Muffin Break facts for kids
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| Division | |
| Industry | Hospitality |
| Founded | 1989 in Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia |
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Area served
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Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom |
| Owner | Foodco |
Muffin Break is a popular cafe chain that sells delicious muffins, coffee, and other bakery treats. It's a franchise business, which means different people own and run individual Muffin Break stores, but they all follow the same brand rules.
Muffin Break is part of a company called Foodco. You can find Muffin Break cafes in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In 2013, there were about 275 Muffin Break stores around the world. Most of them were in Australia, with others in New Zealand and the UK. Muffin Break also has a sister company called Jamaica Blue, which is another cafe chain owned by Foodco.
Contents
History of Muffin Break
The idea for Muffin Break actually started in Canada back in the 1970s. Later, the Foodco company bought the idea and updated it to create the Muffin Break we know today.
First Stores Open
The very first Muffin Break store with the new style opened in 1989. This happened in a place called Coolangatta, in Queensland, Australia.
A few years later, in 1994, the first Muffin Break store in New Zealand opened its doors. This store was located in Auckland. Then, in 2001, Muffin Break expanded into the United Kingdom, bringing its tasty muffins to a new country.
Working with Croc's Playcentres
In December 2015, Muffin Break's parent company, Foodco, teamed up with Croc's Playcentres. Croc's Playcentres are fun places in Australia where families can go for entertainment. Because of this partnership, new Croc's Playcentres started including Muffin Break cafes inside them. Also, existing Croc's Playcentres had the chance to change their own cafes into Muffin Break cafes.
Fair Work Practices
It's important for companies to make sure their employees are paid fairly for the work they do. Sometimes, mistakes can happen with pay.
Ensuring Fair Pay
In 2014, an organization called the Fair Work Ombudsman looked into some Muffin Break stores in Victoria. They found that a student working there hadn't been paid the correct amount. The owners of those stores agreed to pay the student what they were owed, and they worked with the Ombudsman to fix the situation.
Later, in 2016, a similar issue was found at a Muffin Break store in Hobart. The former owners of that store had not paid two employees correctly. Just like before, the owners agreed to pay the employees back, and they cooperated with the Fair Work Ombudsman to make things right.
Importance of Internships
In 2019, a Muffin Break General Manager talked about how some young people might not be looking for unpaid work experience or internships. She meant that people who show initiative and are willing to gain experience often have a better chance of getting a job. It's a way for young people to learn new skills and see how a business works.
Checking Pay Across Cafes
In September 2019, the Australian Fair Work Ombudsman checked on several cafes, including some Jamaica Blue and Muffin Break stores. They found that some employees across these cafes had not been paid correctly. The company worked to make sure these employees received the money they were owed. This shows how important it is for businesses to regularly check their pay systems to ensure everyone is paid fairly.
