Suburban

I love meating up with other Unilocalers. Smashburger had been on my list of places to try. So when I saw we’d be treated to burgers and fries, I couldn’t miss it. Despite coming down with a bad case of Ebola or something out of the ninth gate of Hell, I cleaned myself up and made the trek up to Schaumburg for this special edition of dinner time Office Hours. Once there, I immediately began to gorge upon some of the tastiest grill fare I’ve had in ages.
Jelena Z. was there, other lovely Unilocalers were there, and Smashburger Boss Tom was there to talk with us about all the food and show us how to properly smash a burger. Rachel J. and I failed miserably at that, but even our science project flop tasted delicious before it was tossed out. They only serve the finest, so even slightly less than perfect is a no-​go. I’m surprised I was even able to sample a bite of our smashfailure after my very own BBQ, Bacon & Cheese, Lemon-​Pomegranate Green Tea, Sweet Potato Smashfries, Fried Pickles and Chocolate Oreo Shake. Soooo filling and looks to be quite reasonably priced even if you’re not treated to it.

So ready to get smashed! This event definitely delivered.
Free range of the menu, which included of course burgers, sides, shakes, and the like! Received a tour and got to watch a fellow Unilocaler smash a burger — who would’ve thought it would be so hard?
Super nice to meet Tom Ryan, über cool, unpretentious – you know he knows his stuff.
Fried pickles are still calling my name…
Thanks Unilocal and Smashburger!!!

Awww, talk about poor form… late reviewing for something so deliciously delightful. For shame! –5 UnilocalStars for this Belated Betty.
Well, while my musings are clearly overdue, I can say with certainty that there is nothing tardy about a Smashburger party. It was on point, totally interactive and probably the most generous display of goods an Office Hours has ever seen.
A FULL dinner? And Blue Moon BEER? MILKSHAKES too? Oh, and those are FRIED PICKLES, you say?
Yeah. The spread was abundant and the staff was eager to please. Mmmm, mmmm, just how me likes it! We each got the opportunity to select a burger and side straight from the full Smashburger menu with as many add ons as we’d like. Cheers to that! My stellar choice? The Windy City burger (ahem, add Smash Sauce puh-​leeeeez) with layers of melted cheddar cheese, haystack onions, lettuce, tomato and Gulden’s® spicy mustard on a pretzel bun. Throw in a heavy hand of Smashfries covered in rosemary, olive oil and garlic to round out my truly tasty treat.
And as if that already wasn’t enough, Tom, the owner of Smashburger, was on hand to demo a few of Smashburgers trade secrets and allow yours truly to put the smash down right on that big, beefy goodness on their kitchen griddle. Huzzah! Way to make a wannabe chef girl’s dreams come true…
Many thanks to the folks of Smashburger and the gorgeous Jelena Z. for a smashing good time!

I apologize for the delay in posting this review. I think I am just coming out of my «meaty coma».
This event was over the top! We were treated like royalty and my tummy thanks you ever so much for all the awesome food and company!
The staff was so nice! Smashburger Founder, Tom Ryan, joined us for the evening. He is well-​educated, funny and a really nice guy. Did you know that Tom created the McGriddle, Stuffed Crust Pizza and other such amazing creations? No, he didn’t boast about his creativeness. His sweet staff was so proud to be there telling us all about the founder, his background and the wonderful things that Smashburger has to offer. They really were a great team! We learned about things like Tom’s fondness for including local products on his menu across the country. I think we should road trip to Michigan to try the cherry BBQ sauce on a Smashburger!
This restaurant is so clean that I honestly would have been okay with taking a seat on the floor to eat my dinner. I feel like they take pride in everything that they do and I believe that it shows.
We were the first group to head back into the kitchen for a Smashburger lesson at the second seating. After a detailed, explanation and presentation by Tom, my sister «manned» the grill. Leaving only a small «birthmark», I was pretty proud of her! And, I was pretty impressed at how they keep all the juiciness in the burger.
Will I be back? ABSOLUTELY!
Have I been back since this event? Yep and proud of it!
Thanks to Jelena, the Unilocal Crew and Smashburger for such a generous, memorable, delicious event!!!

You know a place isn’t screwin around when they have a specifically designed apparatus they use to prepare their food! From the staff and their amazing amounts if friendliness and incredible service, to the handsome creator/​founder/​genius of the SmashBurger, Tom Ryan actually taking time out of HIS life to come out and meet us bunch of Unilocalers, to the JUICY (not greasy!) burger I chowed on, right down to that flat-​top grill I SMASHED a burger on (pretty well, I might add), it was a killer night.
Yes, you read that right, I got to smash that burger and I smashed it goooood! «Just a little „birthmark“» when I flipped it, said owner/​founder/​creator/​designer/​engineer-​er, Tom Ryan. I was the lucky winner out of our group that was honored by smashing the first burger at our 7:30 seating.
Got to meet a few new people and that can never be a bad time. It was a blast hanging out with you, Rich W. Hope to see you at more event to come!
It may be hard to actually believe, but I have truly been dreaming of Smashbuger since this event. We have been super busy lately but I’m looking forward to bringing my fiancé here VERY soon so he can understand my new addiction and perhaps we can find a support group for people that are SMASHaddicts!
Thank you Jelena and Team Unilocal!Chicagoland for putting together such a killer event! This one is to go down in the books as one of my favs!

I’ve been to this location before since I work nearby, so was happy to see a Unilocal Office Hours event I could finally make it to. Burgers and shakes galore!
The staff was super friendly and were gladly offering (and insisting) we order more food. The founder Tom was there, being his super friendly self and even smashing burgers with us in the kitchen. It was definitely cool to see the secret to their smash technique and what goes into a smash burger.
Thanks to Jelena and SmashBurger for the awesome event!

An open letter to Mr. Tom Ryan, founder of Smashburger: You are one sweet dude.
I thought it was righteous enough to find out that the man in white who was leading tours of the kitchen and answering attendees’ questions was the company founder. Then I found out that you are responsible for a few of the biggest game-​changers that have been introduced to chain restaurant menus, and I thought it was even cooler that I had a chance to bend your ear for a few minutes.
Awesomeness aside, I was much more impressed with Smashburger this time around than I was at the first time I tried at the the Unilocal Elite event at the end of January. There was free reign of the menu, and hot fresh dishes being served– as opposed to the cooled-​off, picked-​apart dishes meant for everyone to try a few things. It was a good idea at the time, but the quality kind of suffered.
But that was then, Unilocalers; this is now. In Schaumburg, I was able to taste the «burger in every bite,» and wash it down with a cold Windy City Wheat or a Blue Moon– WITH a frosty pint glass tankyouveddymuch. I have also come to the conclusion that the veggie frites I tried here are the only way to prep asparagus and green beans and get me to actually enjoy them.
Naturally, big props go to Jelena and Team Unilocal Chicagoland. Without your awesomeness (and ability to finagle us an extra drink ticket), none of this would’ve been possible. So a big ¡muchas gracias!
Also, wonderful to meet Yvonne B., Hang with Dan D., shake Charlie J.‘s hand, and get a hug from Rebecca R. and Ericka A., and get the chipped tooth, courtesy of Rachel J. Well, not really. Just kidding. Or am I?
Till the next time we Meat Up somewhere else, ¡Salúd!

What a great Unilocal event– thanks to the Schaumburg Smashburger staff and Jelena for a great experience!
We appreciated the great service and attention, and getting to talk with the founder and management. We loved being able to try different things on the menu. I LOVE these burgers, pretzel rolls and smash sauce– definitely all unique. The sides are awesome– great selection. I will definitely spread the word to my family and friends and encourage them to give Smashburger a try.
Thanks again!

It’s all about the Smash.
I can hear P Diddy right now:
«You wanna ride like me? Smash like me? Be like the original P-​Diddy?»
Smashing ain’t easy.
Smashburgers are unique because of the Smash.
I have flipped many burgers in my life and I flopped on my first Smash.
Smashburgers are made from a proprietary blend of Grass-​Fed Corn Finished Ground Beef. I don’t exactly know what corn-​finished means, but it definitely adds the fat that we all love in our burgers.
The weigh and form loosely-​packed meatballs every morning. When you order a burger, they butter the flat-​top grill and place each meatball on the grill. Then comes the fun part. Using a custom designed metal patty press, you Smash the burger with all your force and hold down for 10 seconds.
Next, you lift the press and season with their secret seasoning blend while letting the patty cook for 1 minute. Amazingly, enough juices stay in the patty while developing a caramelized crust on the bottom.
The next part is where I failed to Smash like Founder Tom Ryan (a wonderfully likeable and warm gentleman).
Scraping the burger off the grill perfectly takes skill. If you do it right, the patty will have a perfectly even golden brown color (from the caramelization). If you mess up like I did, there will be ‘blond’ spots where the beef stuck to the grill surface.
I came so close!!!
For all you first-​timers:
Bring a razor sharp spatula with you! You’ll Ninja that burger and all will be good. Now, that isn’t cheating in my book. =)
The Smashburger concept may be one of the most clever marketing campaigns since Michael Bay’s Got Milk Campaign (yes…the same dude that has a penchant for over-​the-​top pyrotechnics-​driven Blockbusters).
Oh…the burgers taste really yummy too!
Everything is prepped daily and you can really see quality in the food. I work in the industry and that simply is NOT the trend among larger players.
The Baja Burger– my fave has thick jalapeño slices and Chipotle Mayo with Pepper Jack
The Windy City Burger– Haystack onions and mustard. Also deelish
The Buffalo & Avocado Club Chicken Sandwiches are great too
Smash fries — fries tossed in Rosemary!
Fried pickles — Crispy and sour
Much love to Jelena Z and the Unilocal Team and the cool Unilocalers I met. And definitely give a shout out to the Smashburger Team (Corporate & Schaumburg Team) for their generosity and hospitality!
Go to Smashburger and take the Smash Challenge and order the Sin City (it’s off the menu).

My first Unilocal event was… AMAZING! Thanks to Jelena for coordinating such a great event. Thanks to Tom, owner of Smashburger for having us sample, gorge, discuss and smash. Alexis, Smashburger’s PR, was so accommodating and fun. She kept on bringing us MORE food. You could unbutton your pant button and still have no room in your belly.
Having the tour of the kitchen and seeing a Unilocaler learn how to smash a burger was really interesting. Seeing the burger cook itself in its own natural juices was neat. Who knew a burger could be cooked in 3 minutes! At Smashburger, it can be done!
What is unique about Smashburger is the different types of buns they used. From the egg bun, chipotle bun to the multigrain bun. Each lends itself really well for the types of meat that is sandwiched between it. It adds a different flavor to the taste of the burger or chicken.
I also loved the array of sides they offer from the fried pickles to the haystack onions and sweet potato smashed fries. I think the price is worth the food fare that you receive.
As another Unilocaler mentioned, my only complaint would be that certain items were salty (e.g. chicken in the Harvest Salad). I think if Smashburger could reduce the salt from their secret spice, it would be EVEN better.
I also thought the tea tasted a bit odd… I can’t pinpoint what it is that made it taste peculiar but, it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting when tasting pomegranate tea.

All I can say is «WOW»!! The time flew by.
I’m really new to the whole «gourmet burger» concept and had never been to a Smashburger but I am so glad that I was able to attend this Unilocal event.
I ordered the Windy City burger which was fantastic. Served on a pretzel roll with stone-​ground mustard, cheddar cheese and haystack onion rings it was a great flavor combination. There was just so much going on when you bit into it.
I ordered Veggie Frittes as a side and have to say that they are just as good as the fries. They flash fry them, sprinkle them with sea salt and pepper. Sounds simple, huh? Actually they taste as if they were prepared in a marinade — they were great.
Alexis, the PR lady from Smashburger, brought out an avocado chicken sandwich for us to share. The chicken looks like a pancake but is prepared perfectly.
Tom Ryan, the founder of Smashburger, sat our table for a while and answered questions. It was really great to have him talk honestly about his business philosophy, the food industry and how he differentiates Smashburger from his competitors. It was so neat to go in the kitchen with him and see him make a Smashburger and explain what makes their burgers so great.
My only regret is that the event ended so soon. I met some new Unilocal friends (Ali & John) and we had a great time chatting.
Thanks Jelena for another terrific Unilocal event!

Food: 3
Décor: 2
Service: 3
Another month, another YE. This one was hosted by the lovely CM of the burbs, Jelena.
Since I live in Waukegan, it took nearly an hour to drive down to Schaumburg. The place was easy enough to find, although the raised ground in the middle of the road to turn into the parking lot was a bit odd.
1. Avocado club with extra chicken
So-​so. Chicken was oversalted, and the burger came apart since the two chicken pieces were placed adjacent to each other instead of on top of one another.
2. Green river float
Okay, basically a lime soda float. It tasted okay, although I’d get a malt/​shake instead.
3. Cookies and crème shake
Pretty good.
4. Fried pickles
So-​so, a bit salty.
5. Sweet potato fries
Not bad.
6. Beef chili
Okay. Didn’t think it was that special.
7. Tea
Tasted a bit odd and watered down.
The tour was interesting, although only one person in our group of 7 got the chance to smash a burger.
Service seemed a bit disorganized since we were one of the last tables to get food and one of the first ones asked to join the tour. However, it was great that the founder was able to fly from Denver to greet us, as well as one of the staff saying we could try anything we wanted.

Event and event, Jelena did another amazing job setting this one up. This is yet the closest event to my home. It only took about 15 minutes to get to this location. Amazingly, I’ve ALWAYS wanted to test out this joint. What a wonderful way to try out the local gourmet burger joint!
I was at the second sitting for this event. My friends and I sat around for a short period of time looking at the menu and decided what we wanted. The creator of this company greeted us with a friendly welcome and hello.
We were able to order anything off of Smashburger’s menu. I just wanted to try a little bit of EVERYTHING. But too bad, I didn’t have that big of a stomach for it. I ended up getting the Spicy Baja Burger. The mixture of pepperjack cheese, guacamole, spicy chipotle mayo, and fresh jalapeños was what made this burger the perfect burger for me. I like my food a little spiced up!!! The burger was perfectly cooked and juicy. I do understand that this place is uniqued for smashing their burgers making it a thin patty. Personally, I like my burgers thick and juicy. But this was a delicious combination anyway.
Along with my Spicy Baja Burger, I also ordered a side of sweet potato fries and fried pickles to share. Whenever I go to a restaurant that have sweet potato fries, I always have to try it. Smashburger did meet my expectation for sweet potato fries, but I’ve also had better. I was very excited to try their fried pickles, because it is such an unique side dish/​appetizer. Unfortunately, they were EXTREMELY salty… I was very disappointed. I thought at first it was just my taste buds, the more slices I had, the saltier it got. Sad…
Even if the food was very salty, I was able to even it out with a delicious Strawberry Milkshake. Very milky and creamy.
Throughout my meal, I also sampled Smashfries, which was delicious!!! I like how the spices blended together so well.
The night ended with a tour from Tom, the owner of Smashburger. He was able to fly into Chicago from Denver early morning. How thoughtful of him! Tom showed us how the burgers were made in the kitchen. One person from the group was able to experience how to SMASH the burger. It was definitely a neat experience.
All in all, it was a great event and great conversations with my new fellow Unilocaler Friend, David and my friends Tiffany and Jesse. Would I come here often? Probably not, because it seems like everything is salted to the extreme and I’m not too big of a fan. But I will come back to try other items on the menu when I’m around Schaumburg.
Thank you Jelena for setting this up. I cannot wait for the next event in a few weeks.

Lurved this event!
Awesome massages! UES!
Awesome whiskey milk shakes! OUI!
whiskey and milk you ask? DA! and it was awesome!
Dancing demonstrations on stripper poles! Hell yeah!!!
smoke machines and laser lights and dancing ball people! more MORE more! pleases!
Go Jelena! Go Unilocal!GO Smash in my mouth and make me cry for more! YES!
Confessional NOTE: maybe a few things like my ego may be a bit exaggerated, but this is what it felt like and the others have the details closer to reality already laid out.

Darn these Unilocal events. They always ruin my diet… Literally, I was so stuffed after eating here, it was nuts.
The burgers were delicious. I had half of a Windy City and half of a bbq, bacon and cheddar. The meat was so tasteful and juicy. The owner was there and explained how they get the meat to how it was. So simple yet so genius. Flash fried veggies were also good as well as the chili cheese friend. I really have nothing bad to say about any of the food. I guess if I wanted to nit-​pic I could say that tea didn“t have sugar?
Crazy fast. Had our food in like 6 minutes. When they showed us how to make a burger, it literally only took like 2 – 3 minutes to cook from raw so everything was crazy fresh. Cheap prices too. Other burger joints have like 9 dollar burgers, this place is like 6. Makes a big difference for people on a budget.
I liked the staff too. Like I said earlier the owner was out talking to us, then also the PR and the manager I believe came by and ask if we need anything. And then on top of that even the regular servers constatly came by asking if we needed anything. Maybe it was because it was a Unilocal event or maybe they’re just that awesome.
Great place, definitely my favorite burger joint so far.
Another great even from Jelena!

GREAT Unilocal event! Thanks again Yell-​uh-​nuh! :)
We were at the 7:30 seating – I had some of my Unilocal girls with me – Denise J, Dena D, Mandi W, and we officially adopted Nikki :) When we got there, we were each given two drink tickets to be used for beer, tea, etc. We got beer. And lots of it. I don’t know if it was because I was imbibing or despite it, but ALL of the food was delicious!
Before we ordered, we asked the owner, Tom, (Who flew all the way in from Denver, their home base!!) what his favorite was, and he told us that it was something that was only on the menu in Las vegas – the sin city burger (Fried egg, applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, grilled onions, haystack onions and our smash sauce on an egg bun.) This is what Dena got, and it was fantastic!
I ordered the all american w/​cheese (American cheese, ketchup, yellow mustard, onion, and pickles on an egg bun) and Nikki got the chili cheese dog and we split. Best. Idea. Ever. We both agreed that the fried pickles were good, but my chili cheese fries were better! But the hot dog was great – very well-​cooked and my burger was nothing short of amazing!
Oh, and try the milkshakes… yes, all of them ;) My favorite was the nutter butter
i am very impressed, and I am SO glad Smashburger is as close as close to my house as it is because I can bring my husband back for the yumminess! Can’t wait to review the business!
Thanks again Jelena Z :)))

Interviewer: So, what did you think of the event?
Rachel J as lil John: Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
Interviewer: Did you get to order whatever you wanted?
Rachel J as lil John: Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
Interviewer: Was the food good?
Rachel J as lil John: Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
Interviewer: Did you try the Windy City burger and smashfries?
Rachel J as lil John: Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
Interviewer: Did you like your dinner?
Rachel J as lil John: Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
Interviewer: I heard you failed miserably in the kitchen when trying to make a smashburger.
Rachel J as lil John: WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAT???
Interviewer: Oh dear — I must have struck a nerve. Let’s move on.
Rachel J as lil John: OOOOOOW-​KAAAAAAAAY
Interviewer: So, a nutterbutter and chocolate shake, eh? Do tell!
Rachel J as lil John: Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
Interviewer: So, overall, did you enjoy the event as a whole?
Rachel J as lil John: Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhh!

What an awesome event! I have been to this Smashburger three times before as I live and work really close… even went on opening day and my coworker got his picture eating a delicious Smashburger in the Daily Herald. With all this experience, I knew I was in for an awesome dinner.
What I was not expecting was the founder of Smashburger to be on hand! He was very friendly and really wanted everyone to enjoy themselves and get the difference between his burgers and the other joints. The coolest part of the night, my friend got to actually smash a burger! Yep, we went in their kitchen, donned aprons and smashed one out. Our coworkers are going to be so jealous!!!
We went to the 6pm seating and left right about 730 and the time flew by! I had some sweet potato fries which were fabulous and the grilled chicken burger with bleu cheese on a pretzel bun. I’ve never had that combo before and loved it. I’ve had their burgers a million times so wanted to switch it up a little. I like their grilled chicken a lot better then at other places… it’s much more juicy. Now after being in the kitchen and seeing the process, I understand why. Also, had a chocolate milkshake Shot Shot Shot Shot Shot Shot! Yum!
On top of all this goodness, I had a couple of Chi Town beers which I’ve never had before and were awesome! Served with a frosty mug to boot!
Thanks to the founder, I found out you can order the Sin City burger at any location!!! It’s a secret menu item! Now, this is awesome news. My friend and I have had it before and it’s the best combination on their entire menu. Now that we know you can get it right here in Schaumburg, you best believe we will be!
All in all, fantastic event with amazing food!!! Thanks Unilocal & Jelena for such a fun and tasty event~!

Meat up… I sure did! I’m on the brink of food coma as I write this review. Smashburger was a very gracious host and I had a blast. I got first hand lesson and experience (from Tom the boss man himself) in smashing a burger! It’s a lot tougher than it looks.
LOVE the Smash fries… they are so delicious! Who knew potatoes, rosemary, olive oil and garlic could be go good. My fellow awesome Unilocalers, Max and Jon, shared the different burgers with me. I got to try the Windy City (pretzel buns) and Spicy Baja. Yum! The Chi Town Wheat beer is a must try and the root beer flew was extra tasty. The hour and a half I spent there really flew by.
Thanks, Jelena! You always know how to throw a party :)

OMG! We met the owner of Smashburger! Thank you, Unilocal!
And he took us into the kitchen to actually show us how to properly cook a smashburger. Waaay cool. He was super fun and very friendly and chatty… awesome experience.
As crazy as it is, my friend and I got grilled chicken here. It’s awesome, though, cuz the chicken is thin due to the ‘smashing’ of it! Amazing concept. I love it so much more than a huge piece of chicken, ya know? I got the Baja Grilled Chicken (guac, chipotle mayo, jalapeño, lettuce and tomato on a jalapeño bun). SO GOOD. My side of crispy shoestring onions were very tasty and a great complement. I got to sample the fried pickles, sweet potato fries and the chili cheese fries. All were very yummy and a great selection of sides that you don’t really see at all the burger joints out there.
I love that you can customize your own burger/​chicken sandwiches here, too! You can pick your bun, the meat, and whatever toppings you want. (They have Sweet Baby Ray’s here, ya’ll!) They have a cool selection of drinks — from fountain to green/​black/​pomegranate iced tea to beer to ICE CREAM delights. We didn’t try any because we were BEYOND stuffed, but the Nutter Butter shake looked soooo good.
The entire staff was amazingly friendly and kept wanting to feed us! They brought out the Harvest Salad with grilled chicken, even though we were so done. My friends enjoyed it, but eventually gave up and had it boxed up. Foood comaaaa.
Shout-​out to Jelena Z. for another lovely, fun event! ;)