What's behind Smashburger's magic and how did they garner an avid fan base for a product
that's arguably the most readily available food in America?
We did some digging to uncover the truth behind the smash hit burger joint.
Smashburger's co-founder and CEO, Tom Ryan, is an iconic figure in the world of classic
American chains.
Don't recognize the name?
That's all right, because you've almost undoubtedly had his creations.
You have this man to thank for Pizza Hut's stuffed crust pizza and McDonald's McFlurries,
and he also shaped Quiznos' menu by creating two of their best selling subs.
So by the time he rolled his sleeves up at Smashburger in 2007, he knew a thing or two
about what kind of grub entices the average American consumer to open their wallet.
Ryan also has a secret weapon: an actual PhD in flavor and fragrance chemistry.
So, in addition to really knowing how to run a pizza, sandwich, or burger joint successfully,
he also knows the addictive power of good smelling food.
Ryan's scented expertise has to be one of the reasons why the Smashburger signature
burger recipe is so dang delicious.
From 2007 to 2013, Smashburger built over 200 restaurants, and Ryan attributed the bulk
of their rapid growth to their unique marketing tactics.
Knowing social media was the true route to the average millennial's heart, Smashburger
turned social media gimmicks.
For example, in the spirit of people celebrating holidays we never knew existed prior to Twitter,
the restaurant served up free beef to any individual who had the word "burger" as part
of their surname on National Cheeseburger Day.
Their non-traditional marketing tactics absolutely worked, and Ryan touts millennials' presence
within the workings of the company as another secret to Smashburger's fame.
He told CNBC in 2016,
"...we combine ourselves with what I call the 'immortals,' young people in their 20s
and 30s who are just dying to get involved in something that they can become passionate
about."
So, have millennials on your staff and subtly advertise in millennials' most beloved social
media platforms, and you might have yourself a beloved burger joint in the making.
It turns out that even though millennials get blamed for a lot, there's some things
everyone needs to thank them for, too.
The name "Smashburger" is quite literal, and smashing is an actual culinary technique that's
been beautifully perfected by the food geniuses at Smashburger.
When making the restaurant's burgers, workers smash hand-packed balls of fresh, never frozen,
beef onto a piping hot, buttered, pre-seasoned grill, fast cooking the meat.
Employees use a precise burger smashing device, and the result has been described as being
akin to a beef balloon or shell that envelopes the seasoning and juices.
We'd venture to say there is probably something oddly satisfying about splattering a mound
of 100 percent Certified Angus Beef onto a sizzling grill but we can only speculate,
or get a gig flipping burgers at Smashburger of course.
While this technique has been around since Americans started getting burgers from drive-thrus
to eat in their car, Smashburger might be the first to execute the process well enough
to claim the name.
Part of what makes Smashburger burgers so divine is the addition of a surprising ingredient:
poultry.
Ryan has confirmed with Franchise Times that part of the special seasoning that goes onto
the hamburger patties is ground up chicken skin.
The burgers are seasoned with the usual salt, pepper, and garlic powder but when asked about
the contents of a seemingly mysterious spice in the Smashburger kitchen, Ryan said,
"It's actually triple roasted chicken skin ground up... remember when your mom used to
make baked chicken on Sunday and there's that big layer of skin on top?
That's what's in there."
“Holy mother forkin' shirtballs.”
This certainly brings a whole new element to the phrase, "tastes like chicken."
Although, most folks probably wouldn't even realize they're tasting chicken in the burger
until they're explicitly informed of it.
You're welcome.
When Smashburger first came on the scene, its white and red logo was eerily similar
to that of video game giant, GameStop, in entirety, from color and font to size.
There have been lots of discussions on the 'net regarding the sheer oddness of their
similarity, and that in itself makes plenty of room for a potential conspiracy theory.
Okay, so "conspiracy theory" might be a strong words, but there are some who believe that
Smashburger's original logo was so similar to GameStop on purpose, because they knew
that they were A, targeting millennials, and B, counting on said millennials to deluge
the internet with side-by-side comparisons and memes.
Basically, some theorized that they intentionally made their logos similar, just to drum up
theories that would create free advertising.
GameStop never took issue with the quasi sign copying, and Smashburger ultimately changed
their logo's layout.
So… what's the real deal?
Was GameStop in on it, enjoying the publicity just as much as Smashburger?
We may never know for sure, but that's part of the fun of a good conspiracy theory.
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