Beef

Ouch! Amy Pressman Likens Umami Burger to Fuddrucker’s

Maybe she was just trying to say Umami has
Maybe she was just trying to say Umami has “The World’s Greatest Hamburgers” Photo: Marbla123 via Flickr

Consider the burger battle for The Grove officially on! When we broke Wednesday’s news that Umami Burger is coming to The Grove, esteemed commenter Thomas Kim voiced what we were all thinking: Isn’t the coming of a popular burger chain going to be a little of a thorn in the side of Amy Pressman and Nancy Silverton’s own artisan burger concept, Short Order? Today, Pressman assures The Huffington Post that she is not concerned that Umami is going to steal the spotlight, insisting “there’s a lot of burger places in the world. I’m certainly not thinking that no one else can have one next to mine.” But then Pressman throws what sounds like a sharp backhand to the ambitions of Umami founder Adam Fleischman.

While breaking down the bespoke experience one will have at Short Order, Pressman says of Fleischman, “He wants to be the new Fuddruckers, the new Johnny Rockets.” Ouch! Let’s face it, throwing out the names of two crappy burger traps is a diss anyway you look at it. Had she said In-N-Out or Five Guys or something like that, okay yeah maybe, but Fuddrucker’s? Say it with us now: Fight! Fight! Fight!

Funnily enough, Pressman’s Short Order sounds like it actually has a lot in common with Umami. Both are focused on meticulously re-conceiving the burger experience, with a hearty side of craft brew (to be called “The Father’s Office Model” from here on out). One thing’s already clear, which goes back to Pressman’s probable intention with the whole ugly Fuddrucker’s comment: Umami is an experience soon to be found everywhere, while armies of Angelenos will be bee-lining it to the one-of-a-kind Silverton-Pressman collaboration when it opens in September.

Umami Restaurant’s Grove Location Not A Problem For Amy Pressman’s Short Order [HuffPo]
Earlier: Short Cake to Join Short Order at the Farmers Market [GS]

Ouch! Amy Pressman Likens Umami Burger to Fuddrucker’s