What do people think of a burger restauraunt? I don't mean another fast food place Im taking about proper homemade burgers 100% Proper beef locally sourced with fresh corriander and other herbs and spices... Fresh made bread baked on the premises proper milkshakes, that sort of stuff. Do you think you would go?

I'd go, I love burgers, real ones, thick and slightly rare, the opposite of the crap you get in Mc Donalds.

o0o0 id go! :D i love my burgers! is there 1 opening like?

Jay,

These sorts of places are great. Have you been to one of the Gourmet Burger Company outlets in London? Really excellent organic burgers with interesting side dishes. Any they even feel almost healthy!

Sheffield would really benefit from this sort of restaurant. I can see custom being a bit of a problem though as i'm not sure the majority of people would be able to make the distinction between a good quality burger (and a £8 price tag) and the crap they put out in the likes of McDonalds or Wetherspoons.

M

What I would like to see is a 50's style diner with PROPER FOOD. Not like that hole at meadowhall where the staff danced on the tables.

Good music, nice food, PROPER milkshakes.

What I would like to see is a 50's style diner with PROPER FOOD.

A bit like Ed's Diner in London ?

Yeah a proper diner. all the produce would be locally sourced and made fresh. The idea is to have fresh baked breadcakes (baps) mince my own meat from chuck steak with a little bit of fillet in there.... Proper stuff. I have visited several of them in London and they are always packed. But I would just wonder if other people think it would do ok. Location would also be key... But the Mash house has just closed.... I wonder what people would think about that location?

I think that if it's packaged, presented, and marketed correctly, and you have a good end product, it would be a great venture!

It's another option to add to the current choices isn't it?

:)

If you serve good food for a reasonable price (not cheap, but value for money) then you will be fine.

It's because the Mash House did neither of these things that it has shut.

What I would like to see is a 50's style diner with PROPER FOOD. Not like that hole at meadowhall where the staff danced on the tables.

Good music, nice food, PROPER milkshakes.


or like yankees on cambridge st.

In the USA , In and Out Burger on the west coast built up a reputation for good quality fresh burgers.

They only do hamburgers, cheeseburgers , fried and shakes.

http://www.in-n-out.com/default.asp

I would eat one if you did this.

Yup. Got back from Australia recently and being on a backpackers budget you have to rely on fast food...until you ate at MaccyDs there. Words cannot begin to describe...my mate ended up taking his x2c/burger back THREE times! I vowed never to eat there again...either hemisphere! Now i've got that out of the way...

...love to go!

definately. i'd love to see something like this in sheffield

Sounds mouthwatering!

However....putting my business head on, the word I would have to say is 'margins'.

You've correctly identified location as important, but also you have to get the concept over to people, and this may take time. You'd need to be prepared to probably run at a loss for a few months util you built up a regular clientele.

Even then, pricing is likely to be a major point; the essence of 'gourmet' fast food is quality food, prepared and cooked well. You're probably going to hit a price point that will put you in to the 'special event' price bracket for most people, assuming you pply a margin high enough to pay yourself and your stff a decent wage.

Good Luck!

What's up with Yankees & Uncle Sam's on Ecclesall Road ? I thought they'd both cornered the "burger market" for the past 25 years at least.


Btw what cheese do Yankees use in their cheese sauce ?:D

What's up with Yankees & Uncle Sam's on Ecclesall Road ? I thought they'd both cornered the "burger market" for the past 25 years at least.


Btw what cheese do Yankees use in their cheese sauce ?:D

Uncle Sams is the place i frequenytly hear of so need to go being the burger fan i am. I miss the Fatty Arbuckles Buckle Buster :(

I genuine burger restaurant sounds great but i focus on a wide range of burgers from beef, veggie, chicken and maybe some usual type burgers. Therefore you can entice everyone. :thumbsup:

Yea i think it would be a good idea. Another would be having a late opening cafe where night shift/early morning workers/clubbers can go chill out and have some nice food before going to work or going home. Even Newcastle has a late night cafe and its smaller than Sheffield!!!

Ok sorry rant over! On topic, I think someone already mentioned Gourmet Burger from London, something like that would be good, the garlic sauce is yummy and so are the milkshakes!! Always get one whenever i go down. For sheffield you might want to think about the prices though..not sure if the people here would pay that much..

Id say go for it and good luck :thumbsup:

When i was on holiday in malia few years back there was a burger bar that sold all different burgers with all sorts of toppings etc etc....

Was heaven after hours on the ale!!!!!

I'd be there if someone opened one! All different sorts of burgers, buns, toppings, side dishes...

I'd love it, they might have to do a loyalty card for me

Great idea but don't ignore your vegetarian market, someone who can produce a decent veggie burger alongside a genuine beef burger will clean up. Loads of meat eaters are married/going out with vegetarians, if you don't offer them a decent alternative you are limiting your market quite needlessly.

Best location? London Road. On Ecclesall Road the rates and rents are now so high that only the multiples can take it on ie Cafe Nero, Starbucks etc.

like Happy Days

Best location? London Road. On Ecclesall Road the rates and rents are now so high that only the multiples can take it on ie Cafe Nero, Starbucks etc.

Agree, Lodon Road is more eclectic, a burger place would fit in and the regulars on London Road are more likely to try something new, also, loads of students nearby :)

Yeah thanks for all the feedback. It is somthing I have been looking into for a long time. The biggest problem is location. I have experience in the restauraunt trade and im confident in my product quality. But as a channel 4 program says Location, Location, Location. I personally don't think London road is the right place. I think It needs to be in town Devonshire St, West street, or Ecclesall road ovr very very close to either location. But I am very serious about doing this. I reckon the pricing is always key. but the product will be superb and the quality second to none.

Thanks again. Keep the feedback coming. Cheers

Yeah thanks for all the feedback. It is somthing I have been looking into for a long time. The biggest problem is location. I have experience in the restauraunt trade and im confident in my product quality. But as a channel 4 program says Location, Location, Location. I personally don't think London road is the right place. I think It needs to be in town Devonshire St, West street, or Ecclesall road ovr very very close to either location. But I am very serious about doing this. I reckon the pricing is always key. but the product will be superb and the quality second to none.

You are quite right to thinking about location but don't underestimate London Road. You can't exclude it from the pricing equation, work backwards from a minimum of £30k pa just for rent and see how many burgers you will have to sell to make it pay.

We thought all the places you mentioned were the bee's knees but I'm glad we plumped for Abbeydale Road now. I think a good burger/diner would stand out like a beacon on London Road rather than being lost amongst the corporate tat and Yankees and Uncle Sams.

A good Quality burger is a wonderful thing - but I don't know anywhere in Sheffield that does one.

Uncle Sams used to be OK (not great, but OK) - but the last time I went there the food was very poor, the buns were dry, the burgers almost tasteless.

My mate went there a few weeks earlier and lef with the burger half-eaten, it was so poor.

Having a train running around the cieling doesn't make up for bad food!

So Go For It - Open a wonderful burger place - use fresh coriander - have a veggie option - but most of all, make sure that you have really really good bread, freshly baked each day.

Yeah thanks for all the feedback. It is somthing I have been looking into for a long time. The biggest problem is location. I have experience in the restauraunt trade and im confident in my product quality. But as a channel 4 program says Location, Location, Location. I personally don't think London road is the right place. I think It needs to be in town Devonshire St, West street, or Ecclesall road ovr very very close to either location. But I am very serious about doing this. I reckon the pricing is always key. but the product will be superb and the quality second to none.

Thanks again. Keep the feedback coming. Cheers

I agree that a more 'trendy' location like on or just off Devonshire/Division Street would be most suited for a gourmet burger restaurant.

In London, the gourmet burger restaurants seem to be placed in trendy, but quite expensive areas, and seem to focus a lot on the marketing of the product.

TGI friday's is pretty awesome, i'd love one nearer by :P

Great idea but don't ignore your vegetarian market, someone who can produce a decent veggie burger alongside a genuine beef burger will clean up. Loads of meat eaters are married/going out with vegetarians, if you don't offer them a decent alternative you are limiting your market quite needlessly.


I'd love some decent veggie burgers in Sheffield (especially if you offer a choice of burgers and/or toppings) instead of frozen stuff heated up...

Yeah thanks for all the feedback. It is somthing I have been looking into for a long time. The biggest problem is location. I have experience in the restauraunt trade and im confident in my product quality. But as a channel 4 program says Location, Location, Location. I personally don't think London road is the right place. I think It needs to be in town Devonshire St, West street, or Ecclesall road ovr very very close to either location. But I am very serious about doing this. I reckon the pricing is always key. but the product will be superb and the quality second to none.

Thanks again. Keep the feedback coming. Cheers
Not being funny, but think of your exit route. Any new and wonderful restaurant ideas only last the lifetime of the novelty itself. Unless it is a seriously well-trodden route. You have to remember, how many people of disposable income there are in London. Map that to the numbers here in Sheffield, and there is your answer (to a 'gourmet' place). I just think that a gourmet burger place means high prices. Unless, you lower the standard a little, and only do a 'good decent' standard, for an average price.

Sheffield's population only look at spending a marginal cost for a typical nightout. Spend any more, and they'll scream blue murder ! :D It's good and bad. It just means that you're challenged to find the right supplier, to give the right price.

I went into Mash House once, and I do know that a lot of people put that place down because it is marked-up a lot. For something that is not publically seen (by the Sheffield population anyway) as gourmet food. i.e. the image of sausage and mash is cheap food. Changing the eaters mentality and trying to sell it upmarket is going to take a lot of work. Sheffield isn't really that kind of place to experiment on.

If I recall from that brief moment I tried to get a table in there. The place is very very small. Very limited space. You will find that a lot of people open a place in London Road *is* because it's cheaper rent than the city centre. Surely the number of restaurant owners in that area cannot be wrong ? They must have their books right.

I say what a fantastic idea !!

Often really fancy a burger but Dirty D's and it's competitor Burger Ming make me feel dirty on the inside!

Excellent Idea, Sheffield is missing this sort of restaurant in the city centre. We have one in Lincoln called Tootsies, bloody amazing homemade burgers

I think it's an excellent idea- we've just got back from Dublin where i had the best burger that i've ever eaten out! (Davy Byrnes Pub!)

A good burger is hard to beat! But it would also have to be reasonably priced with a good garnish to make it better than just making your own!!

This is something that we've needed for a while. Currently we have:

- Uncle Sam's: used to be the place to go for burgers, but not for about 10 years! But look how long it's survived.
- Chubby's on Cambridge St also used to be good years ago!
- Champs's burgers; OK-ish.
- TGI's burgers, v. poor.

IMO the best burger in Sheffield at the moment is at Thyme Cafe, Broomhill. And they charge £9 for it with chips! But it is using top quality ingredients and cooked to perfection.

Like other posters have said, I think location is key to the project, or it will send out all the wrong signals. The message is all important if you're going to persuade people to pay premium prices. You'll also need to invest quite a bit up front in trendy furniture/decor.

So in Sheffield for location you are somewhat limited. Ecclesall Road, or maybe Devonshire St./Division St.

Good luck, it's a niche that's there, really hope you proceed with this!

since i used to be in the restaurant trade and miss it! i've been thinking about this alot and i've come up with the following conclusions

firstly no matter how you market it or what you say about it a burger will never be looked at as 'gourmet' for this reason you need to be near an established drinking route. your customers are the people who are going out of an evening and they are not going to come to you you are going to have to go for them.

you need to include veggie options

you need to have a fairly wide range of prices reflecting what people are willing to spend, some people won't object to paying a tenner for a burger and accompanyment, some people will want it as cheap as possible but the majority will want to be somewhere in the middle.

you need to think about how for you can stretch the definition of 'burger' effectively it is ground up protein between two slices of carbohydrate, usually bread. last thing you want is to be a one trick pony and end up like mcdonalds

you need a great wine list

wide range of beers ciders and cocktails

good sauces and toppings

music is massively important it can make or break it

theres also other stuff, if you really want my opinion PM me and we can talk at length

Excellent Idea, Sheffield is missing this sort of restaurant in the city centre. We have one in Lincoln called Tootsies, bloody amazing homemade burgers

Tootsies is quite a large chain, with places all over the south east and they are spreading north. So get in there quick before they move into town and take all your business as I think it is an excellant idea and I for one would at least try it out! (Having said that tootsies was bloody lovely)

Theres a rumour going round,that the owner of Yankees is ready for retirement,and thinking of selling. This could be your big chance! as Yankees certainly seems in need of an update,as does the Pizza Hut,across the road.
Be brave and go for it !

Went to Birmingham yesterday to visit sea life centre and ate at the gourmet burger company in Brindley Place.

www.gourmetburgercompany.co.uk

Really nice!
£ 5.95 for a huge juicy cheese burger which really shows Uncle Sams & Yankees up.
I think they have both gotten a bit lazy over the past few years.

Home cut fries were extra and very good.

Jaythedon any updates? still looking for a location?

TGI friday's is pretty awesome, i'd love one nearer by :P

I agree, my kids love TGI's and if you have a good look around when in there it always seems that up to 50% are scoffing a burger. Their prices are not cheap either think they range from 8 - 12 quid. Admittedly they are really nice - but the point being - that there is a market ?

Would you think about applying for premises in the Oasis at meadowhall - give mucky mac's a run for their money ??

What do people think of a burger restauraunt? I don't mean another fast food place Im taking about proper homemade burgers 100% Proper beef locally sourced with fresh corriander and other herbs and spices... Fresh made bread baked on the premises proper milkshakes, that sort of stuff. Do you think you would go?

The only "quality" burger take away I have ever been in was Yanks in Barnsley.
Top quality burgers with real melted cheese, fresh salad and so on.

Other take aways were busy. You could never get in the door of this place.
They must have made a bomb on it.
Pity they sold it to some twit who dropped the quality in a week and that was the end of that.
Just one more crappy kebab shop now.

I'm looking at doing the same thing but a long way away.

Go for it and good luck.

TGI friday's is pretty awesome, i'd love one nearer by :P

Microwaved food can be nice, but theirs isn't.

I dont really see how this differs from the other american diners scattered around the city?

What do people think of a burger restauraunt? I don't mean another fast food place Im taking about proper homemade burgers 100% Proper beef locally sourced with fresh corriander and other herbs and spices... Fresh made bread baked on the premises proper milkshakes, that sort of stuff. Do you think you would go?

Yummy! I'd be there like a shot. The best burgers in the world are my home made ones!

Would you think about applying for premises in the Oasis at meadowhall - give mucky mac's a run for their money ??


you'd have to be able to compete with them price-wise. I'd think most people wanting to pay a bit more for a meal would steer clear of the Oasis. i eat there when on a modest budget, but if i was wanting to pay more for a decent burger meal (and i would pay for quality) then I would want a more subtle location than grazing in the Oasis