New Burly Burger restaurant specializes in big, juicy hamburgers
Brad Knight, owner of Burly Burger in South Weber, poses for a portrait on Dec. 7, 2017. The new restaurant opens on Nov. 6.
Burly Burger, in South Weber. Photo taken Dec. 7, 2017.
SOUTH WEBER — As delicious as a Burly Burger may be, there are two potential problems with it: It could be bad for you, and it could be bad for the planet.
Now when we say “bad for you,” we’re not talking about heart health. Rather, we’re referring to the possibility of dislocating your jaw trying to get your mouth around the monster.
And as for “bad for the planet,” this is a burger so dripping with juices and sauces that it’s easily a five- to seven-napkin job.
“We try and make the biggest, best burgers that you can get anywhere around,” said Brad Knight, owner of the new Burly Burger restaurant at 2572 E. South Weber Drive, Suite 4, in South Weber.
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Each Burly Burger hamburger offers a one-third-pound patty that is a mixture of ground brisket and chuck.
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Mark Saal, Standard-Examiner
“The Farley,” a burger with chicken wings and blue cheese dressing, is shown at Burly Burger, in South Weber, on Dec. 7, 2017. The new restaurant opened Nov. 6.
“That gives it a real rich flavor, and it maintains a lot of juice,” Knight said.
And although you can request a more well-done burger, the default setting is “on the medium side,” so they’re a little pink on the inside. It’s what makes the burgers so juicy, according to Knight.
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Burly Burger is not part of a chain or a franchise — Knight came up with both the concept and the execution of the restaurant, in combination with his wife and his sister. And he has no previous experience in food service. Until this summer, the South Weber man was commuting to Logan, where he sold Jeep parts.
“I loved my previous job, but I was tired of the commute,” he said. “And living here, I saw the need for a restaurant in South Weber.”
And so, about a year ago, Knight began thinking about opening his own restaurant. In July, he fully committed, quitting his day job to concentrate on opening Burly Burger.
The restaurant opened Nov. 6. Knight describes his eatery as fast casual — you order at the counter, then sit down and wait for your food. And he admits, like the Tom Petty song, the waiting is the hardest part. Knight says they’ve struggled to keep up with demand at the restaurant.
“I never dreamt it would be as busy as it is,” he said.
If there’s been a knock on the restaurant, it’s those pesky wait times — although on a recent visit the burger delivery wasn’t noticeably slower than other restaurants. Knight admits they’ve also stumbled a few times on order accuracy, but he says he and his employees have been “dialing in the process every day.”
“We’re not terribly slow,” Knight insists, “but at the same time we’re not a three-minute burger. And I think people understand why they waited once they get their burger.”
The Burly Burger name owes part of its origins to Knight’s mother.
“I’ve considered myself a food guy all my life, and I’m a big guy,” he said. “My mom would always call me and my cousin “the burly boys.”
Each of Knight’s gourmet burgers is given a name befitting a restaurant with “burly” in the name. “The Farley,” named after actor Chris Farley, is a burger topped with boneless buffalo chicken strips and blue cheese dressing. “The Paul Bunyon” is topped with a beef frank, cheddar cheese, and grilled onions and mushrooms. “The Belushi,” in honor of comedian John Belushi, features a patty that is a mixture of beef and Italian sausage. It’s then topped with mozzarella sticks and marinara.
And “The Swanson,” named after the Ron Swanson character from the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” is a burger topped with bacon, American cheese and a fried egg.
“That’s our most popular gourmet burger,” Knight says.
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Mark Saal, Standard-Examiner
Customers order food at the new Burly Burger restaurant, in South Weber. Photo taken Dec. 7, 2017.
Asked where he gets his burger combinations, Knight pulls no punches.
“I’m a fat guy. I love to eat,” he says. “All these burger ideas were in my fat-kid head.”
The menu also offers several chicken sandwiches, as well as salads — “the section to order off of if you’re too burly,” Knight jokes. There are also kids meals and sides like fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings and mozzarella sticks. Burly Burger offers 10 flavors of milkshakes.
Burgers range from $6.95 to $9.95. Fries are $2.95, onion rings $3.95, and mozzarella sticks $3.99.
For those really feeling burly, there’s always “The Brigham,” which is 10 (yes, ten) patties topped with lettuce, tomato and onion. “Legend says that 10 of Brigham Young’s wives were named Patty,” the menu explains.
The Brigham is $47. But consume the entire burger, not to mention a large order of fries and a shake — by yourself — and it’s all free.
You will have to pay for your own ambulance ride, however.
Hours for Burly Burger are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call the restaurant at 801-479-7459.
Contact Mark Saal at 801-625-4272, or msaal@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @Saalman. Friend him on Facebook at facebook.com/MarkSaal.
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