Burger chain Grill’d has reached a milestone; it has served more than 100,000 free meals to Australians doing it tough.
On the first Tuesday of every month the restaurant chain closes seven of its restaurants to the public at 4.30pm, to focus on serving people experiencing homelessness and sleeping rough.
Through its monthly City Support Dinner, Grill’d restaurant teams and support office staff work with Vinnies and Salvos volunteers and team members to welcome guests for burgers, snack chips and a drink.
Grill’d founder, Simon Crowe, said “We are proud to offer people experiencing homelessness somewhere safe to sit down, eat well and be treated with dignity. It’s a small way we can support people doing it tough and help them feel welcome in our restaurants.
“We’re incredibly grateful to work alongside organisations like Vinnies and The Salvation Army, whose teams do such important work every day. If someone leaves feeling a little more connected than when they arrived, then that means a lot to us.”
Vinnies and the Salvation Army have been City Support partners since the program’s inception, encouraging the people they support to participate in this valuable community opportunity.
Grill’d City Support Dinners began in 2022
Vinnies statistics show women and children fleeing domestic and family violence are the largest group experiencing homelessness in Australia*.
Grill’d launched the initiative in April 2022 at Grill’d Southern Cross in Melbourne, serving 184 burgers on its first night. The program has grown steadily since, from more than 7,700 burgers served in 2022 across four locations, to more than 32,600 burgers served in 2025 across eight locations, and now passing the 100,000-meal mark nationally.
City Support Dinners currently run at Grill’d Southern Cross Station (VIC), Grill’d Wintergarden (QLD), Grill’d World Square and Grill’d Byron Bay (NSW), Grill’d Canberra Centre (ACT), Grill’d Rundle St (SA), and Grill’d William St (WA).
*https://www.vinnies.org.au/vic/media-releases/victorias-hidden-homelessness-crisis
