Bastard Burgers (Luleå, Sweden) has announced its plans to continue expanding across New York and the U.S., according to Nation’s Restaurant News. The brand opened its first store in New York this past February in a co-located space with The Bronx Brewery, set at 3000 square feet.
The restaurant offers “smash burgers” – burgers that are flattened and cooked crispy on a griddle – and has grown to operating 67 units in Sweden and two in Norway. Another will open in Finland this fall.
Another NYC location is planned for next year, which will be entirely run by the Bastard Burgers brand. It plans from there to open a handful of New York City locations while looking into other potential cities to expand, the article says.
Beginning in Sweden where hamburgers aren’t super popular, the brand eventually gained traction and expanded into Stockholm, competing against established burger brands there.
Chef Anothy DiCocco, who runs the dual concept kitchen where its current New York location is housed, told the outlet:
“It’s a big, big fan base … Walking the streets in Sweden, there are dozens of people that I’ll see that have Bastard Burgers merch … It’s a big movement that they’re doing, and the movement will be very well reciprocated in New York City. It’s just the aesthetics inside: It’s very welcoming, it’s very hip, it’s very engaging. You go, you have a couple of burgers, a couple of sides, and then you have yourself a beer, and you just hang out, and the music is playing, and it’s a really great atmosphere.”