On Smashburger and Smashed Burgers in General
Word from Nancy Luna, the Fast Food Maven, is that Smashburger, a Denver-based burger chain started by the founder of Quiznos, has raised $15 million to expand the concept nationally with as many as 500 outlets.
And what's the concept? From the Smashburger site: "The beef had to be fresh-never-frozen, smashed on the grill to seal in all the beefy flavor, and cooked to juicy perfection."
Luna also notes that Smashburger seems to be all about giving the customer freedom to choose and then makes the comparison to The Counter, whose famously long list of options earned it raves from Oprah and her buddy Gayle King.
Ed Levine, who sits across from me here in the AHT–Serious Eats office, is now asking me, "Isn't smashing the patty against everything that burger purists hold dear?"
