The increasingly popular style is drawing crowds at large and small restaurant concepts
Take a burger patty, smash it down onto a griddle so it’s pretty thin but not too thin. Hold it there so a crust forms, making the outside dark and not quite crunchy while sealing the burger’s juices inside. Flip it to finish cooking, and you have a smash burger. It’s the trendiest burger style at the moment, with no signs of letting up.
According to Technomic Ignite menu data, the number of burgers described as “smash” or “smashed” on menus increased by 21.9% between the third quarters of 2023 and 2024 — a substantial growth spurt for anything in the already saturated burger category.
Large chains such as 2,200-unit Jack in the Box and 3,500-unit Sonic Drive-In have introduced smashburgers over the past year, as have smaller concepts such as 40-ish unit Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar and 24-unit P.J. Whelihan’s. They are, to say the least, performing well.
“We have never introduced a new item to our menu that has performed as well during the rollout as the smash burger lineup,” Bad Daddy’s culinary director John Masterson said in an email. “It completely smashed expectations.”
That lineup includes a Classic Smashburger — a seasoned patty with American cheese, red onion, and “sidekick slaw” (iceberg lettuce in house “sidekick” sauce) on a toasted bun — and a Steakhouse Smashburger topped with cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, and two onion rings marinated in A.1. steak sauce. A build-your-own option is available as well. Masterson said they were introduced as limited-time offers in the summer, when he and his team noticed competitors offering similar items. They were successful enough that were made permanent items in November.
“Our guests devoured them, and frankly, we did too,” he said, adding that a Double Stack Bacon Smash Burger (“think more patties, more bacon, and a whole lot more flavor,” he said) is on the docket for Bad Daddy’s next menu update.
The Smashed Jack at Jack in the Box. Photo: Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box introduced the Smashed Jack at the beginning of the year, following what vice president of product marketing & culinary Anna Gabele described in an email as “two years of dedicated development.”
“It was inspired by the growing popularity of smash-style burgers, a trend that has gained momentum through platforms like TikTok, including viral creations like smash burger tacos,” she said.
Around the time of the launch, chief marketing officer Ryan Ostrom said the smash burgers were also inspired by local Southern Californian food trucks that perfected the style on a smaller scale.
Jack’s is a simple build: A smashed seasoned patty with grilled onions, thick pickle slices, and a proprietary new “Boss Sauce” on a brioche bun. The Bacon Double Smashed Jack, which is also available, is made with two beef patties, American cheese, grilled onions, bacon, pickles, and Boss Sauce.
Jack also has offered smash burger LTOs over the course of the year, including one on sourdough and another, the Buttery Smashed Jack, with garlic herb butter, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayonnaise.
“The Smashed Jack has quickly become a nationwide favorite, setting a new benchmark for success,” Gabele said. “On the very first day it hit our menus, we sold an impressive 70,000 Smashed Jacks, making it the most successful burger launch week we’ve seen in the last six years. By November 2024, sales reached 3.5 million Classic Smashed Jacks and 6.5 million Bacon Double Smashed Jacks — and the momentum shows no signs of slowing.”
The Grapow Smash at Ban Ban Burger. Photo: Ban Ban Burger
Local SoCal burgers also were the inspiration at Ban Ban Burger, a single-unit smash burger concept opened last spring in Los Angeles by chef Amanda Maneesilasan and business partner Katy Noochlaor. That team also operates Thai restaurants Chao Krung and Tuk Tuk in L.A.
Among their popular burgers is the Grapow Smash — grapow is the Thai word for holy basil, and it features prominently on the burger in a condiment made with palm sugar simmered in oil with tamari, fish sauce, and chicken bouillon powder as well as fried garlic, shallot, and Thai chiles, finished with holy basil. It’s also slathered with a green garlic aïoli, griddled onions, and American cheese.
“Grapow has always been our family’s Thai comfort food, but growing up in L.A., we also had a love for classic burger spots like Tommy’s and Fatburger,” Maneesilasan said in an email. “We wanted to create a perfect mashup of these two cuisines and honor both sides of our roots, so we decided to combine Grapow and burgers into one dish. We knew from the beginning that in order to be a true smash burger, it needed to have three things: mayonnaise, pickles, and American cheese. The grapow paste is the special element that holds everything in one place.”
Sonic Drive-In entered the smash burger fray in August with the Sonic Smasher: Two seasoned beef patties, two slices of American cheese, a tangy and peppery “Smasher sauce,” crinkle-cut pickles, and diced onions on a potato bun.
The Sonic Smasher was introduced in August. Photo: Sonic Drive-In
The concept of the smash burger, and the implementation of special burger-smashing tools, got a boost with the 2007 launch of the Smashburger chain by Tom Ryan, a chain restaurant veteran whose résumé includes stints as U.S. chief marketing officer of McDonald’s and business development roles at Long John Silver’s and Pizza Hut. He also was a scientist for Pillsbury.
“The vision for Smashburger was elevating burgers with bold flavors, juiciness, and a unique preparation method,” Ryan said in an email.
“The smash technique was our secret weapon — a method I helped perfect using my expertise in food science. This process locks in juiciness and creates a crispy, caramelized crust, making every bite a flavor-packed experience that stands out in the crowded burger market.”
Not that he invented the technique. He had seen that preparation style in diners in the Midwest. But he did patent a special metal smasher that’s used to press the patty onto a hot, buttered, seasoned grill. At Smashburger, it’s pressed for 10 seconds.
“This creates a … crispy crust that seals in all the juicy beef flavor, while the thin patty gives you just the right balance of crispy edges and a tender, juicy center,” he said.
There are currently 235 Smashburger locations.
Chili’s has long smashed its burgers on griddles, but the 1,200-unit chain called that out with the introduction in late April 2024 of the Big Smasher Burger dressed with Thousand Island dressing, American cheese, red onions, pickles, and lettuce.
“The Big Smasher [as part of the 3 for Me combo meal starting at $10.99] has been one of the biggest catalysts for our growth for the past several quarters,” chief marketing officer George Felix said, noting the chain has enjoyed double-digit same-store-sales growth each quarter during that period. “We see no sign of that slowing down. I think the Big Smasher is quickly becoming an icon at Chili’s.”
Felix said he has noticed more independent restaurants adopting the smash burger style.
“We’re proud of ours because it’s a bigger smash burger … almost half a pound. Obviously the juicy burger with the crispiness you get on the outside — that texture combination is hard to beat.”
The Patty Melt Smash at P.J. Whelihan’s. Photo: P.J. Whelihan’s
Rich Friedrich, corporate chef of PJW Restaurant Group, introduced smash burgers both at P.J. Whelihan’s and three-unit Pour House in March, including the Jalapeño Popper Smash Burger made with two beef patties, roasted jalapeño pepper cheese sauce, bacon, chipotle mayonnaise, shredded lettuce, tomato, and dill pickle chips on a buttered and toasted sesame seed bun.
“Since launching, we have sold over 52,000 units of the Jalapeño Popper Smash Burgers … making it the third most popular item,” he said, behind only the Classic (American cheese, lettuce, pickles, onions, and secret sauce) and PJ’s Burger (cheddar, bacon, and caramelized onion).
It’s popular enough that Friedrich plans to add a special smash burger section to the core menu at P.J. Whelihan’s while rotating in seasonal options.
Dave & Buster’s also introduced smash burgers to its roughly 160 restaurants this spring, to great success according to vice president of food and beverage, David Spirito.
“Since launching smashed burgers nationally last spring, we’ve received an overwhelmingly positive response from our guests and teams,” he said in an email, adding that they “have become a pivotal part of our menu, and guests continue to gravitate toward them.”
“Due to the amazing response from both guests and teams, smashed burgers will remain a key focus in our menu innovation and strategy moving forward,” he added.
Among Dave & Buster’s selections are the Bacon Smashed Burger, with bacon, American cheese, bacon jam, lettuce, pickles, tomato, onion, and bacon aïoli, and the Spicy Smashed Burger with pickled jalapeño peppers, pepper Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, ancho lime mayonnaise, and a fried jalapeño pepper, as well as a classic All-American with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and secret sauce.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
