Bubba Burger goes from retail to restaurantBubba Burger goes from retail to restaurant

Ron Ruggless

Reversing the dominant restaurant-to-retail path followed by operations from California Pizza Kitchen to White Castle, a Florida-based frozen-burger purveyor said Thursday it plans to open four new grill restaurants by May.

Bubba Burger, which for two decades has sold frozen beef and turkey patties in groceries and on military bases, will debut the first of four planned Original Bubba Burger Grill units in the Jacksonville, Fla., area and is looking at a fifth location.

Michael Biagiotti, a spokesman for Bubba Burger, said the company “anticipates the first of the four to open on or about mid-April, and subsequent ones will open every two to three weeks after that.”

The conversions of four defunct Times Grill locations range in size from 4,000 to 4,800 square feet, Biagiotti said. A fifth mall-based end-cap location is being considered as a ground-up restaurant, he added.

The menu will feature Bubba burgers as well as fries and drinks. Biagiotti said the average check would hit around $9, including a burger, side and soda.

Billy Morris, president and chief executive of Bubba Burger, who bought the company in 2000, said, “Our Bubba fans have been asking us for years to open restaurants where they could get their Bubbas on the go when they were away from home.”

While a number of restaurant chains, ranging from P.F. Chang’s China Bistro to Burger King, have introduced branded items into the grocery retail space in recent years, the reverse has been a rarity. Ben & Jerry’s is one of the few that have successfully gone that route.

“This is a concept that we’ve been working for the past three years,” Morris said, adding that the recent closure of the Times Grill locations provided an opportunity to “move from being a retail player to streetside.”

Morris said the Bubba Burger Grill fast-casual format will feature the company’s premium line, which includes: Original, Sweet Onion, Jalapeno, Reduced Fat, Mini Bubba Bites and Certified Angus Beef as well as a Turkey Bubba burger.

He said guests will be able to customize their burgers with a variety of buns, toppings, cheeses and sauces. Other options will include a chicken sandwich and a mini-hotdog platter.

The company said it foresees corporate and franchise growth in traditional locations as well as sites in mall food courts, airports, college campuses and sporting venues. Bubba already serves its burgers at racetracks in the Southeast.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].