hours to cook. When you serve a consistent product, people know they can always come in for a good feed.”
And while Tracy doesn’t like to think of what they cook as strictly ‘takeaway’ she knows their food fits the Australian lifestyle. “I think Australians are quite busy. We like our lifestyle and being able to go and do what we want, when we want. And, yeah, takeaway is a nice quick option – though we like to think of our food as fresher. You can grab your chicken and veggies for dinner. And a lot of our customers tell us they don’t feel bad eating it every day of the week.”
It’s clear it’s not just the good food that keeps the customers coming back. It’s the way they’re made feel when they walk through the door.
“We have so many regulars. Some come in every single day, Monday to Friday,” Tracy says. She laughs as she recalls one “bloke” who stops by every morning for a quarter chicken and chips for breakfast.
“Something we pride ourselves on here is being able to communicate with customers and have a conversation. A lot of our clientele are elderly and they’re always up for a chat. We make sure they have a pleasant experience when they come in.”
Talking to customers wasn’t always something that came easy to Tracy, who laughs as she thinks what advice she would give her younger self. “When I first started, funnily enough, I was a very shy person. I was a bit of an introvert and didn’t like talking too much to people. Now, I’m happy to chat with anyone who’ll give me the time of day. It’s been a real learning experience. I’d tell my younger self that people aren’t actually that scary.”
Over the years, Tracy has seen many changes, but there are two that stand out more than others – the way to approach hiring and training staff, and catering for dietary requirements.
“Staff have changed over the years. With social media, everyone seems to be doing things online – not so much face-to-face. It’s getting trickier.”
But even in a digital age, Tracy believes the heart of hospitality is still face-to-face. “We still like applicants to come in-store to apply because most of the time they’re going for a customer service position. We want to see how they present, what their service skills are like and how they hold a conversation.”
But the biggest change, Tracy says, has been in consumer behaviour – particularly around dietary requirements. “Thirty years ago, we basically had roast chicken. It was roast chicken and chips or roast chicken and veggies. Or a roast chicken roll. Now there’s all the combos and meals and bits and pieces we do. These days, everyone wants little add-ons.”
That shift has changed the way the business runs behind the counter too. “There’s a lot more knowledge our cashiers need to have. Customers ask questions and we’ve got to have all the answers. So, we’ve put together little cheat sheets out the back for them to read up on and be ready. But yes, definitely – it’s changed a lot.”
When it comes to the big question, though – what it’s like to work with your husband as your business partner – Tracy tackles it with the same enthusiasm she brings to the rest of the business. “Oh, that’s very interesting some days!” she laughs. “We have our children working here now as well, so it’s a real family affair.” It was, in fact, at Golden Chicken where Tim and Tracy first met. “Yes, we were working at the same store!”
But just as they’ve learned to solve business obstacles with a smile, they’ve also learned how to navigate the partnership. “We figured out what works. And yeah, it’s hard not to talk about work at home because generally that’s what our life revolves around, but we make sure we get away and switch off quite regularly.”
Over three decades, Golden Chicken has weathered plenty of changes – from shifting consumer tastes to the challenges of running a family business – yet Tim and Tracy have stayed true to what matters. Loyal regulars have stayed with them through the years, drawn by the same consistency and care that has defined the business from the start.
For Tracy, the secret isn’t complicated. It’s hard work, pride in what they’ve built and service with a smile. “Honestly, I do enjoy what I do. I have a lot of pride in what we’ve built here. We’ve worked very hard to get it to where it is – and service will always be at the heart of it.”
