Seven Brothers Burgers brings Hawaiian flair, family feel to Northern Utah
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- The counter at Seven Brothers Burgers’ new Farmington location, photographed Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
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- Shez’s Paniolo and other items for sale at Seven Brothers Burgers are pictured Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
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- Seven Brothers Burgers’ Farmington location, pictured Wednesday, June 5, 2024, soft-opened this week. South Weber is next on June 17, 2024.
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- The dining area at Seven Brothers Burgers’ new Farmington location, photographed Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
A rising burger chain has made its way to Weber and Davis counties, bringing with it a commitment to service, family vibes and food with a distinctly Hawaiian flair.
Seven Brothers Burgers -- the seeds of which were planted in Kahuku, Oahu, in 2009 -- has been establishing franchise and corporate locations throughout the region in Utah and Arizona, with more also planned in Idaho and Nevada. A new restaurant soft-opened this week in Farmington at 1060 Park Lane, Suite 3, with another to follow in the South Weber/Uintah area at 6658 S. 2500 East on June 17.
The restaurant offers a variety of unique burgers, like Shez's Paniolo -- an overstuffed sandwich made with thick beef patties, giant homemade onion rings, grilled pineapple, bacon and melted American cheese with house and BBQ sauces. The menu also features salads, fries, shakes, kids options and Mom's Banana Bread, which is topped with toasted coconut and chocolate sauce.
Shez Hannemann, the youngest of those seven brothers and a co-owner, made the trip to the Beehive State to train staff members at the new locations. He told the Standard-Examiner that the initial move by parents Art and Peggy Hannemann to get into the restaurant business threw the rest of the family for a loop.
"My dad, actually, he pulled myself out of school -- I was 16 at the time -- and my brother above me, he was 18. ... He pulled us out of high school that day and he had us eat at the restaurant, and we had no idea that he had bought it," Hannemann said.
"As we were eating, he was like, 'How do you guys like the food?' And we were like, 'Yeah, it's good.' And then he said, 'Well good, I just bought it.' It was super random."
Unbeknownst to the siblings, Art Hannemann had held what Shez describes as "a lifelong dream to own a restaurant and have his kids run it for him." After jumping into the business with their first location, originally known as Kahuku Grill, the family opened a second location in Lā'ie, Oahu, just a stone's throw away from the BYU-Hawaii campus.
That decision eventually opened the door for Seven Brothers' expansion into Utah.
"We already had made a name for ourselves in the LDS (Latter-day Saint) community. So, when we were deciding on where to go next, we thought it would be smart to put a spot in Provo, because that's also where BYU is," Hannemann said.
The South Weber restaurant will be Seven Brothers' 12th location -- seven of which are in Utah, with an eighth still to come to Herriman. And while the chain's food entices the senses, Hannemann believes that his family's emphasis on their faith, serving others and creating a welcoming environment is truly what makes Seven Brothers different. He added that staffers engage patrons at "five points of contact," including an "aloha" when they come in, check-ins during food delivery, mid-meal and as tables are being bused, and, finally, there's a post-meal "mahalo."
"Our food is amazing; it's incredibly good food. But I think what sets us apart is the environment when you come into Seven Brothers, and that's how we try to distinguish ourselves out from everybody else," Hannemann said.