BY JENNIFER FARSNWORTH
The local BG Restaurant LLC is opening
a Smashburger location in Saratoga Springs
sometime next month.
Smashburger is a seven-year-old chain of
casual burger restaurants that originated in
Denver, Colo., and has more than 200 stores.
For BG Restaurant LLC partners Marc
Goldstein and Leo Butera, it is their second
restaurant in the Capital District, the other
being on Wolf Road in Colonie.
Goldstein and Butera formed the company
just last year. They said they are very
excited about the second location, set to
open in mid-January in the Fresh Market
Plaza off of Marion and Excelsior avenues.
The Colonie location has been successful
according to Butera, and the lifelong
friends and business partners are expecting
the same from the Saratoga franchise.
“We chose Saratoga as it is a growing,
thriving area. This location is approximately
30 miles from the Wolf Road site,
so that limits cannibalization between the
sites. It also creates a great opportunity to
expose Smashburger to many new people,”
said Butera.
Butera said one of the main reasons for
Saratoga is because it draws so many visitors
to the area.
Butera said the partners signed on with
the franchise to open five more stores over
the next five years.
Between the two, Goldstein and Butera
have over 30 years of business development
and restaurant experience. Goldstein is
director of real estate at Columbia Development
Companies. Before opening Smashburger,
Butera did his homework, saying
he knew the company was fast-growing.
He said as more people are searching for
something different, and with a fresher
and higher quality, it fits what consumers
want.”
Whether they are relatively local, from
eastern Upstate New York, or from distances
outside the area, they will be able
to experience Smashburger. We feel we
have a great product and we need to get
people to see Smashburger and give it a
try,” said Butera.
Butera said the Fresh Market plaza was
especially desirable because it is on Route
50, which has wide visibility. He said it’s
unique because it draws traffic, but it also
is close to the Saratoga residential areas,
businesses and Skidmore College.
“This gives us a great opportunity to create
raving fans with both the local population
and visitors,” said Butera.
Smashburger specializes in using fresh
Angus beef. The smash in Smashburger
comes from the “smashing” technique that
is used to seal in juices and flavors.
In addition to the menu’s classic smash
(burger), the restaurants serve bacon
cheeseburgers, classic chicken, avocado
club chicken, fresh salads, hand-spun
shakes, vegetable frites, haystack onions,
deep fried pickles, smash fries and regular
fries. There is a choice of buns: egg, multigrain,
spicy chipotle and brioche.
In addition to soft drinks and shakes, the
restaurants also serve beer.
The partners said the next scheduled
Smashburger location is Clifton Park.
The chain’s website is www.smashburger.com.