Yet another prospering burger empire is training its sights on Los Angeles, as national chain Smashburger announces it will open in Thousand Oaks on July 11. We’re not quite sure what took these guys so long, as there are 143 Smashburger locations stretched across just about every state in the union already, as evidenced by the chain’s cutting-edge “Deliciousness Locator,” but this will be the first L.A. location.
Smashburger, which was conceived by Denver’s Consumer Capital Partners, brags that it never freezes its cooked-to-order Angus, which is smashed and seared on a buttery 400-degree flat-iron grill, and its founder, Tom Ryan, was named one of the “Top 25 Food Entrepreneurs” in 2007 by Gourmet, which outs him as part of the team of evil geniuses that stuffed your crust at Pizza Hut.
The Thousand Oaks store will feature beer, wine, and the usual menu of signature and DIY burgers and salads, but L.A. will get its own signature burger, wildly stabbing at an embrace of the city’s multicultural character. In other words, the L.A. Smashburger includes wontons, a fried egg, Japanese dressing, cilantro, cucumber, lettuce, and tomato (possibly because there’s already a Baja burger). Catch it next month at 650 North Moorpark Rd. in Thousand Oaks before it spreads closer to the city line.
