Smashburger facts for kids
 |
|
|
Trade name
|
Smashburger |
|---|---|
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast casual restaurant |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founders | Rick Schaden and Tom Ryan |
| Headquarters | , |
|
Number of locations
|
227 (220 in the United States, 7 in Canada) (2025) |
|
Area served
|
United States Canada Costa Rica El Salvador Panama Saudi Arabia United Kingdom |
|
Key people
|
Denise Nelsen (CEO) |
| Products | Hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, French fries, shakes, soft drinks |
| Revenue | $338.3 million (2016) |
| Parent | Independent (2007–2018) Jollibee Group (2018–present) |
Smashburger is a popular American restaurant chain. It's known for its delicious hamburgers. The first Smashburger opened in Denver, Colorado. As of 2022, there were over 227 Smashburger restaurants. You can find them in 35 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces.
Rick Schaden and Tom Ryan started Smashburger in 2007. The chain serves "smashed" burgers. This means they press the burger meat onto a hot grill. This special cooking method makes the burgers extra flavorful. The menu also includes chicken, turkey, and mushroom sandwiches. You can also get french fries, sweet potato fries, and fried pickles. Some locations even offer gluten-free buns.
Smashburger grew very quickly after it first opened. A company from the Philippines, Jollibee Group, bought a part of Smashburger in 2015. By 2018, Jollibee Group owned all of Smashburger.
Contents
How Smashburger Started
The Idea Behind the Burgers
Smashburger was created in 2007 by two people who knew a lot about fast food. Tom Ryan helped create the stuffed crust pizza for Pizza Hut. He also worked for McDonald's. Rick Schaden used to own Quiznos. They wanted to make a better kind of hamburger restaurant.
They named it Smashburger because it sounded "hand-crafted." It also sounded "edgy" and cool for younger people. Tom Ryan has a special degree in how flavors and smells work.
Building the Perfect Kitchen
The founders spent six months designing the restaurant's kitchen. They wanted it to be very efficient and fast. The kitchen has a main griddle with a refrigerated area underneath. This keeps the burger meatballs ready for the cook. This design helps cooks work quickly without leaving the grill.
The "smashing" technique uses a special tool. This helps new cooks learn fast. They chose flat-top grills instead of charbroilers. They also tasted 300 kinds of beef to find the best one. They picked chopped Angus beef for their burgers.
Smashburger's Growth
.jpg)
.jpg)
The first Smashburger opened in Denver in June 2007. Then, it expanded to Houston and Minneapolis. The company focused on letting customers customize their orders. They also used fresh ingredients.
Their first slogan was "Smash, sizzle, savor." In 2011, they changed it to "Smashed Fresh. Served Delicious." They used social media to get the word out. Later, they started advertising on TV and radio.
Smashburger grew to 143 locations by the end of 2011. It had $54 million in yearly sales. By 2013, it had 170 locations worldwide. Sales reached $228 million. In 2014, it grew to 256 locations and $300 million in sales. By mid-2017, there were 380 locations in 38 U.S. states and nine countries.
Smashburger's success showed that people wanted higher-quality burgers. Even though Smashburger's burgers cost more, they took customers from bigger fast-food chains. People felt Smashburger's food was better and more personalized.
Joining the Jollibee Group
By 2013, Smashburger was doing so well that it thought about selling shares to the public. In October 2015, Jollibee Group bought 40 percent of Smashburger for $100 million. This deal valued Smashburger at $335 million.
After this, Smashburger started more advertising. It also launched a rewards program called Smash Pass. This helped bring in more customers. They added new menu items like a turkey burger and tater tots.
Smashburger faced some challenges as shopping habits changed. Other restaurants also started offering better menu items. This made it harder for Smashburger to keep growing sales at its existing stores. In 2018, Jollibee Group bought more of Smashburger. By December 2018, Jollibee Group owned 100% of Smashburger.
Smashburger Restaurants
.jpg)
Smashburger chooses new locations carefully. Many restaurants are near major college campuses. Some are even directly on campus. They also open locations in casinos and busy airports. A busy Smashburger can make $3 million to $5 million in sales each year.
The restaurants have a modern design. They use bright red colors. The lighting is soft, and there are local photos on the walls. Customers order at a counter. Their food is brought to them in metal baskets. They get real silverware instead of plastic. The restaurants have different types of seating, including outdoor patios.
Smashburger also has its own music soundtrack. An internal team first created the music. Later, they hired experts to make a new program. The music is "modern, high-energy" but still family-friendly. It includes pop music, older classics, and international songs.
The company also gives good pay and bonuses to its employees. Cooks get extra money for making orders quickly. Managers get bonuses for meeting sales goals and getting good customer reviews.
Awards and Recognition
In 2011, Forbes magazine named Smashburger "America's Most Promising Company." It made the list again in 2014. In 2017, it was named the number 9 favorite burger restaurant brand in America.
Smashburger Menu
.jpg)
Smashburger's menu mainly offers burgers, chicken sandwiches, and salads. You can choose many different toppings. They also have sides like french fries, sweet potato fries, and fried onions. Their "smash fries" are topped with rosemary and olive oil. Many sandwiches have a special "smash sauce." This sauce is made with mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, and lemon juice. For dessert, they have milkshakes made with Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
How They Make the Burgers
Smashburger uses chopped Angus beef for its burgers. This is different from most fast-food places that use ground beef. The meat is always fresh, never frozen. It comes to the restaurants every morning. Employees then divide the beef into loose meatballs by hand. The meat is seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic before cooking. The burger buns are also specially prepared so they don't get soggy.
.jpg)
To make a "smashed" burger, the meatball is placed on a hot grill. It's pressed hard for 10 seconds with a special tool. This flattens the burger. Pressing the burger like this makes the bottom crispy and locks in the juices. This cooking method also means burgers are ready in just three minutes. This is much faster than traditional burgers.
.jpg)
Smashburger creates special local burgers for different cities. These burgers use ingredients popular in that area. For example, in Colorado, burgers have roasted green chiles. In Miami, they have grilled chorizo. In Boston, you might find a burger with onions and cranberry chutney. This makes each restaurant feel unique.
Some of Smashburger's larger menu items have a lot of calories. For example, a large BBQ Bacon and Cheddar Smashburger has 1,050 calories. A Chocolate Oreo Shake has 950 calories. The restaurant now offers different burger sizes. This helps appeal to people who want healthier or less expensive meals.
Local Drinks and Ingredients
Smashburger tries to get ingredients from local producers. For example, in Chicago, they use Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce. In Tennessee, they use Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce.
In 2012, Smashburger started partnering with local craft beer breweries. They offer local beers that pair well with their burgers. This program helped increase beer sales in their stores. Now, about 15 to 20 percent of all orders include a beer.
See also
In Spanish: Smashburger para niños
- List of hamburger restaurants
