Back of the House

New York Burger Co.’s Dirty Secret

New York Burger Co. has two profitable locations in the city that have won some praise, so naturally, the company’s founders are poised to make the leap into megafranchising. We’ve often wondered at burger joints that are obviously created as franchise pilots; Long Island’s American Burger Company didn’t even bother giving itself a local name before initiating its nation-conquering mission.

The only problem is that, amid all the marketing jabber about a “rapidly growing niche” and “a package that bridges fast food and fast casual,” one fact has been obscured. New York Burger Co. makes some of the worst hamburgers in New York. The ultralean all-natural Coleman beef would barely retain a drop of moisture in a sous-vide; after getting desiccated by the charcoal grill, the burgers tend to be little tastier than tofu patties. The ingredients are all high quality, and nobody’s arguing over the brioche buns or applewood-smoked bacon, but the chain is clearly more concerned with the food sounding good than tasting good. If only Shake Shack and Veselka called themselves Joe Burger and were run by Dr. Evil.

New York Burger Co., the Manhattan-based Natural Burger QSR set to Franchise Fall/Winter 2006 [Restaurant Industry News]

New York Burger Co.’s Dirty Secret