Charlotte is in line to get another "better burger" chain, as a pair of local restaurant professionals have signed an agreement to open 20 Burgerfi locations in the Carolinas.
"We'll eventually have four to six in the Charlotte area," said Burley Moss, who has previously developed franchise locations for Outback Steakhouse and Bonefish Grill. "It takes you a while to get that first, one and they seem to roll pretty quickly after that."
Along with business partner Henry Harris, Moss said he's searching for sites in Charlotte and hopes to open the city's first Burgerfi in the second quarter next year.
North Palm Beach, Fla.-based Burgerfi currently has five locations. The chain focuses on humanely-raised, naturally-grown beef burgers, and features green touches such as chairs made from recycled materials.
Charlotte has seen fast-casual burger concept restaurants grow recently, with new market entrants such as Smashburger and American Roadside Burgers, and the expansion of Bad Daddy's Burger Bar and Five Guys. But Moss said he doesn't think the city's burgerscape is too crowded.
"I don't think so," Moss said. "It's definitely a growing segment."
Part of the reason he thinks the chains will have enough room to grow together is appeal that crosses income lines: Prices low enough to lure everyone, and menu offerings attractive enough to lure upper-income customers.
Said Moss: "The people who live in... $4 million houses will eat at our burger restaurant, and the people who cut their grass will too."
Thursday, November 3, 2011
New chain, Burgerfi, headed to town
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26 comments:
Said Moss: "The people who live in... $4 million houses will eat at our burger restaurant, and the people who cut their grass will too."
wow, what a safe way to reference the "working class" without specifically stating the obvious.
the highest price hotdogs in the highest price supermarket run about 5-6 bucks a package of 8. this place is charging 4 bucks for a single dog. their fries 'toppings' which amount to a shaker of seasonings, is extra, their drinks start at $3 bucks a cup!!!! no wonder the 'people who live in 4 million dollar homes' might eat here. these prices are insanely ridiculous.
Let me guess, the first one will open in Ballantyne or Southpark area
7:39 - Don't forget Uptown, with its high concentration of people who live in $4 million condos.
The comment about "people who cut their own grass" is just lip-service. This cat clearly wants people with enough disposable income that spending $15 on a burger, fries and drink isn't ridiculous. I got a burger, fries and drink at American Roadside for $8. I'll go there before I go home to mow my grass.
Hamburgers and Hotdogs are great food. However, they are nothing more than Hamburgers and Hotdogs. Please don't bastardize these great food items by trying to fluff them up and charge three times what they are worth...
Can't we get more Indian restaurants or something? Some interesting Korean options? C'mon guys, mix it up a little, sheesh.
Charlotte's on tap to get more chain restaurants? And this is news? No, it really isn't.
If people cared where their burgers came from McDonalds would not be selling them. Get real.
At least American Roadside is Charlotte based and value conscious. They have a $4 burger and $1.95 draft that they run for a buck...bout every other night. Smash is from Denver, this dude is from Florida. Burgerfi is one goofy name.
@Anon - 9.01a - Charlotte based? I guess their first one that was opened in Smithtown, NY is just a mysterious coincidence then.
http://www.americanroadsideburgers.com/locations/
Facts are a silly thing.
He didn't say "people who cut their own grass". He said, "people who cut their grass" meaning the latinos who cut the grass of the $4 million dollar houses.
And if the prices quoted here are accurate....I seriously doubt it!
Ok people, read the article, the man is creating jobs, so wait until it opens or go to McDonalds and buy your crack burger to feed your veins. Charlotte is becoming a restaurant destination with the help of Johnson and Wales University. The City is being transformed, one new restaurant at a time.
Yes, American Roadside moved their corporate offices here earlier this year - was in the news. Run by Charlotte-based folks. And, I've been to the Uptown one...really good food (burgers, shakes, fries, onion rings, plus beer and wine) and good prices. I'm a little weary of the really high prices at BurgerFi.
I have eaten at the Burgerfi in Delray Beach. Seemed kind of greasy to me. Menu is too limited for that high of a price.
I would take Bad Daddy's or even Five Guy's over Burgerfi. But if it is trendy and loud like Smashburger, people will come.
Did anyone complaining about prices actually look at the menu for this place??? A burger at Burgerfi costs $3.97. There are some specialty burgers for more - but most of them are doubles and are around the $6-7 mark (exactly like American Roadside Burgers' menu).
And yes, Smashburger is trendy and loud - but the burgers are tasty and unique, so I think there is more to it than just what is on the surface.
Five Guys throws their burgers into a bag, tosses 16 lbs of fries on top of it and you are on your way - At least American Roadside gives you table side service with your burger on a plate. Same amount of money - differing service - give me American Roadside anytime!
So, "Burgerfi",eh
Must be for Marines.
Wow, I'll have to cut a lot of grass to eat lunch at this place. I think I'll stick to 5 Guys.
Charlotte is mostly beef on the brain, in my experience.
Anon 10:50 - A single burger and fries at Five Guys costs $6.68. At Burgerfi, the same costs $6.74. Are you really complaining over a different in price of SIX CENTS?
Meat, meat and more meat. When are we going to get some vegetarian food around here?
directly from the burgerfi menu:
burger: $5.47 - $9.97 and then some toppings are extra
hotdog: $3.97 - $4.27 and then some toppings are extra
fries/rings: $2.77 - $5.77 and then some toppings are extra
drinks: $2.27 - $2.97
after taxes you could spend between $11.50 and $20.22 on a meal of 'burger or dog/fries/drink'. and that's not even considering their 'shakes' which start at $5.50.
so yeah, there is NO comparison when going up against 'five guys' or other places.
It is good folks work to bring new food choices to the Charlotte area. The market will decide if Burgerfi stays, or not. I have only one issue. Burgerfi, please remove the word "craft" from your beer selection in your on-line menu.
Great! Yet another burger and fries place where people can expand their waistlines even further.
wow, we don't have any hamburger places here that also sell french fries!!!!!..... The city needs some diversified food options.
I am probably wasting my time posting. People in the US expect to eat CHEAP. Eating cheap is what’s caused allot of the United States polluted rivers that has led to parts of the gulf coast's Dead Sea zone. I know most are thinking, "a tree hugger", not hardly. I have just been educating myself on how many cattle are killed a year, (42 million cattle die a year, to feed the Americans craving for cheap food) and that’s disturbing. Most cattle we eat are pumped with hormones and steroids to get them to grow faster and then forced to gorge on corn, to get them to slaughter within a few months. Feeding cows strictly corn and other byproducts causes the cow to get fat and then they bloat, which causes acidosis. Methane is toxic and so are the wastes from the factories. Last night, I started reading about what happens if a cow gets a herniated rumen or intestine. That’s a real scary thought. E. Coli 0157 H7 thrive in the acidic rumens, intestines and manure. Most countries will not touch our food, especially Switzerland, because the chemicals we use in are cattle are illegal in most countries and we cannot prove these don’t cause cancer or other diseases. Birth control pills come with a cancer warning label, so should the food we eat. The FDA has posted the past 60 day’s food recalls and it's already 10 pages long. Recalls mean we killed thousands of animals and wasted the meat because of careless handling or animal wastes contaminated crops from factory farms. If anyone doubts me, look it up. Be sure to watch and read "When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Swiss Cow." The Swiss cows are treated humane for a reason. The people that are complaining about the prices really need to step back and understand why BurgerFi cost more than McDonalds. The United States enjoys regretting, after something horrible happens, such as, the New Orleans levies breaking. I like thinking, a fast-food chain are taking critical steps towards communicating with the farmers. If this is the case, it is worth paying more. Now we need to get them to buy from only quality local farmers, so farmers can have their jobs back.
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