BurgerFi: The Better Burger Category

In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, brought to you by Chepri, host Paul Barron sits down with Charles Guzetta, chief brand development officer and Paul Griffin, executive vice president of culinary of the gourmet burger concept, BurgerFi.

BurgerFi—as the name suggests—features burgers, but not just your average burger and sesame bun—there’s a lot more thought that goes into these ground rounds. The concept was ahead of the curve when it first launched in February, 2011. Guzetta has been apart of the growth and success of this popular chain since the early days, when it started out as a single location, in a former Burger King establishment, in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida.

Out of pure skepticism, many wondered how a “no-name, burger-what“ would survive this locale when a national chain had failed. “The long story short of it is that in our first year of operations we did three times more in top line revenue than the Burger King had done in their best year,” added Guzetta.

The exterior and interior aesthetics are a major influence in this concept’s image and message. “It’s no longer customer service, it’s customer experience,” says Guzetta. “Customer experience is everything around you, it’s the environment.” The level of finish is intentional with furniture, fixtures and equipment all made from recycled materials. Even the walls are made from No. 2 Southern Pine Lumber, the most renewable wood source on the planet.

Aside from focusing attention on aesthetics and details of the brand image, BurgerFi puts forth those same qualities into crafting their menu. “It’s really the four things—quality food, hospitality, cleanliness and value,” adds Griffin. BurgerFi’s beef is a part of the "Never-Ever" program, which means that it is free-range, humanely-treated and vegetarian-fed. There is zero use of steroids, antibiotics, growth hormones or additives.

This fast casual chain has implemented a few techniques to further set them apart. They hand chop fresh herbs daily to accent some of their offerings such as the Urban Fries, which are made from natural-cut Idaho potatoes, topped with parmesan cheese and fresh rosemary and parsley. The onion rings are never frozen, but instead the colossal onions are hand-cut, hand-battered and made-to-order in house daily.

BurgerFi’s innovative mindset doesn’t just stop at sides and dine-in aesthetics, they provide offerings for every kind of burger consumer out there. “Being a chef I am always staying ahead of trends and seeing what all the hot chefs are doing,” says Griffin. One of their more fancy burger creations is the CEO Burger, which consists of Waygu Beef, white cheddar, bacon jam and truffle aioli. They even offer multiple plant-based burger options, such as the Beyond Burger and a plant-forward option, the Conflicted Burger.

Calling all bacon-lovers, BurgerFi is releasing a limited time burger, “The Baconian,” which includes four different types of bacon—pork belly and angus patty, bacon cheddar cheese, smokey bacon aioli and thick cut bacon on top.

Make sure to watch the full episode above to learn more about Guzetta’s and Griffin’s success, and to get a preview of some of this fast casual chain’s most popular offerings!

This post is sponsored by Chepri, which provides custom guest experience software development and builds frictionless web UI/UX, e-commerce, mobile, and kiosk apps for restaurant brands, chains, and franchisors.