Don Shula Launches New Restaurant Chain

The Miami Dolphins may no longer have the winnigest coach in the history of the National Football League to help them make the superbowl next year (actually, they haven’t had Don Shula for quite some time, but that’s beside the point).

However, Miami is getting to play host to Mr. Shula once again. That is, they get to play host to his new chain of restaurants, Shula Burger.

Mr. Shula, who grew to fame for leading his Dolphins to championship games back in the 1970s and 1980s, is now hoping to cash in on his famous name by pushing a build-your-own-burger burger chain.

The idea is that instead of a fast food experience like one might have when you go to McDonalds, you’ll get to choose right there which veggies go into the hamburger before it ever hits a bun.

The restaurant is also expected to feature other common casual dining fare such as chicken sandwiches and of course an assortment of salads and a veggie burger for those who do not eat meat but want to get some charbroiled goodness into their systems.

The company has heavy expansion plans for Florida, where they hope to expand quickly to a total of 100 locations over the next five years, including a number of franchisees of the company.

Mr. Shula reported that he had been working on the concept for the past two years and that he was now ready to launch in his home state in a big way.

The restaurant already features 32 branches and hopes to expand rapidly to fill the additional markets with the Shula Burger brand name and the coach’s mug shot plastered on the walls of the restaurants all over the country. Whether he will have the winnigest hamburger in the nation however remains to be seen.

 

Spice Up Your Burger Menu

Looking to make your burgers more exciting and thus increase business this summer? Consider spicing up your menu with a variety of ideas. Cargill Foods will even help you out this summer. They’ve arranged for a promotion to offer consumers some new great ideas for using ground beef this summer.

For example, they are asking consumers to consider new types of toppings for their burgers including such things as pineapples, Creole mustard, shredded carrots and buffalo wing sauce.

How You Can Benefit From This New Food Trend

While Cargill, of course, has their own reasons to wish to offer consumers these great ideas, you as a restaurateur can also bring in new and exciting menu ideas. In fact, many consumers first learn about a new and unusual taste sensation when they go out to eat at their favorite restaurant.

How often have you heard customers mention that they wished they could come up with something like what you offer in your restaurant? Why not offer them even more incentives to try something new by grabbing some of the ideas that Cargill has offered along with a few of your own?

Consider Alternative Cuts of Meat and Alternative Meats

While burgers are traditionally made out of beef, there is no reason you couldn’t offer your customers other kinds of burgers such as elk, buffalo and bison burgers. Each of those have their own unique flavors that will have your customers talking about your burger place for days and weeks to come.

Besides considering these meats, you can also consider other kinds of burgers made from beef. Ever tried a tongue burger? While tongue may not sound like the sort of thing you’d want to use for a burger, many consider it a high delicacy and the taste sensation would create an incredibly unique burger all your own.

Experimentation Makes for Great Restaurants

Experimenting with new ideas is simply the way that you take your ordinary restaurant from just a burger joint to the burger joint to go to in town. Give it a shot. You’ll thank us later.

Burgers: Always in Vogue with both Blue and White Collar Types

The mention of burgers often evokes images of harried parents slogging through a jam-packed drive thru with screaming, snot-nosed kids crammed in the backseat; however as Technomic, Inc. recently reported, this all-American popular menu item is the current rage among both blue and white collar workers.

Burgers–Fancy That
The love of the burger appears to be a constant among all sectors of the population, including both blue and white collar workers. The appearance of the burger in both fast food as well as high end eating establishments is evidence of our national love of the juicy dish.

In fact, according to Technomic, Inc. more than 30% of customers are willing to pay premium prices for a burger made from good quality Angus meat and high-end cuts like sirloin. In addition, Technomic, Inc. reported that 41% of respondents stated that the quality and taste of the toppings is nearly as important as the quality of the meat.

It would appear that, regardless of tough economic times, burgers – especially premium, specialty burgers, are in demand.

Beer and Burgers — Seize the Moment
Clearly, this opportunity hasn’t been lost on Samuel Adams of the Boston Beer Company who recently teamed up with Jake Dickson of Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, to create a specialty, high-end beef cut that will pair perfectly with the finely crafted beer.

Restaurateurs might also consider taking advantage of the burger trend by considering new and creative ways to include the item on their menus. The Technomic, Inc. report suggested that approximately 50% of customers would appreciate burgers offered in various sizes including miniature and half-pound options.

Full-Service Burgers
Full-service and fine dining establishments can take the Technomic, Inc. information and use it to their advantage by offering its clientele a burger that is something special, unique and high end. Offering size selection is likely to make the meaty items too tempting to refuse.