Lay your cheese toasts to their final rest. Sizzler in Australia is no more.

Collins Foods, the parent company of the iconic all-you-can-eat restaurant chain, has announced it will close the final nine Sizzler sites in November.

The final Sizzler restaurants, now consigned to the dustbin of Australian buffet history are located in Queensland at Mermaid Beach, Loganholme, Toowoomba, Maroochydore and Caboolture; in Western Australia in Innaloo, Kelmscott and Morley; and in New South Wales in Campbelltown.

A total of 600 Sizzler staff will be affected by the closures, with some offered jobs at KFC and Taco Bell restaurants owned by Collins Foods.

The company blamed the final collapse of the Sizzler brand in Australia on a slow recovery from COVID-19 restrictions, with the restaurants operating at a loss since the beginning of the pandemic and unable to recover in the casual dining market as aggressively as KFC and Taco Bell.

“This has been a difficult decision for Collins Foods, especially given the impact it will have on our dedicated Sizzler employees and customers in Australia,” Collins Foods’ CEO Drew O’Malley said in a statement to the ASX.

“As a casual dining concept, Sizzler has been the brand in our portfolio most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ongoing impact of COVID-19 on revenues has meant that unfortunately, these restaurants have not established a clear path to profitability in the foreseeable future.”

O’Malley said the restaurant closures was “not a decision we take lightly”.

“We are extremely grateful to our dedicated employees, suppliers and customers for their support and look forward to engaging with them through our other brands as Collins Foods’ overall growth story continues.”

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