136 sausage flavours, millions of views and one dream for this butcher

As you enter Rodes in Stafford Heights, you encounter a fresh meat -filled cupboard, a pre -cooked house and a smiling Ethan Johns.

The 14 -year -old apprentice butcher has become the informal face of the butcher shop thanks to the energetic, educational and enthusiastic back stage videos in Tiktok.

“Human heaps are just coming to see me, some want signature,” he laughs.

When this masthead visits a morning shop on weekdays, Johns is stopped by the passing person as soon as he goes out.

“Everyone here knows who you are now,” says the local man.

Johns’ videos collected millions of views and put the shop on the front ranks of the #butchertok movement. Sausage was seen about 5 million times, while exhibiting his rapid intelligence.

“I am 13 years old, but I already have 35 years of experience, or he says in the video.

‘All from there is history’

The success of the channel as a whole and Johns’s star, Patrick, owner of Meats, described young people as “outgoing ,, was not surprised by Burgoyne. But the idea of ​​putting him in the front and center could not get a loan – this honor belongs to the mother of the child.

Burgoyne, “Ethan’s mother came to the shop one day and ‘Oh, when will we get Ethan in a video?’ He said.

This came after Johns offered a job – as Johns remembered, he told him to “go in and find a job instead of just clowning”.

“All history from there.”

Since the account became viral – three of the most popular videos had more than 8.6 million combined views – Burgoyne had noticed an increase in customers traveling throughout the city to spend some money and meet the man.

“People come from anywhere, they travel for half an hour, 45 minutes to see Ethan and get some food.”

One of the nine apprentices in Burgoyne’s four butcher shops – with himself and his partner Prestige Meats Fairfield, Yamanto and Ommaay Mountain – Johns cuts sausage and cutting a steak.

“Look at that sucker,” he says when he gets a piece of steak from the cabinet. “This is probably my favorite steak, even my favorite meat in the entire shop.”

Johns, which lasted for three years until it is completely qualified, will decide whether he has molded in the Roda Meats team or opened his own shop.

A rare dream came true

Johns works at Burgoyne’s dream store.

“Actually, it was a dream to buy this store, because it’s a very iconic Brisbane butcher shop. I’ve always had an eye in this store since I was an apprentice. [and said] If he was on sale, I would always do my best to try my hands and try my hands. “

In 2023, Burgoyne took over the store, one of the previous owners who ran for 43 years. Instead of bringing prestige meats under the poster, the decision was also made to protect the well -known name.

“We didn’t touch him because it was such an iconic store, he didn’t have it to change it, or he laughs.

In the last two years, Burgoyne has made the shop an affordable options buffet to address every taste and budgets. In -house chefs and freshly cooked steaks and chips, pre -cooked, vacuum family pies, rotation of more than 136 different varieties of sausages and every meat you can imagine, all of them are exhibited.