Fifteen burger concepts to watch out for in 2015
The question of whether there鈥檚 room for still more burger restaurants keeps being asked. And the answer continues to come in the form of second, third or tenth locations for popular burger concepts. Burger 21, BurgerFi, Elevation Burger, Habit Burger and many others continue to expand: We鈥檝e spotlighted 50 growth concepts over the past four years.
Burger-menu restaurants continue to be created and once established continue to multiply. Listed here are 15 such growing brands that bear watching next year. Some, such as Wahlburgers, likely are familiar, but others, including Boon Burger Caf茅, likely aren鈥檛 but soon may be. These concepts exemplify the diversity in style that keeps the burger category of the restaurant business innovative and robust.
, Las Vegas
After opening a second Vegas location, Bachi has gone to Los Angeles for its third unit. Bachi鈥攕hort for hibachi鈥攑uts an Asian spin on its food. The Shogun Burger is Wagyu beef and unagi with pan-seared foie gras, poached Asian pear, miso butter and Yamamomo peach.聽 Chef鈥檚 Specials include Oxtail Chili Cheese Fries.
, Winnipeg, Canada
A vegan burger bar? How鈥檚 that going to work? No doubt it had its skeptics, but Michael Valiant鈥檚 animal-free, plant-based menu won converts. A second location opened in Winnipeg and now a third鈥攊n Barrie, Ontario鈥攊s open. Boon boasts 14 meat-free burgers made with one of four non-meat patties it makes. The grilled patty is made with cremini mushrooms, brown rice, onion, garlic, lemon juice, organic tofu and oats, seasoned with basil, oregano, salt and coarse black pepper.
, Boston
Bringing great burgers to the intelligentsia, Boston Burger Company鈥檚 third location will be in Cambridge, Mass. It鈥檚 famed for its house salsa, which is sold at retailers across Boston, but its half-pound Angus burgers also are revered (a little Boston humor).
, Pittsburgh
BRGR goes where the burger lovers are. It just opened its third full-service location in Pittsburgh; it operates a popular concession at PNC Park; and it has a food truck taking burgers to the hungry. Signature build The BRGR is a half-pound of dry-aged prime beef with pickled red onion, arugula, creamy blue cheese and oven-roasted tomatoes.
, Toronto
There are so many fast-growing Canadian chains鈥攊ncluding The Works, Big Smoke and South St. Burger鈥攖hat you might not notice that Burger鈥檚 Priest鈥檚 new location at Stone Road Mall is its seventh in the city. A self-described 鈥淐lassic American Cheeseburger Joint,鈥� it would fare well here if it decides to look south.
, Charlottesville, Va.
The full-service restaurant opened in 2012 in center-city Charlottesville. Now it鈥檚 heading north, across the Potomac from D.C., to Clarendon, Va., for a second location. Citizen will continue its pledge to source as many ingredients鈥攊ncluding grass-fed beef鈥攆rom Virginia farms as possible.
, Boise, Idaho
When the original Grind in Eagle, Idaho, failed, owner Rick Boyd retooled it and opened in Boise. This time it鈥檚 working so well that Boyd聽聽BurgerBusiness.com he鈥檚 looking at possible expansion to Spokane or Seattle.
, Atlanta
The cheeseburger at Chef/owner Linton Hopkins鈥� Holeman & Finch is the stuff of legend. It used to be available only 10 p.m. and only 24 were made each night, although the limitations were dropped last month. But that cheeseburger was such a local icon that Hopkins opened a downsized H&F Burger concession at Turner Field. A second H&F now is planned for Ponce City Market. Could this become the next Shake Shack?
, Colorado
Larkburger may brand itself a 鈥淐olorado fast-casual chain鈥� and have opened only within its home state, but Co-founder and CEO Adam Baker told BurgerBusiness.com in an聽聽that the chain soon will want to look beyond the Rockies. The West Coast seems the most likely landing site.
Loco鈥檒, San Francisco
The first location won鈥檛 open until 2015, but when it鈥檚 the brainchild of chefs Roy Choi (of Los Angeles鈥� Kogi) and Daniel Patterson (Coi in San Francisco), you鈥檇 better believe it鈥檚 worth watching. Choi鈥檚 promising healthier burgers than any of the QSR chains offer. He鈥檚 making big plans鈥攖he first Loco鈥檒 will be in San Francisco; then it鈥檚 on to Los Angeles, Detroit and the world鈥攁nd he鈥檚 talking tough. 鈥淒on鈥檛 tell me we don鈥檛 want great delicious cheap fast food,鈥� Choi told聽. 鈥淚t鈥檚 only because we haven鈥檛 been given the choice to choose, and we destroy our youth and our neighborhoods with corporations that serve addictive poison that we convince ourselves otherwise.
, Los Angeles
The concept that invented 鈥渒etchup leather鈥� (think Fruit Roll-Ups) has three locations open and is itching for more. In an聽, partner Ernesto Uchimura told BurgerBusiness.com that 鈥渋t would be smart to expand to other cities in California.鈥� The Pacific Northwest is under consideration, too.
, Chicago
Owners Bill and Wendy Spatz had barely opened the first Rev Burger in Carol Stream, Ill., before they were scouting sites for their 鈥淗ealthier Revolution鈥� food in Chicago. The downtown location is open now and more are expected, even in Chicago鈥檚 crowded burger marketplace. 鈥淲e set this up to be a franchise from the start,鈥� Bill Spatz聽聽BurgerBusiness.com earlier this year.
, Miami
The first two locations are in Miami but owner JEY Hospitality Group has put the third Rok:Brgr in The Village at Gulfstream in Hallendale Beach, Fla. The menu offers 14 burgers鈥攊ncluding the Sweet Caroline with aged Cheddar, BBQ short rib, coleslaw, fried onion and bourbon BBQ sauce鈥攁nd a build-your-own option. The full-service bar is hoppin鈥�.
, Mississauga, Ont.
With a dozen units in Canada, Union Burger quietly invaded in 2013, opening in Clearwater, Fla. Apparently it likes the weather there and its second U.S. location will be in Orlando. Yes, they brought the poutine down with them.
, Hingham, Mass.
I overlooked this concept last year and in the interim it has gone crazy, opening in Toronto and announcing plans for not one but three locations in Las Vegas. Oh and it got its own A&E reality TV show, too. Anyone who dismissed this as a vanity concept for Mark Wahlburg and his brothers are finding just how serious about good burgers they are.
