Hamburgers? Check. Fried sides? Check. ‘Gourmet twist?’ Check. Yeah, that’s what we thought…
Yet another burger joint is opening in Atlanta and is already trying to defend why its not like all of the others.
It’s called Burger Tap (Atlanta’s latest artery clogger) and it’s opening in Morningside, replacing the recently relocated Caramaba Cafe.
Burger Tap revealed a portion of its menu and concept in a press release this morning:
In a market flooded with beefed-up burger joints that turns the customer into a chef, Burger Tap, opening next month at 1409 N. Highland Avenue, offers a well-edited menu of gourmet burgers, side options—so good that you’ll double-fist your way through the entire meal—and draught beer and sodas at affordable prices in a fast-casual setting.
Even in PR speak, it sounds all too familiar.
“We combed the country for the best fast-casual burger and often found ourselves underwhelmed by taste and overwhelmed by decisions,” says executive chef Sean Park. “Should my burger be made of beef, bison, turkey or lamb? On a white, wheat or gluten-free bun? And with which cheese, topping, sauce, jam or relish? As a chef, I understand the balance of sweet, savory and different textures and have put together four perfectly balanced burgers.”
We ask the same questions when ordering Subway.
In fact, Park and the team behind Burger Tap—some of the original founders of the frozen yogurt chain Yoforia—prefer customers refrain from adding mustard or ketchup to their burgers before tasting them because they’re that sure they’ve struck the perfect balance of flavors. “When you get a good steak, you don’t add sauce to it because it’s already done right,” Park says. “These are our burgers, the way they are meant to be.”
Wonder why they didn’t kill two birds with one stone and open “Yoforia Tap?”
At Burger Tap, the difference is in the process. Each four-ounce patty, a custom blend of brisket, chuck and short rib, is formed in-house, seasoned and seared to ensure juiciness on the inside and a nice crust on the outside. The four themed burgers—plus a three-cheese grilled cheese—are all served on a lightly buttered and toasted bun and include the:
· Classic Cheeseburger with American cheese, onion, lettuce, tomatoes and secret sauce
· Mexican Burger with smoky chipotle Cheddar cheese, pickled jalapeno and a crispy tortilla chip
· Asian burger with house slaw and barbecue glaze
· Truffle Burger glazed in white truffle oil and topped with Gruyere cheese, crispy onions and roasted garlic aioli.
Richard Blais isn’t the only one who feels slighted here.
The 52-seat space, designed by architect Y. David Chun, AIA of Chun Studio in Los Angeles, will be a mix of modern and eclectic styles with lots of color and natural wood, plus a 24-seat communal table on the patio for al fresco dining.
We’re hopeful for the space.
“Burger Tap is a marriage between gourmet and fast food,” says CFO Sam Hyon, who’s already scouting a second Georgia location. “We’ve paid attention to every possible detail. Our methods of preparation and flavor profiles offer restaurant quality in a fast-casual setting.”
And lucky us, they’re already scouting a “second Georgia location!”
13 Responses
Between the name and the graphic design, I have strong doubts that this “concept” will work. People want restaurants, not gimmicks…
Personally, I like waffles and will probably try this place once just for that fact. But no, this concept will not survive and there is no doubt in my mind about that. Vegas is currently showing 3:1 odds it closes in 6 months or less and 1:2 it doesn’t last a year.
Speaking of closing… how long did Burger Tap even last?
Burger Tap was open for just under a year. What is truly terrible, is that this was a great burger joint with cheap craft beers, amazing burgers that absolutely beat the pants off of the now uberubiquitous YeahBurger and were almost half the price of those other mini-chain Atlanta burger joints.
Shame on you Atlanta, specifically Virginia Highlands, for letting great food and really nice owners disappear from the neighborhood for some half-witted attempt at gimmick-cuisine.
Well, we all knew BT wouldn’t make it, but why replace it with something so gimmicky. How about a pizza place, or breakfast place? Standard eats work people!
Ok, so Burger Taps burgers were decent and their fries were below average. There are TONs of burger competition in Atlanta. You aren’t going to survive with just decent burgers. Also Burger Tap looked like a strip mall restaurant. Morningside / Virginia Highlands is a charming neighborhood. Their residence want to maintain that charm. Sadly early looks at the Waffold logo makes it look like a mall food court restaurant too. I’m crossing my fingers that it is good food. The rumor is that the concept is based on a California based waffle sandwich company called Bruxie. The Bruxie restaurant got good reviews and their menu looks good. If Waffold is a charming little restaurant that reflects the neighborhood and can serve affordable delicious sandwiches I’ll eat there. If not, it won’t last any longer than Burger Tap.
AP: Shame on Atlanta? Yeah right, shame on the owner for opening a redundant concept so close to so many other established burger joints, with an uncomfortable and sterile interior design, and expecting to make money. And I believe it’s the same owner(s) that are now scrambling to open this waffle sandwich thing. I must’ve drank my haterade today but I think it’s just poor strategy. It’s the same team from Yoforia (copycat of California yogurt chain) and, surprise, there’s a small chain of waffle sandwich places in California called Bruxie…anyone care to wager on how similar Waffold’s will be?
Lets see how many restaurants this group can fail at opening this year.
People in Atlanta who don’t want gimmicks need to move. Atlanta itself is a gimmick. Atlanta thinks of itself as New York or Paris or LA, with it’s 400k or so population.
Being someone who lives within a 30 second walk of (former) Burger Tap, this place did NOTHING to engage the community. It wasn’t until we went to their facebook site to check out details of the closing that we realized they hosted trivia (? they did??) and had dollar beer nights. Their marketing & advertising needed serious help. Seems to be the same way with Waffold considering googling the name brings up zero information.
I thought business loans where hard to get. I’d l like to see their business plan for Burger Tap and now this. I can’t see this new concept working either, honestly, seems devoid of simple business sense to me.
Google search came up with a menu that looks almost identical to burger tap. You would think these idiots would learn that changing the bread from hawaiian to waffle, wouldnt really make a difference. If these are the same owners then someone wasn’t smart enough to just say “Hey, maybe Waffold is a terrible name and why would we open a different concept but with the same menu?”
Burger Tap was destined to fail from day 1. Go to Grindhouse and see why BT was doomed
No offense to Jong Pierre Kim but this “bubbly cutesey asian style” he is trying to inject into his restaurants just isn’t translating well like it does at the Yoforia frozen yogurt chain. I don’t think he understands what Atlantans want.