Brooklyn’s about to get another bite of a national chain burger — but the good news is that its franchisee really, really hates Manhattan.
Smashburger franchise owner Jim Denburg will open the first three city locations for the Midwest-born burger barns in Brooklyn this year — the first in May at the base of 80 DKLB BKLN in Fort Greene.
Most operators would’ve chosen the horrendous rent prices of Manhattan, in hopes that fat-walleted tourists would spend $15 on chain food. But not Denburg, who loves the Borough of Kings so much that he’s keeping his eyes on Brooklyn Heights, Downtown, Park Slope and Cobble Hill for the next two spots that he’ll open.
“The rents in Manhattan are just ridiculous,” Denburg said. “Plus, there’s a greater demand here for the segment I’m in — the fast and casual segment. I have the best gut-feel about these neighborhoods.”
The Fort Greene greasy diner, set to open on May 15, may not be as swanky as the apartment complex it resides in, but its classic, half-pound “Better Burger” is affordable at $6.
Smashburger will join the ranks of Shake Shack, the now-infamous joint that’s set to open in Downtown, Five Guys in Brooklyn Heights, and the soon-to-open Cheeburger, Cheeburger in Park Slope as Brownstone Brooklyn’s chain burger champ.
Smashburger has gained quite a following in and around its hometown of Denver, Colo., and plans to have more than 200 locations open nationwide by next year.
Smashburger (80 DeKalb Ave. between Rockwell Place and Hudson Avenue in Fort Greene, no phone).
