Key facts
- Fact 01
Fergburger started on Cow Lane, Queenstown, in February 2001, open from midnight to 5am, seven days a week.
- Fact 02
Fergburger's first outlet on Cow Lane measured about 3 m by 3 m.
- Fact 03
Owner-director Anthony (Ant) Smith was the driving force in starting Fergburger.
- Fact 04
Fergburger moved to its present premises at 42 Shotover Street, Queenstown, in June 2005.
- Fact 05
Fergbaker, the Ferg group's bakery, opened in July 2011.
Fergburger, the burger shop at 42 Shotover Street in Queenstown, began as a late-night outlet. It started on Cow Lane in February 2001, in a tiny outlet of about 3 m by 3 m, open from midnight to 5am, seven days a week. We read two Otago Daily Times features, from 2011 and 2013, and the Fergburger website on 29 October 2026 for the history below.
Owner-director Anthony (Ant) Smith was the driving force in starting the business, with two barbecues and a deep-fryer. The ODT reported in 2011 that he started it because there were few places in Queenstown to get a decent meal in the early hours of the morning. It was quiet at first, word spread through the ski community, and as demand grew it took on dinner and then lunch.
In 2013 the Otago Daily Times reported that the business had moved to its present premises on Shotover Street in June 2005, and that Fergbaker, the group's bakery for pies, pastries and bread, had opened in July 2011. Fergbaker now sits next door at 40 Shotover Street. The same 2013 report said the buns came from the group's own bakery, the sauces were made fresh every day and the beef patties were made by hand.
The name is its own small mystery. In 2013 the Otago Daily Times reported that there was no straight answer to who Ferg is: staff gave joke answers, and the bearded face in the logo looks like Queenstown founder William Gilbert Rees.
Fergburger is still a single burger shop. In 2013 the Otago Daily Times reported that it had turned down franchise offers. The wider Ferg group has grown around it, with Ferg's Bar at 44 Shotover Street, Mrs Ferg gelato on Beach Street and, since 2024, Fergbutcher in Arrowtown, the former Arrowtown Butchery that had long supplied its meat. The classic on the menu is The Fergburger: prime NZ beef with lettuce, tomato, red onion, aioli and tomato relish.
For more on Queenstown after dark, see our Queenstown nightlife guide, and our car-free stay guide covers getting around Queenstown without a car.
Questions visitors are asking
When did Fergburger open in Queenstown?
Fergburger opened in February 2001, the Otago Daily Times reported in 2013. It began as a late-night business, open from midnight to 5am, seven days a week, and took on dinner and then lunch as demand grew. In June 2005 it moved to its present premises on Shotover Street.
Where did Fergburger start?
Fergburger started on Cow Lane in Queenstown, not on Shotover Street, where it trades today. The first outlet was tiny, about 3 m by 3 m, according to the Otago Daily Times. The shop is now at 42 Shotover Street, with the group's bakery, Fergbaker, next door at number 40.
Who founded Fergburger?
The Otago Daily Times names owner-director Anthony (Ant) Smith as the driving force in starting Fergburger in Queenstown in 2001, with two barbecues and a deep-fryer. The paper reported he started it because there were few places in town to get a decent meal in the early hours of the morning.
Who is Ferg in Fergburger?
Nobody gives a straight answer. In 2013 the Otago Daily Times reported that Fergburger staff in Queenstown gave joke answers when asked who Ferg is, and that the bearded face in the logo looks like Queenstown founder William Gilbert Rees. The paper found no straight answer to how the name began.
Does Fergburger have other locations?
No. Fergburger is still a single burger shop at 42 Shotover Street in Queenstown, and in 2013 the Otago Daily Times reported that it had turned down franchise offers. The Ferg group runs Fergbaker at 40 Shotover Street, Ferg's Bar at 44 Shotover Street, Mrs Ferg gelato on Beach Street and Fergbutcher in Arrowtown.