Customers from as far afield as Bundaberg are greeted with a smile – and a heavy winter overcoat – as soon as they set foot in Super Butcher’s Eagle Farm store. Its unique model means the entire store operates as a single, open-plan refrigerator where the in-store temperature hovers around three to five degrees Celsius.

Store Manager Danny Nielsen says his 24 eagle-eyed staff are well-trained to look out for customers unprepared for the cold blast as they browse Super Butcher’s extensive product range.

“Newcomers, especially, don’t realise the coolness of the store so we’ve always got visitors coats to hand out. Most of our regulars come prepared, though, with their own jackets, gloves and even beanies,” the industry veteran of 44 years says.

The store’s Northshore Brisbane location is a drawcard for customers right across Brisbane and beyond, enticed by its easy access to the Gateway Motorway, proximity to Brisbane’s CBD and ample onsite parking. Having worked for Super Butcher for seven years – the past three as Eagle Farm’s store manager – Danny says loyal regular customers have swelled in numbers over the past couple of years.

“We’ve noticed a much wider customer base since COVID. People weren’t eating out as much so they came back to homecooked meals,” he explains. “We stock a lot of products at the Eagle Farm store that you can’t get anywhere else in Brisbane or even Queensland; products like Cape Grim and Bass Strait beef from Tasmania and traditional wagyu flown in from Japan. “Our customers also love that we have every option covered from high-end grain-fed to mid and budget ranges to organic and free-range.

“We also stock a lot of international items: Brazilian barbecue has become really big in the past couple of years and we stock items like boerewors, droëwors and biltong for our South African customer base. “We’ve also noticed in the past 12 months a big swing towards grass-fed and free-range beef because people are looking for cleaner and more natural products.”

Customers are also driving a growing trend towards conscious consumption, preferring to know the origin of their meat before buying. Rather than feel daunted by increased demands for information, the Super Butcher store is keeping pace with customer sentiment.

“We have a ‘Beef Bible’ in store that staff can consult which details exactly where every brand comes from, our own Super Butcher grading system, how the animal is raised, right down to where it’s processed, what abattoir,” Danny reveals. This extra level of customer service and professionalism extends further. “We have a saying here that we’ll do everything for you bar cook it!” he jokes.

That includes cooking advice and recipe cards that change seasonally, stocking a range of complementary pantry items such as rubs, marinades and sauces and offering free services like cutting, Cryovacing and packaging meat to order.  “Everything we do, we do with our customer in mind. We encourage staff to build a relationship with each customer, give them ideas that take them out of their comfort zone so they can try something new and – in turn – encourage them to feed back information to us about what they like and want they want,” Danny says.

This commitment to service extends into Northshore Brisbane and beyond with Super Butcher Eagle Farm proudly sponsoring a range of local sporting clubs, community initiatives and charities.

Eagle Farm Super Butcher is open seven days a week at 6 Eagleview Place. For more information, visit superbutcher.com.au/pages/eagle-store

Follow Northshore Brisbane on LinkedIn to learn more about the innovative businesses and tantalising food and beverage offerings at Northshore Brisbane.