Creating a Handcrafted Burger Experience Guests Will Remember

Crisp lettuce, crunchy pickles, crispy onions, toasted buns, melty cheese, and crispy bacon all wrapped around a juicy burger. Heaven in a bite!

The beloved burger is here to stay, which is great news for foodservice operators. From classic, backyard-inspired cheeseburgers to gourmet, handcrafted creations stacked high with premium toppings, burgers continue to be one of America's favorite menu items. 

A burger's enduring and endearing appeal lies in its ability to balance comfort and creativity. Guests know exactly what they're ordering, yet they're open to discovering a new combination of flavors, proteins, cheeses, and toppings that turns a familiar favorite into something special.

The right ingredients, thoughtful preparation, and dependable equipment work together to create more than a great burger. They create a memorable dining experience that keeps guests coming back.

Protein: The Heart of the Handcrafted Burger

The patty is the heart of every handcrafted burger. While an 80/20 ground beef blend remains the gold standard for juicy, flavorful burgers, there are more options than ever to create signature menu items.

Blending cuts can create a unique texture and flavor profile that sets your burger apart. Sticking with beef, brisket adds a rich, beefy flavor, chuck delivers the classic burger taste customers expect, and short rib contributes exceptional marbling for a tender bite. Beyond beef, ground turkey offers a leaner option to red meat, bison delivers a slightly sweet, robust flavor, lamb creates a gourmet experience, and plant-based patties help satisfy guests looking for meatless choices.

 

Whether fueling your creativity while experimenting with new blends or cranking out customer favorites, Edlund Meat Grinders make the process more efficient and hygienic. Since all grinding components are exterior mounted, cleanup is fast, easy, and more sanitary. Large fan-cooled ventilated motors run longer and stay cooler to the touch than competitive models. 

 

Achieving Repeatable Results

The shape and style of a burger can be just as important as the ingredients inside it. Hand-formed patties have an artisan look with slightly irregular edges that offer a made-from-scratch experience and often appeal to guests looking for a premium burger. Pressed patties deliver a consistent size and thickness, making them a strong choice for kitchens that value portion control, even cooking, and speed during busy service.

 

Edlund’s EBP Series Burger Presses are the surest way to get consistent, perfectly formed burger patties with the thickness and pre-cooked weight you can control. 

Presses are available in three sizes: 4.5", 5", and 7". The 7" press can be used with 2.5" slider (makes 3 sliders per press), 4.5" standard, and 5" jumbo patty inserts to suit your menu. 

 

Consistency is key to both customer satisfaction and cost containment, and measuring is the mother of consistency. 

The new BRV-160W Submersible Waterproof Digital Scale by Edlund is completely submersible and features a larger, oversized platform and a smaller footprint. The sealed electronic components are protected from damaging grease and contaminants, assuring accuracy and longer scale life.

 

Cook in Half the Time

The Garland Double-Sided Clamshell Grill uses active compression technology to apply controlled, even pressure to the burger while it cooks—perfect for smash burgers. 

Active Compression is a locking mechanism which consistently achieves a desired gap by applying even force to the platen for improved consistency, regardless of thickness variations in raw product on the grill.

After placing a loosely formed beef ball on the grill, the upper platen compresses it to the desired thickness, maximizing contact with the cooking surface. That increased surface contact promotes the rich browning and caramelization that give smash burgers their signature crispy edges and deep, savory flavor. Because heat is applied from both the top and bottom, burgers cook quickly and consistently with excellent color and no guesswork, helping operators serve high-quality smash burgers even during the busiest meal periods.

Regardless of how you shape your burger, the Garland Double-sided Clamshell Grill will double your production, not your footprint. With a simple press of a button, food is cooked on both sides simultaneously, resulting in consistently better quality and in nearly half the time it would take on a conventional flat grill.

 

Build a Burger Flight

Sliders continue to grow in popularity because they encourage guests to sample multiple flavor combinations, making them perfect for flights, appetizers, or shareable platters. Mix and match proteins, toppings, and buns with a preset combination or guest’s choice of 3 sliders from your signature burger menu.

 

The TableCraft Better Burger Collection™ 16" Spatula Slider Flight Paddle is a unique serving piece that’s perfect for hand-crafted sliders. This spatula-esque server features a slight lip to keep foods in place. The faux wood handle is melamine, making the spatula dishwasher safe and longer lasting.

Make it even more of a memorable experience by recommending pairing the slider sampler with a beer flight. It's an easy way to turn a familiar menu favorite into something guests are excited to photograph, share, and return to order again.

 

Present as a Premium Menu Item

Inspired by the traditionally-bricked charm of old-world pubs, TableCraft's Brick House Oval Stainless Steel Basket brings casual character that’s the perfect complement to handcrafted burgers. Its sturdy stainless steel construction ensures long-lasting performance and is dishwasher safe.

The Aeris Collection™ 9" Square Serving Plate by TableCraft offers the perfect balance of style and functionality. Made from durable melamine, it features the collection’s signature two-toned herringbone pattern with double-decal wood detailing for a warm and earthy look well-suited to a well-dressed burger.

 

The TableCraft Better Burger Collection Stainless Steel Burger Box  pays perfect tribute to traditional, nostalgic burger boxes with the added benefit of being durable and reusable. The two separate sections provide room to serve a burger or sandwich and a delicious side. Stainless steel construction makes it lightweight for serving and dishwasher safe.

 

Add the Perfect Side

Nothing goes better with handcrafted burgers than an equally memorable side. 

Fresh-cut fries, seasoned wedges, sweet potato fries, or house-made onion rings reinforce the premium, made-from-scratch experience and can help increase perceived value. 

Read more about house-made fries in our recent blog: Turn Fresh Potatoes Into Profit with the Right Equipment.

 

Hearty and homey with a touch of gourmet, handcrafted burgers fill an ever-present consumer need for customizable comfort foods. Ready to create your own unique, handcrafted burger experience? We’re here to help. Contact us.