A new Detroit-area burger joint is joining in on the smashburger trend.
Patty & Press is set to celebrate its grand opening in Shelby Township starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 21. The business says the first 100 guests through the door will receive one free burger, limit one per person.
The business had a soft opening in December, and says demand for what they bill as a “better-for-you” burger spot with 100% grass-fed beef has been so high that they are expanding their kitchen.
“We knew there was a hole in the market, but the soft-launch proved it was a canyon,” co-founder Brandon Gorgies said in a statement. “People are tired of the ‘health tax.’ They want a burger made with grass-fed beef, served on an artisanal bun, and fries cooked in beef tallow without paying sit-down restaurant prices. We’ve spent the last 90 days scaling our kitchen specifically so we can keep those prices low while moving at the speed of fast food.”
Gorgies is joined in the venture by co-founder Goran Dimic, both of G&B Hospitality, who come from experience running the Naked Burger in Clinton Township.
“Growing up in immigrant households, we didn’t have the luxury of expensive healthy meals,” Dimic said in a statement. “Patty & Press is about democratizing that quality. We use the same high-standard ingredients we serve our own families, but we’ve created a business model where the average person on their lunch break can afford it.”
Its “Classic Smash” meal is offered with fries and a Coca-Cola for $12.90 before taxes.
Patty & Press says it sources its buns from Rising Stars Academy, which provides vocational training for adults with disabilities, and the ice cream for its milkshakes from Guernsey Farms Dairy.
A smashburger is a style of hamburger made by pressing a ball of ground beef flat onto a hot griddle, creating a thin patty with crispy, caramelized edges. The style has become embraced in the Detroit area in recent years at spots like Kelly’s Bar in Hamtramck and the local chain Just Smash It, a favorite of Detroit rappers.
While U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has touted beef tallow as a healthier alternative to seed oils, nutrition experts refute the claim.
Patty & Press is located at 52300 Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Twp.