βurgerβusiness

Slater’s 50/50 has been upfront about being over-the-top since Scott Slater and Chef Brad Lyons opened the first in Anaheim Hills, Calif., in 2009. Known for its 50/50 burger patty made from equal parts ground beef and ground bacon and for its 100 beer taps, Slater’s 50/50 is nationally recognized for its creative Burgers of [...]

As BurgerBusiness.com reported  last week, McDonald’s has removed its Angus Third Pounders. As this site also reported, new Quarter Pounder burgers will fill the void. In an exclusive interview with BurgerBusiness.com today, Greg Watson, SVP of McDonald’s USA’s Menu Innovation Team, detailed the plan, which involves converting two of the 5.33-oz.-patty Angus builds to 4-oz.-patty [...]

A McDonald’s franchisee for more than 40 years and operator of eight units, J.M. Owens this year became president of the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators Association. He spoke with BurgerBusiness.com about the negative impact of ending the 2% payroll tax reduction; menu (including McWraps) and pricing; efforts to extend breakfast sales; and the chain’s intention [...]

Smashburger disproved the notion that a brand couldn’t be both local and national when it created special burgers for each of the markets or regions in which it operates. For example, in Costa Rica, where its first store opened on Dec. 1, Smashburger devised a burger topped with local favorites chorizo, grilled Turrialba cheese, refried [...]

Craig Culver, his wife, Lea, and his parents opened the first Culver’s Frozen Custard and ButterBurgers restaurant (a converted A&W) in Sauk City, Wis., in 1984. Culver’s now is the 11th largest burger chain in the U.S., with more than 450 locations in 19 states. Craig Culver remains its CEO and its guiding force. Last [...]

Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard isn’t one of the big boys, but neither is it a corner burger joint. Publicly traded and based in Golden, Colo., the “better burger” chain has 43 locations, most of them in Colorado. This week Good Times President-CEO Boyd Hoback, with the chain since 1992, announced a “financial advisory [...]

 Dave Prokupek, chairman and CEO of Smashburger, says he expects a shakeout among fast-casual “better burger” concepts with two or three brands emerging as national players. Smashburger will be one of them, he says.      The Denver-based chain intends to be a global power, having announced its first two overseas development deals this month. One [...]

Tom Galis loves burgers but the burger business itself is starting to leave him a little cold. Galis (officially Gialamboukis, but no one calls him that) operates the six Goodburger locations in New York City, and he readily concedes that his restaurants’ are like reliable Toyota Corollas parked among amenity-laden BMWs. It may not be flashy, [...]

Barry Klein knows the McDonald’s brand from the inside and outside, having served as an executive as well as an operator. As a member of the chain’s marketing department in the 1970s, he created the Ronald McDonald character and led the “You Deserve A Break Today” advertising campaign. Klein also spent five years as a McDonald’s franchisee [...]

Welcome to 2011. It’s a friendly place where burgers still haven’t gone out of favor or style. C’mon in. Burgers may, however, have gone up in price, at least at m:brgr, Jeff Dichter’s hip burger bar in Montreal. The highlight of the restaurant’s new menu is a $100 Kobe burger. Gimmick or reality? “It’s for real; sold [...]

Elevation Burger, based in Arlington, Va., stakes its claim to a share of the “better burger” category by offering a very limited menu of  freshly ground, 100% USDA-certified organic, 100% grass-fed, 100% free-range beef burgers and fresh-cut fries cooked in olive oil.  The basic, single-patty hamburger is about $3.59; the double-patty Elevation Burger is $6. [...]