After years off the menu, Sizzler is heading back to Australia, with its comeback kicking off in Sydney.
Developers will revive the cult-favourite buffet chain, which disappeared from Australia during the pandemic, as part of a new hotel development near Sydney Airport, with its return set for 2027. The revival will take place inside the upcoming NH Collection Sydney Airport hotel in Mascot, marking the brand’s first Australian location in over half a decade.
New designs of the site, including recently opened chains in the US, offer the first glimpse at where the all-you-can-eat institution will land, with the restaurant integrated into the ground floor of the 90-room hotel at 102–106 Robey Street.
Minor Hotels, the global group behind brands like Oaks and Avani, is developing the project and confirmed earlier this year that Sizzler would form part of its Australian expansion plans.
A relaunch of nostalgia in Australia
Minor Hotels founder Bill Heinecke said the group sees flexibility in how the brand could return, hinting that future locations may not be limited to hotels.
“We have a number of exciting projects in Australia… and Sizzler can be in hotels or as stand-alone sites, depending on the opportunities,” he said when announcing the comeback.
The Sydney Airport location signals a calculated re-entry into the Australian market, positioning the brand in a high-traffic hub frequented by both locals and international travellers.
While the setting may be new, the nostalgia factor is doing a lot of heavy lifting. For many Australians, Sizzler was a suburban ritual. At its peak in the early ’90s, the chain operated more than 70 locations nationwide, drawing crowds with its mix of affordable steak, self-serve salad bars and, of course, its cult-status cheese toast.
The fall—and lingering demand
Originally founded in California in 1958, Sizzler built its reputation on offering a middle ground between fast food and full-service dining—a model that would later evolve into what we now think of as “fast casual”. That formula translated well in Australia, where it became a go-to for family dinners, birthday parties and post-sport team meals.
By the late 2010s, changing dining habits and increased competition had thinned its footprint. The final blow came in November 2020, when the last remaining Australian restaurants—mostly in Queensland—shut their doors amid the financial strain of COVID-19.
Since then, developers have transformed former Sizzler sites into everything from childcare centres to storage facilities, while the brand itself has slipped into near-myth status. A one-night-only pop-up in Brisbane in 2024 drew long lines and widespread attention, underscoring the lingering appetite for its particular brand of casual dining.
A comeback in a changed landscape
Whether that nostalgia translates into long-term success remains to be seen. Buffet dining has shifted in the years since Sizzler’s heyday, with changing consumer expectations around quality, hygiene and overall experience.
Still, the decision to relaunch in a high-traffic location like Sydney Airport suggests a strategic attempt to reintroduce the brand to a broad audience.
For now, Sizzler’s return is about the revival of a familiar name stepping back into a very different dining landscape, with a new generation about to discover what the smoke and sizzle was all about.
