Don't you guys have good local burger places that blow away 5 Guys, Fudruckers, etc.?
I think our place is one of these.
Frankly, destroying 5G is our main goal when it comes to burgers. I think 5G has a nice burger, and I think the lesson from them is that a basic solid burger has gotten a little more difficult to find over the years. They are taking an 80/20 chuck patty (though I wouldn't be shocked if they are using 70/30 beef) and grilling it fresh. It's very simple, but with probably 8 out of 10 burgers sold in the US being of the "pre-cooked, heaven knows what kind of filler is mixed in" variety it seems damn near revolutionary.
5G arose when the burger landscape was, in many places, either fast food burgers or "pub style" burgers from either chains and highish end local places charging an arm and a leg because they throw it on a brioche bun with some aioli and smoked gouda.
While I think there's a certainly a place for the latter, I think there's a huge market in between these two. Solid burgers grilled to order. 80/20 chuck with some simple seasoning, a nice light char from a flat-top, not overcooked, on a nice bun is pretty damn good and doesn't need a whole lot of help.
Anyway, we are using the same formula as 5G, generally, though we use a much better bun (though still not fru-fru), don't overcook them like 5G can sometimes (unless our resident old lady happens to be near the grill by accident), a little less expensive (thank God beef prices are way down), and our place is a whole hell of a lot more fun that 5G. I suspect we are using the same type of beef (80/20 choice chuck) and patty size (1/3rd lb), though again, I can't say for certain 5G isn't going a hair cheaper or smaller. We also have a full lunch and breakfast menu alongside the burgers, with more burger options and toppings.
There is one local place that has a particularly huge burger following going a similar route. Their burger is inferior to ours in a number of ways, though, I might be biased.
