Spanian’s Newtown kebab shop sees quiet trade eight months after opening
Spanian’s Kebabs’ Newtown restaurant appears to be struggling to attract customers, eight months after opening amid large crowds. The quiet store has drawn attention because it sits on a busy Sydney dining strip, where nearby eateries remain active, raising questions about whether the initial excitement around YouTuber Anthony Lees’s food venture has lasted.
The article cites reports of low footfall, an empty Friday night and negative customer reviews describing bland kebabs and dry chicken. The King Street premises had previously housed a failed fast-food business and stood vacant for three years. Spanian’s Kebabs operates six franchises, with franchisees reportedly paying $250,000 to $350,000 plus GST and covering their own running costs; Lees rejects claims the wider business is in trouble and says some food trucks are moving to new locations.
- Spanian’s Newtown kebab shop reportedly struggles to draw customers.
- Some reviews criticise the food and service experience.
- Lees says the wider franchise business is not in trouble.
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Spanian's Kebabs is a restaurant business founded by YouTuber Anthony Lees. The company operates through a franchise model, with franchisees investing between £250,000 and £350,000 plus GST upfront and covering their own operating costs. The brand currently has six franchise locations.
The Newtown restaurant in Sydney opened eight months ago on King Street, a busy dining strip. The site had previously housed a failed fast-food business and stood vacant for three years before Spanian's opened.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Restaurants routinely experience a decline in initial excitement after opening, and eight months remains relatively early in establishing a sustainable customer base; the continued operation of six franchise locations suggests sufficient underlying business viability to attract and retain franchisees. The initial crowds demonstrated genuine customer interest in the concept, and Lees's strategic responses—including venue relocations—indicate active management rather than passive decline.
The case against
The stark transition from opening-day crowds to sparse trade strongly suggests the venture was driven more by celebrity novelty than genuine customer demand; specific food quality criticisms (bland kebabs, dry chicken) represent concrete product issues unlikely to resolve through patience alone. The substantial franchise investment requirements ($250,000–$350,000) place considerable financial risk on franchisees committing capital to an increasingly struggling concept, raising fair questions about whether the franchise model adequately serves their interests.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Spanian’s food shop opened to huge hype – now there are worrying signs his gamble is going wrong: ‘He’s just selling kebabs now, and not very good ones’”.