Nationwide – Smashburger

Rolled into Smashburger, my first visit.   The Smash started in 2007 in Denver, by fast food vet  Tom Ryan, who did stints at Pizza Hut, Quiznos, and McDonalds.   His wiki bio gives him credit for introducing the thin crust pizza at the ‘Hut, and for McGriddles and McFlurry at the golden arches.

Named for the cooking process, whereby a ball of ground beef is placed on the griddle and smashed to ‘seal in the juices’,  the Smash  had over 100 locations in 2011, aided by a heavy infusion of venture capital.

The menu offers burgers, chicken, hot dogs, and salads, with a wide variety of toppings to compliment your burger, some gratis, others at a small charge.

There are different types of fries and sides available as well.

I went with the medium (1/3 pound) burger, on a pretzel roll, with mustard, pickle, blue cheese, and onion straws.  Took a side of rosemary/garlic fries on the side.

The burger truly is excellent for fast food, and the toppings are premium quality.  The fries are crispy shoestrings, and the additional flavoring was fairly subtle.

Locator for your nearest  Smashburger.

Here’s the  their menu .

Smashburger on Pretzel

Smash w/ Blue Cheese