25 November, 2022
Doolan Duo bring back Bite Markets
Nikki and Steven Doolan are leading the new management team at Bite Markets at North Harbour, after taking over the reins at the start of November.
After celebrating the grand reopening on November 4, the Doolan duo who had previously owned their kid’s entertainment vendor at the market, are looking to restore the reputation of Bite Markets and bring in more food, entertainment and events.
Nikki said that in recent months the food markets were “slowly going down”, before one day the previous owner told everyone to leave.
“We were told out of nowhere we were done and had to clear all our stuff out,” she said.
Understanding the financial burden this would put on many of the food vendors – many of whom relied on the Bite Markets for their weekly income – Nikki and Steve decided to take over themselves.
“There’s a lot of people whose main business is food,” Nikki said.
“We didn’t want everyone to lose their livelihoods.”
Now, just a month into their new role, the Doolans are searching for more vendors, entertainment and local market stalls as they attempt to rebuild the market’s reputation.
Nikki said after COVID-19, the mandates that followed and the consistent rain this year, the Bite Markets had “taken a big hit” and now they are trying to get it up and running again at the busiest time of the year.
At the moment, there are between 20 and 30 food vendors, with many more waiting for their vendor applications to be approved so they can come in.
“Food vendor applications take a while,” Nikki said.
“It’s a slow progress, but it’s happening.”
The mother of three, who also still runs a jumping castle hire business, said that after three years of running their own vendor, she is passionate about the Bike Markets and has already invested a lot of time and effort into it.
“It would have been a shame to see it fail,” she said.
Nikki said that so far, the community support has been phenomenal and they are excited to see what these food markets can bring to the Moreton Bay community, not just for foodies and families, but also for local businesses.
“Food vendors employ a lot of people,” she said.
Whilst these changes will not happen overnight, Nikki said more is coming.
“We are confident we’ll get there.”
Bite Markets at North Harbour on 24 Nolan Drive Morayfield are open 4pm to 10pm every Friday and Saturday.
