High-end, low-end; mega, mini, traditional or exotic; accessorized, or barely dressed-burgers are booming, and if you aren’t getting a good piece of the action, it might be time to release your creative juices.
No single food is more closely linked to American eating habits than the hamburger. It’s a menu staple for every kind of outlet—from quick-service chains to fine-dining venues. That’s especially good news for clubs and resorts that now seek to offer members and guests a mix of casual and upscale dining options—and in all cases, rely on burgers as a tempting mainstay of every menu.
SUMMING IT UP
• Even when burgers are the choice, you still have to think outside the bun. |
But no matter what the setting, not just any burger will do—the key now, in every format and at every price point, is to find ways to differentiate your burger offerings through tastier breads and beef (or meat alternatives), non-traditional fillings and cheeses, and uncommon toppers and garnishes.
Hot Off the Gourmet Grill
The Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas takes the fast-food marketing slogan, “Have it your way,” to inspired excess. Guests select from four types of bread; three kinds of beef (plus alternatives that include Colorado lamb, free-range turkey or a rice-based vegetarian patty); and 42 individually priced, add-on options, from cheese and condiment standards to foie gras and black truffles.
Candlewood Valley CC’s Peter Cavalli serves up a Laugenburger on a Bavarian pretzel roll with whole-grain mustard, caramelized onions, and cheddar cheese. |
“Burgers are a friendly, unpretentious food that can be made attractive to gourmands,” says the resort’s Manager, Lisa Gourgeon. “Our concept, created by Executive Chef Hubert Keller, offers something for everybody.”
Taking that idea a step further, there’s also a short list of house burgers for those who prefer to let the pros put all of the ingredients together, including a vegan version featuring grilled veggies between portobello mushrooms, and three “dessert burgers” assembled from donuts and sweet fillings. The Burger Bar’s ability to satisfy such a wide range of tastes and preferences translates into 30,000 covers per month for the 140-seat restaurant.
Most clubs and resorts don’t have the traffic to support this much variety—and the expense and prep work that come with it. But that doesn’t mean their kitchens must be limited to ground chuck, iceberg lettuce and a slice of tomato. That’s pretty much all that was available at Candlewood Valley Country Club, a privately owned public course in New Milford, Conn., until Chef de Cuisine Peter Cavalli decided to jump onto the chuck wagon.
Centerton CC’s Executive Chef, Louis Ferretti, switched to certified Angus beef and now goes through 30 cases in high season. |
Today, Cavalli’s clubhouse menu lists eight burgers, including one with Gorgonzola; the Santa Fe, featuring cheddar jack cheese, salsa, and Cajun ranch dressing; and the popular Patty Melt—a charbroiled burger inside a grilled cheese sandwich.
Cavalli’s most inventive creation to date is the Laugenburger, made with a warm Bavarian pretzel roll, whole-grain mustard, cheddar cheese, and sauteed onions. The roll comes par-baked and Cavalli butters the tops, adds salt, and finishes.
Carmel CC’s Executive Chef Mike Vergili makes a homemade meat-free burger with lentils and quinoa. |
“I look for a combination of affordability and fun,” he says. “The Laugenburger raised eyebrows at first, but the response has been amazing.”
Cavalli doesn’t plan to stop with his current “great eight” burger varieties, as he continues to get new ideas from customers, servers, and bartenders, and through brainstorming sessions with his staff. All of his burgers are made with eight ounces of fresh, pre-shaped beef. Occasionally he’ll buy a smaller size and stack them, for a special called the Cheeseburger Club. Because he has confidence in his supplier, he’s even comfortable serving meat rare, on request.
What’s Your Beef?
At Centerton Country Club in Pittsgrove, N.J., Executive Chef Louis Ferretti switched to certified Angus beef three years ago. He buys pre-formed two-, five-, and ten-ounce patties. The smallest are for sliders, he prefers the mid-size for golf outings, and the biggest are served as build-your-own burgers in the club’s restaurant, as well as at a kiosk on the course.
Ferretti is convinced that the quality of the meat justifies the extra pennies per pound. “I’ve been in this business 33 years and not found a better, more consistent beef product,” he says. “It’s never dry, needs no seasonings or flavor enhancers, and people can taste the difference.” In the off-season, Ferretti goes through six cases and in high season, the number climbs to 30.
Centerton’s burgers come with fries, cole slaw and a pickle spear and cost $8.95, no matter what the topping. At 33-38 percent, Ferretti admits his food costs are high, but says he considers it an advertising expense.
The Flip Side
The humble hamburger can be elevated to haute cuisine without losing its Everyman appeal. Here are options to give diners some tasty upgrades. |
“This is part of my marketing plan,” he explains. “I charge a very reasonable price for premium product. Patrons know they’re getting good value.” The positive word-of-mouth that’s generated, he adds, is his best tool for getting customers in the door.
Responding to the growing interest in healthier lifestyles, Executive Chef Lee Jennings has been sourcing more fresh local products since he arrived at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club in 2007.
It’s made good business sense for Jennings to use natural, pasture-raised Oregon beef for his burgers. Diners can add bacon, cheese, mushrooms, caramelized onions, avocado, jalapenos, a fried egg, roasted red peppers, and housemade, dried-tomato blue cheese mayo. Tucked into a bun that’s baked in-house, the Eugene CC burger comes with a classic array of sides, plus what Jennings calls an “edible garnish”—two bites of something special like toasted orzo, broccoli raisin salad, or pasta, made from excess ingredients.
The hamburger, available at lunch and dinner and served throughout the club (including poolside), sells for only $9. Food costs, typical for Jennings’ kitchen, are 40 percent. His rationale? “We want to be under market price, to provide visible value to our members.”
Because the club is located within the Eugene city limits and close to where people live and work, takeout business is brisk. And Jennings’ idea of “visible value” extends to how the orders are packaged. “We use plastic containers with transparent lids that run us $1 each,” he explains, “and put them in recyclable tote bags with rope handles. To me, it’s like a plate presentation.”
Executive Chef Mike Vergili saw a need for a meat-free burger on his menu at Carmel Country Club in Charlotte, N.C. Unhappy with commercial products, he invented his own. It’s a combination of lentils and quinoa, cooked in stock made from vegetable scraps and paddled in a mixer with sauteed onions and garlic, fresh herbs, and bread crumbs.
Virgili puts the patty on a ciabatta roll and finishes with feta and roasted tomato aïoli. “It’s healthy, tastes great, and even non-vegetarians are asking for it,” he says.
Valley CC’s Executive Chef, Jason Morse, garnishes his Skillet Sliders with leek mayo and onions spiked with honey and smoked pepper. |
Cherokee CC’s David Pickney offers sliders with innovative ingredients and flavors designed to make them irresistible |
A Little Goes a Long Way
Executive Chef David Pinckney put sliders on the menu at Cherokee Country Club, in Knoxville, Tenn., in January 2008. Initially, he made them with American Kobe beef, the same beef that goes into his entrée burger. But the firmer texture didn’t work for the two-ounce version, so he changed to Angus.
The mini-burgers are served as a three-way trio, prepared with American cheese and blackened with blue cheese; they are then embellished with homemade steak sauce and a tangle of tobacco onions (red and yellow onions, floured, sprinkled with paprika and cayenne pepper, and fried), and served with either french or sweet potato fries and pickles.
“I’m getting $12 for six ounces of meat,” Pinckney says. “My costs run only 20 percent.” Originally, he sold the sliders for $10. An instant hit, they created an unforeseen problem.
“My grill was getting backed up, because they required more time and space,” he reports. Further, a run of orders from the club’s pub, which does not take reservations, created unacceptable waits for members who had booked tables in the dining room (the areas share the same menu).
The solution? “I raised the price to slow demand just enough so the kitchen could manage,” Pinckney says.
A small change in preparation is delivering big benefits at Aurora, Colo.’s Valley Country Club, where Executive Chef Jason Morse now cooks what he calls Skillet Burgers in seasoned cast-iron pans. The even heat, Morse explains, really sears in flavor. He carts the pans out to the grill station he sets up at the club’s fifth hole.
“Every club offers burgers,” Morse says. “We wanted ours to be special. In summer, our ‘mini’ and ‘works’ Skillet Burgers are lead sellers.”
Adding to the wow factor, Morse garnishes gourmet sliders with leek mayo and caramelized Sicilian onions, spiked with honey and smoked pepper.
“I offer better quality at a better price than they can get on the outside,” he notes. “That’s why they pay dues.”
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