Geraldton Zambreros owner Dom Hole receives top gong in national Franchise Industry Awards

Northgate’s Zambrero store is not just a spot for a quick burrito or quesadilla — it might soon need a trophy cabinet after the owner took home one of the franchise’s top awards.

The owner of Geraldton’s Zambrero store, Dom Hole, has been named national franchisee of the year for multiple stores. He took home the prize last week from the Franchise Industry Awards in Brisbane.

Mr Hole and his wife Lucy have been operating Zambrero in Geraldton for 12 years, and have since opened two stores in Perth.

He said opening the Geraldton store in 2014 was a real gamble.

“On opening day, almost no one in town had even heard of a burrito. We had to earn the community’s trust one customer at a time,” he said.

Zambreros runs a “plate-for-plate” initiative where they donate a meal to a person in need for every burrito or bowl sold, and the Geraldton and Perth store owned by Mr Hole and his wife have contributed 1.5 million meals.

Mr Hole recently visited South Africa to see firsthand the impact his work has had fighting poverty.

“Looking at the volume of meals our WA customers have generated is one thing, but sitting down with families in South Africa who receive them completely changes how you view your business,” Mr Hole said.

“It proves that a simple lunch choice made by someone on their break in Innaloo or Geraldton can genuinely change a life on the other side of the world.’’

Zambrero CEO Daryl McCormack said the award was well deserved.

“This is a fantastic achievement and Dom and Lucy deserve every bit of it,” he said.

“To be recognised as Australia’s best multi-unit franchisee and Australia’s best hospitality multi-unit franchisee from a highly competitive national field is a massive honour and a testament to the business they have built together in WA.’’