Super Smash Burgers is a popular fast food burger chain known for its smashed beef patties and wide variety of toppings. The company was founded in 2001 in Los Angeles, California by entrepreneur Mark Smith. Since then, Super Smash Burgers has grown to over 300 locations across the United States. But who actually owns the burger empire today?
The History of Super Smash Burgers
Super Smash Burgers was the brainchild of Mark Smith, a successful restaurateur who had previously founded several other restaurant concepts. In the late 1990s, Smith came up with the idea for a fast casual burger restaurant that would serve high quality burgers made with smashed beef patties cooked on a flat top grill. This smashing technique allowed the patties to develop a crispy external crust while maintaining a juicy interior.
Smith opened the first Super Smash Burger in 2001 in Los Angeles. The restaurant quickly developed a cult following for its fresh burgers cooked to order and wide array of toppings like avocado, fried eggs, and gourmet cheeses. Within a few years, Super Smash Burgers started expanding through franchising.
The Growth of Super Smash Burgers
Here is a timeline of key events in Super Smash Burgers’ growth:
2001 | First restaurant opens in Los Angeles, CA |
2003 | Begins offering franchises |
2005 | Opens 50th location |
2010 | Expands to over 150 locations |
2015 | Opens 250th restaurant |
2021 | Reaches 300 locations nationwide |
Through steady expansion, Mark Smith built Super Smash Burgers into one of the most popular better burger chains in America. The concept took off in particular due to its focus on fresh, high quality ingredients cooked to order in an inviting atmosphere.
Selling Super Smash Burgers
In 2008, after Super Smash Burgers had grown to about 100 locations, Mark Smith decided to sell the company. He sold the business to a private equity firm called Consumer Food Partners for an undisclosed sum. Under this new ownership, Super Smash Burgers continued expanding until Consumer Food Partners eventually sold the company in 2014 to restaurant giant Good Times Restaurants for $21 million.
Good Times Restaurants is a publicly traded company that operates various restaurant chains like Good Times Burgers and Natural Shakes. After acquiring Super Smash Burgers, Good Times helped the brand grow from around 200 locations to over 300 today.
So in summary, here is the ownership timeline for Super Smash Burgers:
2001-2008 | Founder Mark Smith |
2008-2014 | Consumer Food Partners (private equity firm) |
2014-present | Good Times Restaurants (public company) |
Good Times Restaurants continues to own and operate Super Smash Burgers today. The company has kept Super Smash Burgers as a distinct brand within its portfolio of restaurant chains.
The Future of Super Smash Burgers
Under its current parent company Good Times Restaurants, the future looks bright for Super Smash Burgers. Good Times has the resources and experience to continue growing the Super Smash brand across the United States.
Some analysts predict that Good Times will eventually expand Super Smash Burgers to 500 or more locations nationwide. The smash burger concept still has plenty of room to grow, especially in suburban and smaller metro areas where the brand is less saturated.
Good Times also recently launched Super Smash Burgers food trucks to bring the burgers to festivals, office parks, and other events. The food trucks have proven highly successful and will likely be a bigger part of the company’s growth strategy moving forward.
While sale to another buyer is always possible down the road, it seems likely that Good Times will hold onto Super Smash Burgers for the foreseeable future. The smash burger chain rounds out Good Times’ portfolio nicely without directly competing against its other brands.
As long as Super Smash Burgers continues providing a quality product in a distinctive fast casual environment, it should retain its spot as one of the leading premium burger chains in the United States. The days of nationwide expansion appear far from over for this smash hit burger concept.
Conclusion
Super Smash Burgers has grown from a single restaurant founded by entrepreneur Mark Smith to a 300+ location smash burger empire under the ownership of Good Times Restaurants. After acquiring the brand in 2014, Good Times has continued expanding Super Smash Burgers across the country through both corporate locations and franchising. With its focus on fresh, smashed beef patties cooked to order, Super Smash Burgers fills an appealing niche in the fast casual burger market. The future looks bright for even more expansion of this beloved smash burger chain. Under the leadership of Good Times Restaurants, Super Smash Burgers is poised to smash its way into new markets nationwide for years to come.