Oh So Tasty: Smashburger

(top) Jalapeno Bacon Burger (bottom) SmashFries, Sweet Potato
SmashFries and Haystack Onions

Smashburger recently opened their 11th Dallas-area location in Mockingbird Station and invited me to come by for a media lunch to sample their menu. I've eaten at a Smashburger before. They have a BBQ, Bacon and Cheddar burger that I like, but I'd never given them much thought. After the meal I had that day, I've been thinking about them... a lot!

Smashburger is an American chain of fast casual burger restaurants that originated in Denver, Colorado. Originally named IconBurger, the name Smashburger was introduced when it was thought to better explain the process of how its burgers are cooked: they are smashed onto the grill using a metal plate thus searing in the juices.

Smashburger was founded in 2007 by Tom Ryan, a veteran of fast food chains including Quiznos, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Long John Silver's. At McDonald's he introduced the company's thin crust pizza, McGriddles, and the McFlurry. Ryan felt burgers had become bland, mass-produced and boring. He wanted to develop a restaurant that put the excitement back into a hamburger.

Smashburger's menu features burgers, but they also offer grilled and fried chicken on their sandwiches, a handful of salads, some tasty sides and delicious milkshakes made with Haagen Das ice cream.  Some standouts on the menu are the Jalapeno Bacon Burger (developed especially for the Texas market), Spinach Goat Cheese Chicken Sandwich, Sweet Potato Smashfries and (my favorite) the Salted Caramel Milkshake.

Smashburger's goal is to deliver a "better burger". In my book, they have succeeded. And how!