Smashburger to open!

[southocean]

Smashburger is scheduled to open at 14730 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33181 (in the plaza with Total Wine, and next door to the new Sir Pizza) on Saturday, 12-31-2011 (New Year's Eve).

I stopped by there today, and had a menu forced upon my by a preternaturally cheerful trainee. Prices look good, and Smashburger's food is well-known in the burger-eatin' arena.

[DolceFarNiente]

For those of you who are fans and are excited another one is opening in North Ft. Lauderdale on Federal at 5975 North Federal Highway in the Fedex/Kinkos/Panera Bread strip mall on the north west side of the street.

[Raboi]

Been there way to many times as it is close to my house in Coral Springs. Not that good IMO. After a few bucks worth of toppings and its over the price of a Charm City Burger. Throw in bad fries and you have a totally waste of an evening but at least it fills up the kid's bellies.

[Jenaclaree]

See I'm the opposite....I love those fries rolled in olive oil, garlic, and rosemary! The burger tastes similar to Wendy's though.

[aynrandgirl]

I've had Smashburger in other states and they taste nothing like Wendy's. The Florida franchisee must be doing it on the cheap.

[Raboi]

Either way, my wife tells me my local Smashburger is closed. Oh well.... certainly many more local subpar burgers to try if the kids force the issue on short notice.

[CFByrne]

Coming soon to Palm Beach Country. In particular, a new building in Boynton Beach. It's up and now being furnished.

SW corner of Woolbright Blvd and US1, near the exit to the new Publix.

http://smashburger.com/coming-soon/

[freakerdude]

I don't know anything about Smashburger. I think Shake Shack in Boca soon sounds more promising from these reviews.

I still have yet to try Charm City and Burger-Fi though...

[Big Bad Voodoo Lou]

I got to try Smashburger AND Shake Shack for the first time on a recent trip to Miami -- the Smashburger in Kendall and Shake Shack on South Beach. I found them both to be good (if a little overpriced), and both definitely better than the ubiquitous Five Guys (which we have all over Orlando, unlike the other two) and Cheeburger Cheeburger.

The burgers at both places were juicy, with slightly crispy edges, nice soft buns (possibly buttered and grilled), and has great melty American cheese. They reminded me of far better versions of the typical Steak 'n' Shake "steakburger," which is definitely overpriced and not very good.

I liked the fries at Smashburger and Shake Shack as well, and I'm usually not a fry guy. My brother gave a slight edge to Smashburger overall, but I liked both and hope they make it up to Central Florida.

[The Chowfather]

Really? I did Shake Shack 2x this week and Smashburger isn't even in the same stratosphere for me.

[CFByrne]

Another new article on SmashBurger

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/0...

"Now with 143 locations in 25 states, Smashburger offers burgers freshly made from Angus beef, uniquely accessorized with diverse toppings, and the meal is brought fresh to the table by a server. Nothing is pre-cooked.

But the showpiece at Smashburger is how it adapts its product to local tastes..."

[Icantread]

Nothing to write home about. special fries are good, I guess. What's with all the casual eateries in that strip?

[The Chowfather]

It's open. I tried it a couple of days ago. The burger was good but not in the same league as Shake Shack. Mine was on the salty side- not sure of that was an isolated incident or the result of the smashing. I wasn't crazy about the egg bun as well. I tried the regular fries and the Smashfries (rosemary, olive oil and garlic) and both were weak.

I need to try the burger again before coming to a firm conclusion.

[Fibber McGee]

Smashburger is all right, fairly comparable to Five Guys. Nowhere near the selection of Cheeburger Cheeburger but the burgers themselves are pretty good. We got them here in Ohio as part of their first expansion from Denver.
Each location seems to have a specialty burger honoring the area. In Ohio we have the Buckeye Burger.

[southocean]

Miami's specialty is the A1A -- named for the iconic highway that typically runs along the beach from South Florida to North Florida. It's grilled Spanish chorizo, frita potatoes. Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and spicy chipotle mayo on a Cuban roll.

Antacids not included.

[lax2mia]

Just when you thought nothing could kill you faster than a Cuban sandwich then BAM...we get the A1A. But unlike the Cuban sandwich at least you get lettuce and tomato :)

[Fibber McGee]

Interesting. I wonder how long it will take them to make it up to Palm Beach/Broward County. Plans could already be in order for all I know.

[Alfred G]

They're already in Coral Springs.

[Fibber McGee]

That's good to know. My parents are able to head down to Delray for a few months and they really want to try it.

[Raboi]

The closest one to Delray is one in Boynton Beach if they really, really want one but i would seriously consider heading down federal to Charm City for a much better burger.

[CFByrne]

"The Pembroke Pines location of Smashburger will open at 14928 Pines Boulevard on Wednesday, March 21"

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cle...

[CFByrne]

I don't know about their burgers, but Forbes sure likes their business model:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2...

I noted in a recent NYT article Danny Meyer also publically raving about the "$8 burger model" or whatever you want to call it. Lots of profit and no dealing with much of the overhead and headaches of full-service restaurants.

[southocean]

Forbes indicates the $8 is the average ticket price, for a burger, fries and drink. Looking at the menu, the highest priced burger is $7.19, fries range from $2 to $2.50, and IBC bottled sodas are in the $2 range. Should be easy to get in, eat well, and get out for $8-$9. As Forbes points out, comparable to other "fast-casual" places.