Former Huxtaburger CEO Matt Fickling has been appointed Head of Franchising at Brisbane based premium casual restaurant brand Motto Motto Japanese Kitchen as they announce their move to franchise the brand.
Fickling joins Motto Motto after spending three and a half years with the Melbourne based fast food chain. He joined Huxtaburger back in 2015 and as CEO grew it from a small founder led business to become a nationally recognised franchisor. Fickling transformed Huxtaburger’s business, led their franchise strategy, built an executive team and pioneered network growth across Australia. Just last year he penned a 10-store franchise expansion deal for the burger business with NSW investment group, Yesdac.
Motto Motto Founder and Managing Director William Liu said, “We are very pleased to have attracted someone of Matt’s experience and capability. He brings significant franchise and strategy experience coupled with his ability to contribute to our brand & marketing, supply chain & operations teams because of his multi-disciplined background as a successful chief executive. As an entrepreneurial and dynamic thinker Matt will be a powerful addition to an already high performing executive team.”
Fickling said, “The opportunity to bring my executive experience and join an innovative and talented team at Motto Motto was too good to refuse. Motto Motto is joining a franchise market where we can solve some of the issues the sector is faced with through a compelling offer built on transparency, differentiation & unparalleled support.”
Fickling adds, “The relentless approach to unique, ‘craveable’ and quality food, our founder led passion, genuine food credentials & operational prowess sets strong foundations for success. The brand pledge to serve quality, healthy & real food – like sashimi grade tuna and salmon, wagyu beef and 12-hour cooked super broth for our famous ramen is unmatched across any brand for casual restaurants. With everything produced in our state-of-the-art innovation kitchen that is led by our very own Executive Chef, we own taste and deliver simple operations for our stores and franchisees. It is stories like these I can’t wait to start sharing!”
Fickling is charged with the responsibility for the franchise strategy for the company operated brand, transforming the company’s supply chain and supporting brand and marketing initiatives. Along with Managing Director William Liu, Fickling joins Chief Operating Officer Tamas Olah, Chief Financial Officer Lisa Yao & Executive Chef Ryuji Tomjhara in introducing Motto Motto to more Australians.
Motto Motto currently has five stores across Brisbane and one in Sydney with another scheduled to open before the end of this year.
Motto Motto Japanese Kitchen meaning ‘More More’ in Japanese, Motto Motto is a chain of cook-to-order premium-casual restaurants brought to life by William Liu, the owner of Australia’s most awarded Japanese restaurant, Sono. Featuring a mix of traditional and modern Japanese or Japanese-inspired dishes, Motto Motto is unique in blending innovation and tradition together to bring fine dining ingredients and quality to the world of fast, casual dining. Much more than just a name, ‘more more’ is the philosophy behind everything Motto Motto does. From more 5-star quality ingredients and more chef-style precision to more incredible service and more value, Motto Motto is committed to making sure every diner gets ‘more more’ out of dining at one of their restaurants.