Smashburger

Smashburger IP Holder LLC
Smashburger
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRestaurants
GenreFast casual restaurant
Founded2007; 17 years ago (2007)
FoundersRick Schaden and Tom Ryan
Headquarters,
Number of locations
227 (220 in the United States, 7 in Canada)[1][2] (2024)
Area served
United States
Canada
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Panama
Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom
Key people
Denise Nelsen (CEO)
ProductsHamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, French fries, shakes, soft drinks
Revenue$338.3 million (2016)[3]
ParentIndependent (2007–2018)
Jollibee Foods Corporation (2018–present)
Websitesmashburger.com

Smashburger IP Holder LLC, doing business as Smashburger and stylized as SmasHBURGER, is an American fast-casual hamburger restaurant chain founded in Denver, Colorado. As of 2022, it has more than 227 corporate and franchise-owned restaurants in 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and 2 Canadian provinces.[2]

Founded in 2007 by Rick Schaden and Tom Ryan, the chain serves "smashed" burgers using a specialized process of cooking them on a flattop grill at a high heat. This technique originated in the Great Lakes region at pressed-chuck burger restaurants, and has been a staple there for decades. The method sears the burger for flavor. These are then topped with additional ingredients and can be customized. At one time, the chain offered unique burgers in each city where its restaurants were located. The menu also includes chicken, turkey and portobello sandwiches as well as french fries, sweet potato fries, fried pickles and other items. Some locations offer the Udi's gluten-free bun.

The restaurant saw rapid growth after its first location opened in 2007 and it added several hundred locations within a few years, although a larger slowdown of the "better burger" industry saw it slow its size and expansion plans. Company leaders initially considered an IPO, but Philippine-based quick-service operator Jollibee Foods Corporation bought a 40 percent stake in the company in 2015, at which time it was valued at $335 million. As of December 2018, Jollibee owns 100% of Smashburger.[4]

  1. ^ "Locations". Smashburger. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference DP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NRM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ danny (December 14, 2018). "Jollibee Foods Corporation Now 100 Percent Owner of Smashburger". QSR magazine. Retrieved April 6, 2019.