High-end burger chain The Counter not for the indecisive

Oprah likes them, too.

The Counter will make its Greater Sacramento debut with a location in The Fountains at Roseville shopping center in less than two weeks. The high-concept burger joint with full bar and wine selection is clearly not a typical fast-food restaurant.

The concept is a sit-down restaurant offering a nearly endless selection of burgers. Customers get a clipboard and a sheet of options, which doubles as the menu and order ticket, and can order any combo imaginable, from an unholy pile of food on a choice of bun to an unadorned patty in a bowl.

Diners choose their protein - beef, turkey, grilled chicken or a veggie patty - and the size of the burger, up to a full pound. Then they select from 10 choices of cheese, and 18 basic toppings, from tomato and lettuce to dried cranberries, roasted corn salsa or carrot strings. That's before you get to the premium toppings, including bacon, chili, guacamole, sauteed mushrooms or a fried egg. Not enough choice? Which of 18 sauces would you like? And finally, want that on a bun, English muffin, wheat roll or bunless?

'We try to do a special burger of the month, and usually it's some kind of seafood,' said Peter Katz, owner of the Roseville location. Katz is the master developer of the chain for Northern California. The Roseville store is his third franchise location, his Palo Alto site was the second in the chain, and in July 2007 he added a site in the Santana Row shopping district in San Jose.

The Counter started in Santa Monica in 2003 and took off after GQ Magazine called it one of the top 20 burgers in the country. Oprah Winfrey also raved about The Counter's burger on her show, the kind of publicity you can't buy.

External Source - For the complete article click here

Source - American City Business Journals

Reader Comments:

Be the first to leave a comment for this article