Massachusetts native Nick Kesaris isn’t shy about discussing the motivation behind his UBurger restaurant chain. Inspired by established “better burger” joints like Five Guys, Smashburger and The Counter, he and longtime friend Spiro Kouvlis decided to emulate the concept and bring it to New England. They opened their first store in 2006.
“It’s standard,” says Kesaris, who currently operates three locations, all in the Greater Boston Area. “You see someone succeed, and you copycat.”
But UBurger isn’t the only new burger on the proverbial American block, and it will be harder to succeed as the specialty burger market becomes saturated. Nationwide, the trend of providing higher-quality alternatives to the major burger chains — hence the “better burger” moniker — has quickly spread from a few pioneering restaurants to dozens of copycats. How long before the burger bubble pops?