The Story of The Big Pie in Yatala
The Big Pie sits atop a 10-metre pole near a car park at the Yatala Pies drive-through pie shop. For years, this shop has been a favourite stop for pies and pastries and still attracts many new pie lovers.
The oversized pastry measuring 4.5 metres in diameter was built in the late 1970s. However, the pie shop dates back to 1914, when its first outlet along the Pacific Highway was opened. It quickly became a famous stop-over restaurant for travellers and passers-by due to its convenient location and tasty traditional pies and pastries.
In the 1970s, the famous pie shop had to relocate to new premises to pave the way for the construction of the Pacific Motorway that replaced the Pacific Highway. According to local laws, roadside businesses along the motorway were disallowed. For this reason, Yatala Pies moved to a new, bigger and modern premise on the northside of the motorway where it still operates to date.
Despite the relocation, the pie shop still maintained its iconic status in the Gold Coast region and attracted even more customers. Although the shop does minimal mainstream advertising, The Big Pie’s visibility from the motorway and the surrounding area offers enough attraction for visitors and locals alike.
In addition, the business has recorded a spike in daily sales since its relocation over a decade ago. From 200 pies in daily sales, the shop now records 3,500 pies and hundreds of other pastries sold every day.
Yatala Pies was also listed under Queensland’s Q150 Icons, a list of cultural icons celebrating significant people, places, and events in the region, including iconic structures like the Big Pineapple in Nambour. Besides, most residents of Queensland still believe this age-old restaurant serves the region’s best pies and pastries.
