A couple of years ago, while visiting my youngest daughter at Emmanuelle College–I would frequently pass by Tasty Burger, in the shadow of Fenway Park. From day one, I loved the name and thought the concept had great potential. So much was my excitement, that despite never having had one, I contacted the owner a year later to see if he had any interest in discussing a collaboration towards growing the brand aggressively.
According to my daughter, early on, the review was not top notch. I believe she said; “Well, it doesn’t suck at 2AM when you’re really hungry.” But recipes can change, etc. etc.
In my subsequent conversation with Dave, I learned many things–we chatted for over an hour. One: that he already had multiple partners, and room for more was unlikely. (I agreed! Partners scare me…) He also confirmed the likelihood that the student opinion of the Fenway location early on was probably accurate. “A disaster” as he put it–his mistake in thinking that a transition from talented chef to “fast, casual” burger-joint operator would be a piece of cake. I enjoyed his introspection in sharing the “many horrible decisions” that he made along the way, as he tried to keep that early challenge from crashing and burning. He survived–and corrected–and then, took the plunge on #2.
When we spoke, they had just opened in Cambridge–expansion was already under way–and he was proud to have talked the landlord into giving him the opportunity, vs NYC’s restaurant-lord and Shake Shack creator, Danny Myer, who was almost under agreement for the space.
At that time, Cambridge’s expenses were murdering TB–and the chances for profitability were suspect. However…the silver lining was, soon after, Fenway sales grew aggressively, thanks to the clout and exposure of being in Cambridge. Never under estimate the power of branding, baby!
There are (3) Tasty Burgers now. I was in Fenway yesterday, and decided to finally stop in and try a “Big and Tasty”–the signature $5.00 burger. Based on “Donna’s” great attitude in serving me, the speed of service, and the OMG-good burger, look for many more Tasty’s down the road. So good, and… “The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.”
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