The wild reason Aussies in one beach town queued for up to 30 minutes has been revealed. Chip ‘n’ Mix – a self-serve loaded fries bar – opened its doors in Noosa, Queensland, on Saturday with the first 100 customers scoring their meal for free.

The idea behind the business is very similar to Yo-Chi, where there are three different styles of hot chips to choose from. People can then load up as many toppings as they want. There are options such as pulled beef, salsa, guacamole and baked beans, and customers pay by weight.

Chip fans lined up on Hastings St for up to 30 minutes for their food, according to the Courier Mail. Rhi Pearce, Isabella Buckley-Tyree, Josh Leach and Lisa Tyree are the co-founders of the business, which they’ve said is a “world first”.

“We’ve done so much research looking for this concept. Obviously, it was a great indicator when we had to completely design a machine with an engineer to enable it,” they told news.com.au.

“Not only in the trademarking process for this business, but for our own curiosity because when I voiced the idea it came from my own desire to be able to have it. We sort of looked at each other, thought it was the best idea and that it had surely been done.”

But hours of research, citations and trademarking had proved it hadn’t been done before.

 

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In terms of the Yo-Chi comparison, Ms Pearce said there were similarities with the concept but also key differences — such as the fact it was chef prepared, savoury food. Ms Pearce told news.com.au the reaction was “beyond their wildest expectations”, saying they knew it was a good idea but to see “queues and queues” of smiling faces walking out the door with their hot chips “was just the most wonderful, rewarding experience ever”.

The store even sold out on day one.

Ms Pearce also answered one of their key questions in the comment section – how the meat options stay warm.

“Essentially, they’re called hot and cold plates. They place it under a ceramic top, ceramic is a great conductor of heat, and so they go between minus 80 C and up to 250 degrees,” she revealed.

The business owner said three of the stations were set up on hot, and two set up on cold so customers have the “best of both worlds”.

Rhys Williams, a travel content creator, was one of the first 100 people in line when the hospitality venue opened on Saturday. Mr Williams said there were three styles of chips to choose from – including a UK-style fish and chip shop one that he said “tasted like home”.

@kaylahall__ Replying to @user2592324785655 World’s first self serve fry bar is now open! Three different styles of chips, all gluten free & they have 30 million combinations of toppings😱 📍@Chip ‘n’ Mix Hastings Street, Noosa #brisbanefoodie #cheesy #loadedfries #brisbane #thingstodo #brisbanethingstodo #cheesefries ♬ Bluest Flame – Selena Gomez & benny blanco

He added that all the toppings “looked so good and fresh” and even compared the business to Yo-Chi.

The travel content creator said he and his pals “very much enjoyed it”, with everyone rating it an eight or nine out of 10.

Ms Pearce said plans for the future include opening at least two more locations in Australia in the next 18 months – but she kept quiet on where they’re eyeing off.

This article originally appeared on news.com.au. It has been published here with permission.

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