Dosa Hut restaurant chain opens first Gold Coast store in Molendinar

Melbourne-based restaurant chain Dosa Hut have opened their first Gold Coast store after securing space at a convenience centre located in a central part of the region. 

The chain will occupy a 165 square metre tenancy at Crestwood Plaza in Molendinar after signing a five-year lease with options in a deal negotiated by Tanaka Jabangwe, Knight Frank’s Associate Director of Retail Leasing. 

Jabangwe said Dosa Hut had been looking for the right opportunity to open a store in the growing Gold Coast region for some time before leasing the Crestwood Plaza space.

“The tenant had been wanting to establish a presence on the Gold Coast for some time but was looking for the right space and this Molendinar shopfront ticked all the boxes,” he said. 

“Dosa Hut were seeking a central location in a suburban catchment with ease of access to major road networks, and Crestwood Plaza fit the bill on every aspect. 

“The convenience centre is situated on Olsen Avenue, which is a very busy thoroughfare with plenty of traffic passing estimated at circa 57,000 cars daily, which offered great exposure for the restaurant.” 

Dosa Hut, which serves south Indian cuisine, already operates 19 restaurants across Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland, but the Molendinar restaurant is the first for the Gold Coast. 

“Crestwood Plaza offered a perceived geographical centre to service both the northern catchment and parts of southern Gold Coast with ease,” a spokesperson said. 

“We are confident in our food and believe the Gold Coast will appreciate the quality, authentic Indian food we have on offer.”

Located in the heart of a major Gold Coast growth district in Molendinar, Crestwood Plaza convenience centre fronts the booming Crestwood Heights residential estate, is adjacent to Bunnings Warehouse and opposite Griffith University’s future development land. 

The centre features over 190 car parks, a full line Supa IGA as anchor tenant and 17 other specialty stores. 

With limited vacancies remaining in Crestwood Plaza, Knight Frank are currently seeking interest from additional food and beverage establishments, health and fitness groups, allied health and/or medical. 

Jabangwe said the Gold Coast retail market continued to be largely driven by demand from local and interstate food and beverage operators. 

“After the Commonwealth Games we’ve seen an increase in enquiry from established operators seeking high profile positions across the city,” he said. 

“There has also been an increase in Asian cuisine offerings and national chains in strategic shopping centre positions particularly through the northern suburbs of the Gold Coast. 

“High-end food and beverage offerings have predominantly been focused around the traditional premium precincts of Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach with a surge in demand for southern Gold Coast positions between Mermaid Beach through to Palm Beach, but there is also plenty of demand from other operators for other suburban areas of the Gold Coast. 

“The suburban catchment offers a less seasonal serviceable population as it alleviates the predominant dependence on tourism spend as perceived in areas such as Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach. 

“Dosa Hut believe local community engagement is paramount to their success and this was one of the key reasons why the first store had to be in a central suburban area.”