Hot chips had locals waiting half an hour—would you do the same?
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Food trends come and go, but every now and then, something pops up that truly captures the public’s imagination — and their appetite.
In one popular coastal town, a brand-new concept had locals queuing for nearly half an hour just to get a taste.
The idea has been labelled a world first and is already drawing comparisons to a beloved dining trend.
A crowd of hungry Aussies flocked to a beachside venue in Noosa, Queensland, on 5 March after word spread of a never-before-seen food concept opening its doors.
The venue, called Chip ‘n’ Mix, offered free meals to its first 100 customers, prompting queues of up to 30 minutes along Hastings Street.
The founders behind the venture—Rhi Pearce, Ysabella Buckley-Tyree, Josh Leach and Lisa Tyree—described it as a ‘world first’, and the turnout backed that up.
‘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 shared.
‘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.’
After hours of digging, research and legal steps, they realised no one else had executed it.
Chip ‘n’ Mix offered a self-serve fries bar with three chip styles to choose from—with customers then free to pile on whatever toppings they liked, paying by weight.
Among the options were pulled beef, salsa, guacamole and baked beans, with the concept drawing immediate comparisons to popular dessert bars where you top your own base.
While the comparison was clear, Pearce highlighted a key difference: ‘It was chef prepared, savoury food.’
The chips weren’t just popular—they sold out on day one.
Ms Pearce shared that the reception was ‘beyond their wildest expectations’.
‘We 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’s stations were designed for versatility, with some elements staying hot and others chilled, thanks to a high-tech setup.
‘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,’ Ms Pearce said.
She added that three stations were hot and two were cold so customers could enjoy ‘the best of both worlds’.
Travel content creator Rhys Williams was among the first 100 through the doors and said the variety offered something for everyone.
He mentioned one chip option in particular—a UK-style version—‘tasted like home’.
Williams said the toppings ‘looked so good and fresh’ and described the whole concept as similar to the frozen yoghurt model.
He and his group rated the experience an eight or nine out of 10.
Source: Tiktok/rhyswillll
While the crowd on the ground spoke volumes, social media users had a mixed reaction to the whole concept.
‘My god. The line,’ one person commented.
‘Yo-Chi for chips,’ another wrote.
Some praised it as ‘truly genius’ and suggested it ‘would go crazy on the Gold Coast’.
Others weren’t convinced.
‘Not worth the hype. For real,’ one user wrote.
Another said: ‘That looks completely overrated.’
‘As someone who eats hot chips religiously every week, I need this near my place,’ one fan added.
But criticism came too, with one saying: ‘Lining up like this for hot chips is crazy.’
Another summed it up bluntly: ‘In conclusion, it’ll probably be like $18 average per bowl, which is like a small-medium chips and some dry protein option with sauce and unmelted cheese.’
Despite the chatter, the team behind Chip ‘n’ Mix said they weren’t stopping with Noosa.
Ms Pearce confirmed they planned to open at least two more locations across Australia in the next 18 months, though she kept future locations under wraps.
With food trends constantly evolving, could this chip-lover’s dream become the next big thing across Australia? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
In one popular coastal town, a brand-new concept had locals queuing for nearly half an hour just to get a taste.
The idea has been labelled a world first and is already drawing comparisons to a beloved dining trend.
A crowd of hungry Aussies flocked to a beachside venue in Noosa, Queensland, on 5 March after word spread of a never-before-seen food concept opening its doors.
The venue, called Chip ‘n’ Mix, offered free meals to its first 100 customers, prompting queues of up to 30 minutes along Hastings Street.
The founders behind the venture—Rhi Pearce, Ysabella Buckley-Tyree, Josh Leach and Lisa Tyree—described it as a ‘world first’, and the turnout backed that up.
Hungry crowd flocks to chip bar launch. Image source: Instagram/chipnmixit
‘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 shared.
‘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.’
After hours of digging, research and legal steps, they realised no one else had executed it.
Chip ‘n’ Mix offered a self-serve fries bar with three chip styles to choose from—with customers then free to pile on whatever toppings they liked, paying by weight.
Among the options were pulled beef, salsa, guacamole and baked beans, with the concept drawing immediate comparisons to popular dessert bars where you top your own base.
While the comparison was clear, Pearce highlighted a key difference: ‘It was chef prepared, savoury food.’
The chips weren’t just popular—they sold out on day one.
Ms Pearce shared that the reception was ‘beyond their wildest expectations’.
‘We 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’s stations were designed for versatility, with some elements staying hot and others chilled, thanks to a high-tech setup.
‘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,’ Ms Pearce said.
She added that three stations were hot and two were cold so customers could enjoy ‘the best of both worlds’.
Travel content creator Rhys Williams was among the first 100 through the doors and said the variety offered something for everyone.
He mentioned one chip option in particular—a UK-style version—‘tasted like home’.
Williams said the toppings ‘looked so good and fresh’ and described the whole concept as similar to the frozen yoghurt model.
He and his group rated the experience an eight or nine out of 10.
Source: Tiktok/rhyswillll
While the crowd on the ground spoke volumes, social media users had a mixed reaction to the whole concept.
‘My god. The line,’ one person commented.
‘Yo-Chi for chips,’ another wrote.
Some praised it as ‘truly genius’ and suggested it ‘would go crazy on the Gold Coast’.
Others weren’t convinced.
‘Not worth the hype. For real,’ one user wrote.
Another said: ‘That looks completely overrated.’
‘As someone who eats hot chips religiously every week, I need this near my place,’ one fan added.
But criticism came too, with one saying: ‘Lining up like this for hot chips is crazy.’
Another summed it up bluntly: ‘In conclusion, it’ll probably be like $18 average per bowl, which is like a small-medium chips and some dry protein option with sauce and unmelted cheese.’
Despite the chatter, the team behind Chip ‘n’ Mix said they weren’t stopping with Noosa.
Ms Pearce confirmed they planned to open at least two more locations across Australia in the next 18 months, though she kept future locations under wraps.
With food trends constantly evolving, could this chip-lover’s dream become the next big thing across Australia? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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