Burger Joint Chicago opens in downtown Phoenix
There’s a certain degree of uncertainty when a new restaurant opens, but when it’s burgers for $10 in the lobby of your building, you don't hesitate.
Burger Joint Chicago opened today on the ground floor of the U.S. Bank building in Phoenix, at the corner of First Avenue and Adams Street. Workers first posted “coming soon” signs in November 2013, so since the day had finally come, a pilgrimage was in order for the some of the Business Journal editorial staff, whose office is 23 floors above.
The soft opening pulled in more than 100 visitors, according to co-founder and manager Dennis Skiadopoulos. This is the restaurants third location, with two others in Chicago where local radio station WGN 720 named it Restaurant of the Year.
Monday through Thursday the restaurant will cater to the office crowd from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., but Friday and Saturday the Joint will stay open until 3 a.m. hoping to capture the late-night crowd.
“Everybody around here closes at 2 a.m.,” Skiadopoulos said. “Bartenders have no where to eat, waitresses, bar backs … I did it in Chicago and it was a great hit.”
While only soda is on tap now, Skiadopoulos hopes to have the full bar and craft brews ready to go in about a month.
The menu boasts standard burger joint fare as well as what our two Chicago natives on staff assure me are standard staples of the Windy City, such as gyros, hot dogs, sausages and Italian Beef. Skiadopoulos describes it as “fast-casual Chicago comfort food.” Barbeque items like pulled pork and ribs are available, but seem less appealing for an office lunch.
The most exciting variety on the menu, at least for a recovering junk-food addict and college student like myself, was the specialty fries. Freshly cut fries can be smothered in cheese, chili cheese, feta cheese, blue cheese, garlic Parmesan cheese, or gravy and cheese also known as Poutine. Sure the specialty fries are $4, but it’s a huge portion that can easily be shared.
The cheeseburger was solid, with crisp fresh vegetables and a hearty, sweet bun. Service was slow, as all six members of our party ordered in a row but our food came out a good 15 minutes apart. Considering it was a soft opening and Day 1, you can’t blame the staff. Skiadopoulos said those issues, as well as malfunctioning digital menus, should be fixed soon.
For a soft opening, Skiadopoulos said it went well, though there were some hitches, such as a truck delivering the day's turkey burgers well after the lunch rush.
“My hope is that more and more people check us out and see that you get great fresh food at affordable prices,” Skiadopoulos said. “Everywhere else around here is more like $12 for a burger.”
Burger Joint is the latest Chicago company to head to the Valley, goaded by the many visitors and transplants as well as both the Cubs and White Sox spring training camps. Last year Chicago-based hot dog shop Portillo’s opened in Scottsdale and Tempe to large crowds.
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/b....html?page=all