Yahoo Lifestyle 
MKR's Simone reveals 'challenging' cost-of-living decision while filming
EXCLUSIVE: The 2024 champion has opened up about the huge setback he faced behind the scenes.
Simone and Viviana appeared to have the perfect reality TV experience on this year’s season of My Kitchen Rules, achieving the highest Instant Restaurant score in the show’s history and ultimately winning the $100,000 prize. However, it turns out the best friends were dealing with quite a difficult - and relatable - situation behind the scenes.
Simone tells Yahoo Lifestyle he learned during filming that his Brisbane-based restaurant Doughcraft, which opened as a French bakery in February, was about to have a rent increase. Not only did he now have to try and manage his establishment while competing on the Channel Seven series, but he also had to find a way to adjust their entire business model.
“To adapt, my business partners and I decided to expand Doughcraft with an evening service, creating Doughcraft Evening. This allowed us to utilise the space in the evenings to manage the rent increase and continue to grow,” he details. “It was a challenging time, balancing the restaurant launch while filming the show.”
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Simone shares that he and his co-workers “raced against time” to open the restaurant before MKR began airing on TV so they could leverage from the publicity - and thankfully, it paid off.
“We succeeded and My Kitchen Rules gave us a boost with our customers,” he reveals. “Since then, we’ve been overwhelmed by the support. People travel from all over Australia - Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Sydney - to visit us.
“Viviana and I are always available for photos, chats and warm hugs. It’s heartwarming to see how much our work is appreciated, making Doughcraft a special place for so many.”
Simone's exciting announcement
To celebrate their recent win, Simone announced on Wednesday evening that Doughcraft has added some of their MKR dishes to the menu. Diners are invited to take part in the “culinary celebration” and commemorate Simone and Viviana’s journey to success.
“Starting today, you can indulge in the My Kitchen Rules special menu right here in Brisbane!” the restaurant’s Instagram account shared. “Featuring the cappellacci fagioli e cozze, a dish that wowed the judges with its delicate hand-folded pasta filled with creamy white bean puree, mussels, and buttery beurre blanc.
“And that’s not all—Simone’s lobster taco guanciale and the heavenly Paris-Brest dessert are also here to steal the show.”
Fans flock to Brisbane
MKR viewers across the country quickly took to the comments to say they were excited to travel to Brisbane and dine at Simone’s restaurant, with one person writing: “I’m definitely coming in to try that.”
“Sounds so yum, would like to come and taste,” another added, while a third replied, “I neeeeeeeeeed to get to Brisbane fast!”.
“Booked a table for next Tuesday! Travelling 2000kms to come try the tiramisu,” a different user replied, with someone else commenting, “We’re booked and I can't wait to try this”.
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Others also begged Simone to “arrange something for Sydney and Melbourne” and “open another restaurant in SA”.
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