October 7, 2009
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Smashburger
In the middle of the Great Depression, super salesman Elmer Wheeler advised the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration “Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle.” Those words served FDR well and became advertising’s dominant mantra through most of the 20th century. Sizzle-shopping consumers entered the 21st century knowing very little about their actual food: “Mommy, where does Polysorbate 60 come from?” Today, much Depression era “steak” has become fast food burger that can come from more than 100 cows, which can come from several different countries. Fast food consumers know way more about their favorite corporation’s trademarked clown than they know about the actual meat he sells. So, normally I scoff when a new corporate franchise comes along. Smashburger, though, was too intriguing to resist.
Wall-sized letters greet visitors as soon as they enter the company’s first Iowa store — “SIZZLE.” A look around revealed two other parts to the company slogan “Smash, sizzle, savor.” When the word “sizzle” is placed to make a first impression, it looks like full disclosure. In a way, it was. Both Smashburger President Scott Crane and Restaurants Inc. President Gayle Carstens, who owns franchise rights to all of Iowa, were refreshingly candid about a company that is raising many eyebrows. While the franchise industry contracted this year, Smashburger has announced 300 new stores since February. That’s breakneck expansion anytime, let alone during what the current President calls “the worst economy since the Great Depression.” What’s up?
“Because of the bad economy, there are all kinds of experienced investors looking for a low risk place to park capital,” explained valet Carstens. He added that he tasted his first Smashburger in Wichita and immediately drove to Denver to talk to the corporate office about becoming a franchisee. Crane reminded us that it “only costs about $400,000 to open a Smashburger, compared to way over a million for stand alone places like Culver’s.”
Crane said that Smashburger has no secret recipes or hidden practices, just a belief that they can execute old fashioned basics better than anyone else and become “every city’s favorite burger place.” To do that, they have returned the burger making art to its pre-industrial form: Beef is “chopped with an eighth inch dye, never ground,” in small batches with 20 percent fat.
It’s delivered fresh, never frozen, daily; Balls are loosely formed into third and half pound sizes; Each ball is dropped on a buttered, 450 degree flat top grill and “smashed” down with a steel press for ten seconds; Each patty is seasoned, turned and cooked a total of two and a half minutes. Customers can choose from three artisan buns and from extras that include fried eggs, apple wood bacon, chili, cheeses, freshly made guacamole, haystack onions and garlicky sautéed mushrooms.
That technique and burger blend produced an old fashioned crust on my patty, plus three small holes (which facilitate fast cooking). Crust (Maillard reaction) is to meat what caramelization is to carbohydrates — a significant flavor enhancer. This created the best corporate franchise burger I’ve had, anywhere. Crane said that Smashburger emulates Starbucks, a company that wants its product identified as an affordable luxury, not a quick, cheap fix. They’re doing a good job of that by using quality products — Haagen Daaz ice cream, Schwartz pickles, Tazo tea, Maytag blue cheese, Hebrew National hot dogs and sea salt.
I also tried smashed chicken sandwiches,
haystack onions, chili, salad and garlic French fries that were a frozen product but had been drizzled with olive oil and herbs. All those were above average for the industry.
Veggies were much better — flash fried and then grilled; producing expertly caramelized haricot verts, asparagus spears and quartered carrots. The availability of beer and wine also set this chain apart, particularly because the store is convenient to a major bike path.
