History
Kebabs were originally introduced in Sydney in 1965 by Tony Khater who used a blend of imported spices and sauces, the concept becoming an instant success. Operating a couple of very successful locations, this famous recipe was later past on to his nephew, Bill Mansour (founder of Uncle Tony's Kebabs) and his siter Rita (Marketing and Brand Development), who introduced the concept into Queensland with the name "Uncle Tony's Kebabs" in 1983, again becoming an instant hit. A second location was introduced in 1986 followed by licensing arrangements (1988) whereby the product was offered through various existing take-away outlets. Success and high product demand quickly lead to the opening of the first franchise in 1992.
Mark Mansour (Bill's son) joined the business in 1994 introducing computerised accounting and distribution systems laying the foundations to support the expansion of the enterprise. After further development of the franchise systems, the company experienced substantial growth and quickly dominated the Queensland market. Mark Mansour was promoted to CFO (1997) and then to CEO (2000) on the retirement of Bill and Rita Mansour.
The system continued to develop the brand name of the product to what has now become UTK, and was recognised as one of Queensland's top 400 privately owned enterprises in the renowned Q400 (amongst other prestigious awards). The company retails through a network of 23 franchised takeaway outlets.
UTK's claim to being a healthier fast food alternative is mainly established through the company's mission statement, which states that the company is "committed to good food, good health and to provide every time to each customer a food experience to set new standards in value, service, cleanliness and quality". This claim has been criticised somewhat by Australia's consumer watchdog Choice, who through food comparison tests agreed that UTK's kebabs look the best on paper but this was mainly because they are much smaller than the competitors.
UTK's length of tenure in the Australian fast food market has made them notable enough to be considered a specific party bound within the wage rate setting mechanism of WorkChoices Australia and, along with Eagle Boys Pizza, Hungry Jacks, Red Rooster etc., is included in the bench mark wage setting of the fast food industry through dedicated Fast Food Industry Awards.
UTK was acquired by its largest competitor from NSW, Ali Baba (www.alibaba.com.au) in November 2007.
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