Smashburger, at 14082 Promenade Commons Street in Gainesville, opened to the public on Jan. 22. Tuesday, Smashburger held a media event; Bristow Beat got to sample almost everything on the menu.
Smashburger Concept
We learned a lot about Smashburger, the Colorado Company that has risen to become America’s fastest growing, fast casual “better burger” restaurant with over 200 restaurants in 29 states.
Smashburger has been rapidly expanding within the DMV over the last few years. The Gainesville restaurant is their seventh location in the region, with Gaithersburg, Maryland soon to follow.
Smashburger Founder Tom Ryan is one of the major innovators in the fast food and casual dining world. His revolutionary concepts include McDonald’s McGriddles and Dollar Menu as well as Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Crust Pizza and their Lovers line.
Now, as founder and Chief Concept Officer of Smashburger, Ryan is credited with the idea of smashing burgers to get that perfect shape and optimize conditions for a juicy, yet evenly cooked burger. The food is fresh, not frozen, and the dining experience is encouraged to be fun and personalized.
Smashburger is also one of a wave of restaurants leading the pack in fast casual dining. Fast casual is defined as dining that blends the sit-down server experience with the more casual order-and-go experience.
Here’s how it works at Smashburger: customers order at the counter and their servers deliver the food to the tables. This means no standing and waiting around for your food, no long waits to be seated and no tips to add to the bill.
Smashburger also includes a fairly extensive menu that includes burgers, chicken sandwiches, black bean burgers, salads and milk shakes for all varieties of taste. Beer, including at least one local brew, will also be added as soon as the new Gainesville location secures a liquor license.
Best Burger Bites
At the media luncheon, we had the opportunity to sample a little bit of everything at Smashburger. We wanted to give you our impression. Jason and I were in agreement on the two best burgers: the Classic Smash and the BBQ, Bacon & Cheddar Burger.
Let’s start with the Classic Smash. This one is a no brainer. The burger is adorned with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, ketchup and smash sauce on a traditional bun. The smash sauce is a little tangy (we think it’s mustard-based) and compliments the toppings nicely. It’s a familiar all-American taste and the burger itself is juicy and full-flavored. We suggest pairing it with a Haagan-Dazs milk shake or local craft beer.
Second runner up is the BBQ, Bacon & Cheddar Burger. It has the savory richness one would expect from those ingredients, but it also adds the right amount of sweetness in the sauce. I’m not a huge BBQ fan, so I was delightfully surprised. Plus, it’s topped with haystack onions on an egg bun, making it that much better!
Alternative Tastes
The other burgers all shined in their own right. The regional Capital Burger shows the world what a sophisticated palate we have in the DMV. It includes arugula, a brioche bun and a mayo-based sauce. If you like that one, you might also enjoy the Truffle Mushroom Swiss Burger in which the savory mushroom taste is brought to the forefront.
If you’re not a red-meat eater, you’re still invited to the party at Smashburger. The chicken sandwiches are just as good and the Spicy Veggie Black Bean patty delights with fresh avocado, onions and tomatoes. Salads look amazing too. They are huge and include a variety of fresh ingredients, perfect to satisfy and take away any burger envy. Plus the kids' menu includes smaller burgers and chicken tenders.
Now, although we feel Smashburger’s featured burgers are perfectly balanced in flavor, Smashburger also encourages guests to design their own perfect burger, choosing their own bun, cheese, etc. Moreover, all burgers are reasonably priced around $5-6 and come in three sizes: ¼ lb. for kids, ¼ lb. regular burgers and large ½ lb. burgers.
Sides & Desserts
So I told you about the main entrees, now here’s what Smashburger offers in their sides. It’s not just your usual one-taste-fits-all fries but I will start there. The French fries are thin, slightly crispy and peppered, while the sweet potato fries are a nice touch for something a little sweeter. On the healthy side, green beans and carrot sticks are seared for 45 seconds and seasoned. They also have fried pickles with tangy dressing dip, which is a surprising treat, and the haystack onions are kind of amazing.While you may stop there, you may be tempted by the Haagen-Dazs shakes as well.
We sampled Oreo, a classic, and what seems to be the “It” flavor this year, salted caramel. Both were simply delicious. Other party-goers tried Nutter Butter and they were likewise impressed. Smashburger also serves vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and a secret PB&J shake not shown on the menu. Plus, all shakes and malts are served diner style in a tall malt glass with the extra still in the tin.
New to the Neighborhood
With smashing taste, we wanted to make sure Smashburger would be good neighbors too. Turns out they are excited to be in Gainesville. Chief Executive Officer Scott Crane said Gainesville was an ideal location, since it was so close to Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow.
District Manager Frank Costello thinks Gainesville is just the kind of up-and-coming neighborhood the restaurant company looks for to launch new stores. He’s also happy with the prime real estate, saying, “This is going to be a great spot. I feel we have a great position in regards to the movie theatre, which is the end cap.”
Besides attracting the movie and shopping crowd, mid-county resident and General Manager Paul Baierl said he plans to reach out to police, fire fighters and schools, especially Patriot High School. Smashburger encourages community outreach via its “High Five: Do Well, Do Good” program.
Smashburger hopes to set itself apart from the competition with their diverse menu and appealing dining experience. We had a good time there and definitely enjoyed the food as well as the fun atmosphere. Let Bristow Beat know what you think of this new restaurant on our Facebook and Twitter pages!
Find out more about Smashburger by visiting them at www.smashburger.com or find them on Facebook or Twitter.
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