Butcher & The Burger (Boca Raton)
Butcher & The Burger, 6000 Glades Road (Boca Town Center), Boca Raton, Florida 33431, (561) 416-5554.
Do you know what the saying “Dead on Arrival” means? Sure you do!
Last night Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats went to Boca Town Center to “try-out” Butcher & The Burger a new “gourmet” fast food burger joint which opened a couple of days ago in the mall’s food court.
For color, Jeff Eats was following up on a “tip” from Son Jeff Eats who had recently eaten in the Butcher & The Burger located in Chicago. Son Jeff Eats had reported delicious burgers/hand-cut fresh French fries/shakes. For the record, Butcher & The Burger has 1-free standing store in Chicago and the Boca outpost is its second outing.
Now, you guys know that Jeff Eats is a simple guy (I know what some of you are now thinking)…anyway-I was looking for a cheeseburger/French fries/Coke. According to the joint’s sign-board, that trio would have cost Jeff Eats $8.95 for the burger, $4.25 for the fries (small order) and Coke—throw in 6% sales tax and Jeff Eats’ meal would have run $13.99—Mrs. Jeff Eats’ turkey burger-side salad-Diet Coke would have run $13.78 (she has always been a cheap date). The owners of this joint must be kidding! For crying out loud, this is a food court fast food outing—$27.77 for this meal is absurd.
Just a word to the wise, if Jeff Eats thinks that Butcher & The Burger’s prices are too high—go to the bank-that most folks walking around that food court are gonna think the same thing.
DOA!!!
Let me wrap this one up for you…
Butcher & The Burger may have delicious food…but this meal didn’t “happen” because of price. One other thing that caught my eye, Butcher & The Burger’s shakes run $6.50—while Chik-fil-A (in the next-door booth) gets $3.69 for its shakes (yes! I know that you can’t get Chik’s shakes on Sunday)…
Butcher & The Burger is opened 7 days a week during mall hours.
You can check menu/pries at www.butcherandtheburger.com.
very interesting.
I was in food court last night and looked at this outlet.
the sign board that it has is horrendous. very hard to read. very poorly lit and the print is very small.
when I was there, the food court wasn’t that busy and I saw a couple of people ordering.
like you I thought that the prices were way too high.
one other thing, the Chik Fil A which is bright and very well lit was jammed and the staff was energetic. on the other hand this place has its help in black uniforms and they looked bored and not too thrilled to be there. now this is just an observation but that’s the way I saw it.
I fully agree with all of the reviews that I have read about this new burger joint. Today I was about to get off shift when I thought that I would give this new place a try. To start off, the prices were ridiculous. Now I’ve lived and worked in Boca Raton for the past 15 years so I know a little about what people are willing to pay for good food. At a stretch (and I mean A STRETCH) people will pay $9.00 for an outstanding burger. The key word here being “OUTSTANDING.” Unfortunately, this is not what I received today. First of all, the burger took 8 minutes to get to me. Again, no problem for an “OUTSTANDING” burger. Secondly, the burger was very small. Maybe a quarter pound patty cooked down to who knows what. Thirdly, the burger was so overcooked I could only taste the ketchup, onions, lettuce, cheese, and tomato. I opted for the Chicago Steakhouse seasoning; however, this was burnt off during the cooking process. All and all a 2 out of 10 score. Not impressed at all. I’m gonna give them one more shot and then I’m writing them off.
Jeff, as you have told us Zinburger is coming to Town Center. That’s a full service gourmet burger joint. For the kind of money Butcher wants, Id rather go to Zinburger.
Relish in West Palm has similar pricing and its worth it.. They have $6 shakes, but they blend a ton of candy, etc in the shake..
ken w
a similar meal at 5 guys is probably $10.70 which is a difference of more than 3 bucks which would be something like 30%% more.
I saw this new concession and its very dark looking and its signage is very bad. its dark and the print is miniscule.
this hamburger place wont last long. too costly and not easy to use.
you’ll see.
Jeff,
Ive eaten in the Chicago restaurant. the food is very good.
No question a bit pricey.
Personally I like Shake Shack better and Boca’s is opening this coming Monday.
On this one, I think the owner is a drop late to the burger party.
Im familiar with this food court.
I think he has problems ahead.
To All:
I don’t care how good the burgers and fries are, a burger fast food outlet in Town Center Mall is an extremely risky proposition. No matter what many of you may argue, the females who frequent that food court are basically not hamburger and French fries eaters. They watch their weight and figures so salads and lower calorie foods are their game.
Ive been going to the mall for over 25 years and Ive seen every food court player that’s been there and that’s the way this food court is.
Good Luck to Butcher because he’s going to need a ton of it to survive there.
Their menu shows
Bison burger ( much healthier than beef )
Lentil, brown rice vegan burger
Turkey burger
Salmon burger
Shrimp burger
4 salad varieties
My wife will not eat Beef, french fries or Bread
but she would eat all of the above
Chic-fil-A is the busiest operation and their breaded, fried chicken sandwich and french fries are their #1 items.
I’ll betcha the owner already knows after only 1 week of being in business that he should have stayed home in Chicago and never ever tried to expand.
Gary, love your ideas.
The guy would have to rip his whole place down and start all over.
He’s done and probably just doesn’t want to admit it to himself.
Gary
Don’t try to rationalize this one.
The guy is going to die with this deal.
Anyone who knows that food court knows what’s coming.
Not trying to rationalize, just stating that Burgers and fries are not the only items sold.
When I go out to eat with my wife, doesn’t matter where we go, as long as they have salad…
Gary
Like your style.
Be honest based on what you saw does the guy have a chance?
Gottfried,
Unless he makes some major changes, NO
Gary
What changes need to be made?
White tile walls, stainless steel and wood trim.
White shirts,white aprons,white paper hats w/red line, red bow ties
Meat display case for counter, set up w/ prime cuts of what they grind into their burgers or at least want you to believe is in their burgers, all offered for sale.
Old style butcher shoppe signs featuring menu options
See through glass wall cooler featuring aging beef- ribs/porterhouse/filets.
Classic burger at a competitive price BUT a list of signature burgers, with prices to make people talk…..
One of my favorite lines in Pulp Fiction ” Let me see what a $5. milkshake tastes like “
To go beyond 5 guys pricing is a big mistake…
There is substantial profit in Burgers and Fries, and volume is the key to success in this type of business.
$5. and under for breakfast—- $10. and under for lunch.
BTW I don’t think anyone beats Charm City
Jeff Eats,
Just left the food court. Ate at Maoz.
Butcher is a dark looking setup.
The signage sucks with the wording being very small.
The prices are too high.
Going to get ugly here.
Owner should have quit with his one Chicago store.
Food is good but the wait was pretty extensive. I saw three people want their money returned because they couldn’t wait any longer. They need a new kitchen staff because they were screwing up every order, including mine. They did offer me a free meal because of my wait. I hope the next time I don’t wait 20 minutes for my meal because it will be the last time I go!
Don’t bitch.
You got a free meal.
Problem here is that this joint is in a food court. If you aren’t in the mall shopping you aren’t going to make a special trip to eat in the mall’s food court.
Right down the road you got 5 Guys and Shake Shack. Throw in Zinburger coming to the mall and Butcher has a very small audience to play to.
Going to be a mess for them.
Too bad but the owner should have written Jeff Eats before he fell for Simon’s deal.
Oh we’ll, not my money.
Here’s a call for you.
Butcher & The Burger will be a total disaster in Town Center.
The owner obviously knew nothing about the area’s demographics and knew nothing about how to design an inviting fast food outlet.
Hope he doesn’t have too big of a personal guarantee for the lease.
Got to run, meeting some buddies at Shake Shack in University Commons.
We are sorry you did not experience our food. Our pricing is based on a thin margin established by the cost of our food. We use very different product than the other places identified in the comments and prime, natural beef comes at a premium. All valid points though and we understand the price sensitivity in a food court environment. Our goal is to try to provide the public with a healthful, natural, homemade alternative to what the unfortunate standards have been in fast food and did court dining. This clearly will not appeal to the masses, and unfortunately real food in America is not financially feasible for all. It is a real crisis in America. But we do hear you all whileand next week we are adding a very high quality blend that is not 100% usda prime, like our Butcher blend. This burger, called the ” stockyard” blend will be priced at about $7.50, any lower than that and we would have to make our burger smaller, or use a quality of meat that we simply will not. We probably will not lessen the quality of our dairy products though, so getting a cheaper shake out may not be possible.
The menu screens are being adjusted tomorrow, so this problem should be solved. And having only opened a few days ago, staff training is ongoing and we will get our employees where we expect them to be soon. It always takes more than a few days to work out the kinks when you are operating a real kitchen making homemade food, so we thank our customers for understanding this, and that quality can’t be provided at ” fast food” pricing. We understand people will compare us to these others places, but we really are a very different kind of place- whether that’s good or bad, we leave it up to you to decide, but please don’t make a judgement before at least actually eating our food Thank you.
Preston,
If I’m reading correctly Jeff Eats only commented on your price points. I also recall that he mentioned that Son Jeff Eats loved your food in Chicago. As someone who eats in that particular food court quite often, I think you will find that your price points are going to prove to be a drop too high for the crowd that frequents this food court. Personally, 14 bucks for a burger, ff and a soda is more than I would want to spend on a fast food burger lunch. The new pizza guy right across the court from you is banging out terrific personal pizzas for $5.50 and sandwiches that feed 2 for $ $8.50.
As noted Jeff Eats didn’t try the food.
Why don’t you send Jeff Eats a coupon for a burger, ff on you?
Just maybe he’ll see the value in your $14 meal package.
Look at Jeff’s Papaya King and Gray’s Papaya story. That’s what you should have opened in the food court, not some overpriced fancy dandy burger place.
You will learn that Town Center’s food court caters to women and girls. For the most part, they don’t eat hamburgers. They eat salads and the kids eat Chik’s offerings.
I’ve lived in Boca Raton for over 31 years. I’ve eaten all over the area. I’ve seen restaurants come and go.
My two cents, your burger concept is going to have a huge uphill battle ahead of it.
The Boca Town Center crowd could careless about eating a fast food gourmet burger in a food court setting.
I wish you well.
Haven’t you noticed that this food court by in large doesn’t have major-players in it. It’s got you, some pizza fellow, one hummus guy, some Mexican operation that has one other spot. The big guys know the mall stinks and that Simon is ripping everyone off with absurd rents. Basically little guys like you got in because the real players were too smart.
Preston, People who shop at this mall do expect quality. So for a Prime burger your price isn’t bad but should be a bit less. What is high is $4.25 for small fries this is why it is to much. As l said your clientele wants the finer things in life however they also don’t like over paying for food. You should be giving a prime burger, fries and a coke for no more than $10.00.
Prices are too high but that 4.25 includes a small fries and a small soda.
preston owen:
Just had a chance to read your comments.
Let me start by saying that I wish you the best of luck. I hope that your new mall venture is a huge success.
If you do some checking, Jeff Eats’ background includes various past business relationships with Hardees, Johnny Rockets and Discovery Zone.
Since I have no skin in the game, how your Boca business does, is of no consequence to Jeff Eats.
What I do know, is that my experience tells me that your prices are too high,
your site location leaves a lot to be desired, your store design is not user friendly and that you have selected the wrong market for your upscale product.
Now I could be all wrong, so we’ll have to wait and see.
By the way, unlike your favorite food blog http://www.eats.com, http://www.JeffEats.com doesn’t accept advertising dollars so nothing can be bought here. Jeff Eats just calls it as he sees it.
Good luck with your venture.
Thanks for reading…
Jeff,
you are definitely the man.
you seemingly forgot to mention that the stores’ name Butcher & The Burger also sucks. It may mean a few things to a handful of folks in Chicago, but to us here in Boca it just sounds convoluated.
Now that’s the Jeff that I know.
Pulls no punches and calls it like he sees it.
Jeff, I’m with you. The guy is dead already and doesn’t even know it.
Jeff Eats,
The bet here is that owner Preston Owen has no experience with food court businesses.
He apparently relied on some design company that sold him a bill of goods on how to design the store.
I’ve been in fast food for 35 years and the outlet I saw today is deigned so wrong.
I hate to see anyone in business struggle.
Hopefully he gets lucky here but from what I saw he’s dug himself a pretty deep hole.
Love the blog and the conversation it generates.
I got a bad feeling that these guys didn’t do their homework.
Awhile back, there was a burger place in the food court. It’s now long gone. Knish place gone. Subway gone. Villa Pizza gone. Salad Creations gone. Auntie Annie’s gone. Crepe place gone.
This is a very weak food court.
My prediction is that this new burger place is set for failure.
Hi Tombuddy, I work in the mall and I know exactly what’s going on there. The food court of the Town Center might not be the busiest but it has a good steady business and the rent is much more affordable than in any other mall food courts. The reason those places you mentioned have gone is because, being the Town Center an upscale shopping center with super high end stores, the management of the mall decided to elevate the level of the food court and not to renew the lease to those below average fast food chains such Subway, Villa Pizza etc.. They made an extensive renovation and then, by offering great deals on the leases, they brought in more unique and sophisticated food joints that better appeal to the clientele that frequents that mall. I believe they have succeeded and, once the transformation is completed, you will be able to eat gourmet foods inside a food court which I think is fantastic. The food might be slightly more expensive than in your average food court but, in my opinion, I’d rather spend a couple of dollars more (remind you – I am just a mall employee with an average salary) and get much better quality food. Our new tenants have invested a lot of time and money and worked hard to open their restaurants. I think that, instead of making derogatory comments, we should try to support them with constructive feedbacks that they can use to make their business better and set them on their way to succeed.
u don’t know what u are talking about. the leases are through the roof.
Ikju, believe me I know much more than you do.
Ok, you do.
When the burger closes you’ll ask him.
I’m certainly going to give this place a try. If you go to their website and read their story – this is a group that loves good food.
I think the foodies here should at least give them a chance before digging a grave.
They are not amateurs. I predict they will adapt to the local market if needed. That does happen, you know. And it can work IF the product and service is great.
Who would have thought that a 25 cent cup of coffee would soon be replaced by $5 lattes. Yet Boca-ites line up to hand over their cash at Starbucks.
I understand some here are saying that based on past performance at this location, they can predict this place is in for trouble.
I do the same, all the time, for downtown Delray, where I’ve lived for 13 years. After a while, you see places come and go and you know more than these new outsiders moving in with guns blazing.
But you know what? Every once in a while, one of those places that I’m sure “will never make it here”… makes it just fine.
Good luck Butcher and Burger, looking fwd to stopping by.
I agree with Charlie being a foodie i will pay more for quality and look forward to trying this place.
Thank you all for the encouragement and support as we enter our very first weekend in business. We appreciate the words of those who clearly understand what we are trying to do and if it were as simple as being able to price a prime burger, heirloom fries, and a soda for $10- we would. But thats not how business works. we must price our produce a little bit higher than what we pay for the raw materials we use to make it. Our experience in Chicago tells us that there is a market segment (and we shall see if Boca proves us wrong) of customers who will pay that premium for natural , sustainable, humanely raised and quality driven ingredients. This premium doesnt go into our pockets at all, it goes to the small family farmers, the high quality purveyors, and the extra emoyees it takes to make homemade food from scratch. I would welcome any of you to come to our kitchen and see what goes on that is so different from all of the other food court places (except Pommodoro, who is world class quality), we aren’t serving food from freezers and cans. While most of you seem to have written our death warrant already, you simply are not our target market, and maybe you are right and no such people exist in Boca…we have faith that this isnt the case however. maybe we are stupid, maybe we are naive, or maybe we are just oprimistic that enough of you out there care about how you nourish your body that for $3 extra dollars you will feed it real food. We are saddened to read such negativity from leoplewho have not even given us the benefit of trying our food, when our Chicago location has proven that in that little walk up counter space we have there, tight and casual as this food court, over 250 people come in every day of the week because they know they are doimg right by their bodies, by nature, and by those whom our small business supports. so please, just give us a chance to fail or succede here based on our product, not a bunch of negative speculation on a blog. Please check out this weeks Eater.com (just about the most respected food blog in America) list of America’s 38 essential burger restaurants. We are proud to be on this list and hopefull some of the real foodies and residents of Boca will be proud to have us in their community.
preston owen,
So let me get this straight, you want us to listen to some blog called Eaters.com but we shouldn’t listen to another blog called Jeffeats.com becuase you said so. Just for the record, if memory serves me correctly Jeff Eats in 2008 was voted the #1 Every Day Food Blog in south Florida by The Sun Sentinel/AOL.
I have no idea who you are other than the owner of some small burger place in Chicago that has a nice business.
I have been reading Jeff Eats for over 7 years and imho he has an uncanny knowledge about local restaurants, the restaurant business and the real estate market.
Since you really don’t know anything about Jeff Eats I would suggest that you read some of his articles. You may find that he knows more than you give him credit for.
In readingg Jeff’s story about your business I note his favorable comments about your Chicago store.
Based on Jeff’s background and track record with this blog, I’d bet that his comments about your Boca price points is dead on. I happen to agree with him and also know for a fact that the previous burger outlet in the mall was a disaster.
In a previous comment you indicated that you are now introducing a $7.50 burger. So maybe Jeff isnt all that crazy. You’re not even open a week and already you are bringing in a cheaper burger. Isnt that exactly what Jeff said, that being your $8.95 starting point was too expensive?
I checked out your location a few days ago and your signage sucks beyond belief. Small writing on a dark background. Obviously you arent too versed in what good signage is. Your outlet is nondescript and guaranteed people will just walk right by it.
Look at Chik right next to you. Bright, well lit signage bright colors. That’s what people want not your dull put me to sleep outlet.
Now I dont want to be insulting but look at your counter help and look at Chik’s counter help or for that mattter almost any of the other stands’ employees, yours were slovenly looking and had no energy going while the others are cheerful and extremely clean cut looking.
From what I know about Boca and your offerings thus far, I give you very little chance of making it.
As Jeff said, the mall food court customer isnt looking to spend a small fortune on a gourmet burger.
By the way, Im sure you know that Zinburger is opening in the mall. Same type of food as you got in a full service restauarnt. If you didnt, you should have read Jeff Eats months ago when he tipped his readers to its being built. On that front, just maybe your crowd will go there for the comfort of seating.
Personally, I think that Jeff Eats was very kind to you. I am willing to bet that he saw the the sign board, the counter people, and other defects. He probably just didnt want to overwhelm his readers with negativity.
In closing, I’ll make you a wager that Jeff is right and you are so wrong that it wont even be funny.
Preston,
You should have opened a Five Guys.
Your story about organic this and your local farmers that isn’t going to mean a damn thing to the Boca moms and Boca kids who are the primary customers of this food court. They want Chik fil A, Tossed salads and Maoz hummus. They arent looking for some beef from a cow that got its throat slit in a humane way than a cow that got its throat slit inhumanely.
I think you are in for a huge painful retail lesson.
Preston,
I was in the fast food burger business. Years ago, I and several partners owned 67 Burger Kings.
Take this for what its’ worth.
You are confusing a destination purchase with an impulse buy.
People come to your Chicago store on purpose to eat. People come to mall food court outlets purely on impulse.
If you follow, you now have a shopper in the food court with 12 choices. What do they do, first they walk around and look at the offerings.
I looked at your counter and BORING comes to mind. It’s dark and dreary looking. The signage doesnt catch your eye and your color scheme is as dull as can be.
Now we have a shopper that picks what they want.
Do you really think that an impulse shopper cares about your organic beef story? If you do, you really are naieve.
The shopper is looking for value and something good to eat.
In all my fast food years and personal life I have found that most women dont want to eat burgers or for that matter bread.
Now let me ask you, what are you selling?
Jeff only focused on your prices.
I am telling you that the concept is all wrong for a mall fast food court that primarily sells to women.
I wish you the best.
Hope Im wrong.
Time will tell.
Artie D
Jeff,
Here’s another guy who will learn the hard way.
preston,
long time jeff eats reader.
although he isnt 100% accurate the guy is real good.
his restaurant picks are usually right on the money.
his dialogue on real estate, locations, business viablity, prices usually right on the money.
i think your big problem is going to be location.
if you had opened a full restaurant in boca or delray you might have had a shot.
the boca mall is frequented mostly by females. having a wife and 3 daughters i know that hamburgers, hot dogs, bread, french fries arent at the top of food items that must be eaten. they are into salads, yogurts, roast chicken.
from what i understand you sell burgers and ff. so you are shooting for the male population. do you really think that this guy who is 49 really gives a sheet about the fact tat you got some kind of healthy meat for sale?
im a White Castle, ketchup kind of guy.
most men are.
i wish you luck, but you got the wrong product fro sale, you are in the wrong location, and that mall rent and overhead is going to eat you alive.
should have asked Jeff first before you signed the lease.
and sorry for all of the typos…written from mobile phone while trying to get our new business up and runming.
Preston, you are a great guy and I truly wish you a lot of success in Boca! Forget about those that take no risk in their lives and hide behind a computer to criticize your quality product and growing business! Best Regards, Blue
Blue,
If old Preston offered you 50% of his Boca store right now, would you cut him a check?
I didn’t think so.
Anyone who knows anything about this particular mall food court and the surrounding population knows that this guy made a HUGE MISTAKE.
For the record, Villa Pizza in the food court is closing. It is being replaced by a Mexican fast food joint owned by the owners of Rebel House, Charm City who also have a Mexican fast food restaurant on Hillsboro and Fed Hwy. If this food court is in such need of a gourmet burger fast food counter, why didnt Charm City open there? Two guesses, because the local boys who own Charm City know that burgers dont do well in this mall.
The boy from the Windy City will learn that Jeff Eats isnt anyone’s fool.
Finally, the name Butcher etc sucks.
The food maybe great, but everything else about this joint is WRONG!!!!
SWD of course you are void of any knowledge and hide behind a computer are you from New York? The Boca Town Center is owned by Simon Properties, (SPG) on the NYSE and they decided to not renew the lease of Villa Pizza, Subway etc. and desired to make this food court smaller but have higher end restaurants and a better atmosphere. Butcher will do fine, the food is excellent. If you cannot afford $14 for your meal go eat somewhere else like McDonalds (MCD) on the NYSE or get a better job. Stop being so critical of those that are trying to build a business and look in the mirror there is time to change…..
Azureblue,
there are taking risks and then THERE ARE TAKING RISKS.
Im in that mall ever day.
This is a long shot.
Upscale Burgers will not work in this food court.
Ronald, go back to your job at McDonalds and stop hating anyone that is an entrepreneur…….
Hey Jeff,
Ive eaten in the Chicago restaurant several times. The burgers and fries are delicious same goes for its shakes.
I am not sure if the cool vibe of the Chicago store can be pulled off it a Boca Raton mall food court but the food could be very similar.
You should try the burger etc and see if they are any good. I loved them.
I read your thoughts on pricing and I think the owner also heard you loud and clear by stating that he is putting a cheaper burger on the menu.
Jeff Eats:
I read your article and all of the comments to date. Once again have to compliment you on having a blog that encourages all kinds of discussion. From service dogs to Comcast you really stir the juices and foster debate.
On to the topic at hand.
Yesterday I at at Butcher & The Burger.
Had a cheeseburger, French fries and a small soda. As you wrote the meal ran $14.
For the record I really enjoyed the food.
Was it the greatest burger no, but it was very good and definitely better than most burgers in this gourmet fast food category. Same comment for the fries. As someone else pointed out, it took awhile to get the food, but I appreciate that this is a new business setup and there are kinks to fix.
Finally, I have to agree with you that that $14 is a bit high for a food court meal. I also have to agree with others here that the name of the business and the physical layout arent great.
So, I tried it and liked it.
im thinking that rent and labor are around $28,000 a month.
this fellow has no chance whatsoever.
Jeff, what do you think?
Jeff,
How do you think the Shake Shack on Glades Road will do? It is set to open on Monday 4/22/13 at 11 am.
RKH:
Just had a chance to read your comments.
The new Shake Shack will be a GRANDSLAM.
Thanks for reading…
Preston,
Not a good move dissing http://www.jeffeats.com just for voicing an opinion.
Personally, I don’t think you got a chance.
Just an opinion.
Please dont take anything we have said as “dissing” anyone. we respect and appreciate the feed back and the whole point of the initial response we posted was to say, “we hear you” abs we are adding a lower price burger and that to get a fully rounded ” review” if us, ya gotta try our food. Thats ask, nothing negative about that comment. WE HEAR YOU AND WE ARE MAKING ADJUSTMENTS DURING OUR OPENING WEEK AS RESTAURANTS OFTEN DO, MANY OF WHICH ARE DIRECTLY ADDRESSING THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS BLOG.
Good luck with you 7.25 burger.
Now you got to fix the way your stand looks.
Then you got to get some counter people who look like they give a sheet about the customer.
Jeff,
I think that this owner got himself bagged big time.
Jeff
Do you remember back in 2010 Capri came in from Chicago with a big rep and supposedly a huge Chicago following and it failed miserably.
Same thing is going to happen here.
Was at The Boca Center this afternoon and had to try Butcher and I just loved the burger and fries. Definitely the best mall food court meal I have ever had!! I own an advertising agency in Las Vegas and was down here meeting clients near Town Center and asked where I could get a good quick meal. My business associate said he was headed to the mall and we would find something in the food court. Outstanding customer service and smiles all around! I wish Butcher was in Vegas…. I stumbled on this blog as I had to do some research into just who owned this gem! Good luck and as you must know; ignore those that will criticize the risk takers and embrace the cheap and easy……you have a great product!
Sammy,
You sound like a great fiction writer.
You just happened upon this restaurant and then had to do an Internet search to find out more about it. Yeah sure!
LOL… I needed a good laugh. You just happened to find this place and this blog on the same day ! Jackpot!! That’s why your from Vegas 🙂
Sammy,
Hehehehe!,
Sammy, good try.
Didn’t work.
You’re not a good fiction writer.
Nice try anyway.
Gottfried, stop being such a cynic and go make someone happy. Maybe the guy is telling the truth or are you a psychic too??
Jeff
Can’t figure out why Simon would even let a little pisser like Butcher In its food court.
This guy is going to be hard pressed to make rent.
He can rant and rave all he wants but his burger concept will not work in Boca’s Town Center.
Jeff,
As a former investor with you in a Hardee’s partnership I know that you know how to crunch the numbers and evaluate various food concepts. Not to tell stories out of school but our numbers way back when were in the $33,000,000 range. If you say that Butcher’s Boca fast food business plan leaves a lot to be desired, then I know that it’s in trouble.
Too bad we don’t have a crystal ball so we could see how the future plays out on this one.
Since as you say you don’t have any skin in this game, let’s let Mr. Owen play his hand out.
This one puzzles me.
This is not a national chain.
This business has 1 store in Chicago.
This store has never been in a food court.
Can’t figure out why a huge company like Simon would even take a chance on such a no name and give them a prime food court spot.
Just based on what I know about Town Center I don’t see there being a big demand for an upscale fast food burger joint.
RFY,
My comment left in April 19 will answer your question 🙂
preston owen,
I took a look at eats.com which you think is great. I see that it rated your Chicago store in the top 38 usa burgers.you obviously aren’t a very good reader. the article says that other than in n out, stores opened for awhile weren’t even considered for the list. so that means that most of the top burgers in the usa couldnt even be on the list. next the article says that geography played a huge part in the vote. so you couldn’t have 38 burgers from just one region. I think if they just went by best burger you wouldn’t even come close to being on the list,. you phony.
Haven’t eaten at Butcher and the Burger yet.
I opened a business in boca 20 years ago, and started with premium prices. This formula worked in Manhattan and Aventura, but not in Boca. Grand opening day was horrible and the few days that followed were even worse.
The customers told me that they liked what they saw but were not willing to pay the price.
Totally depressed and feeling as if I made the mistake of my life, it dawned on me to lower my prices substantially, and see if I can succeed with high volume rather than high margins.
Positive results followed immediately, because I listened to the customers.
Preston, listen to Jeff and his followers.
Good Luck!!!
Hear, hear
I used to work in Boca and we had the term Boca Broke they would pull up in thier Mercedes with thier Gucci purses but when we tried to get them to right a check for 189.99 they did not have the money. That being said i think there is a market for Preston just look at Whole foods selling meats for double that of Publix because they are “natural”. The hard part for Preston will be getting the word out and getting people who will spend for quality to go to the mall. I for one avoid that mall when ever possible
Preston Owen:
I have been reading Jeff eats for years.
As you can see the blog has a large following here in s Florida.
Over the years Jeff’s restaurant picks on the whole have been pretty decent. Every so often he misses but no one is perfect.
He also has some keen observations of the food business as well as the music industry.
Based on this blog I checked out your Boca location yesterday.
I didn’t order food but just checked out your stall to see what others have been talking about.
Im no expert but your signage isn’t very good and your whole stall is very dull looking. Your whole location kind of gets lost when compared to Chick and others in the food court.
I hope you do well but I think that you should brighten up your location a bit.
As for your pricing, I think you are a bit high for a food court.
Jeff,
Tried this one out yesterday.
Cheeseburger and fries were excellent.
Much better than the usual food court fare.
I know good burgers and this one was good. I would rank it as good as 5 Guys and BurgerFi and better than the ones that Ive had at Shake Shack,
Cant really see anyone making a special trip to town center for this burger but I would eat there if I was in the mall.
You are right on signage very small and not user friendly.
As far as décor very dull and really doesn’t stand out among the other vendors. this could be a HUGE problem.
By the way the meal ran close to 14 bucks. not cheap but I thought it wasn’t too crazy for what I got.
preston owen,
I got some great news for you. as jeff eats writes new articles the comments on older articles starts to decrease. the minions start to comment and discuss on jeff’s latest thoughts and ease up on older thoughts.
so far I see that since your writeup jeff has done 3 new stories. they’ll start to get the interest and your story will start to lose interest. for sure now and then some will come back to discuss things but not in the size that started out when the article first appeared.
good luck with your business.
Jake Cohen 11218
Jeff:
Ive eaten in the Lincoln Park store. The food is pretty decent and the décor is really cool.
The restaurant is small but has a very large loyal following.
Not so sure that what makes the Chicago store special can be transferred to boca.
We’ll have to wait and see.
Hi, What a fascinating thread this is !!!!!
So much good perspective, & viewpoints out there!!!
Hey, Preston, my suggestion is to also have a much SMALLER 4 to 5 ounce burger available, too. Price it at $5 to $6.
This way u can still use your best meat, but you will be relying on more volume.
U definitely have a very nice looking , SOLID hunk of meat there. I believe it is 10 ounces??
It was very interesting to hear of all the Boca food court tenants , who have came & went recently. I remember a new CUPCAKE stand there . YUM! When I went back last year, it was gone already. Wonder what happened with that.
One would think it would’ve fit in nicely with the “Gourmet” trend that the food court is trying to lean towards.
It was so cool to digest all these stimulating posts on here. I had felt like we were all part of a JURY,
aka, “will this place make it or not ??”
Let’s give it 6 months or so, and we’ll see if it is still there. I sure hope so, cuz that’s probably about the time I’ll be flying down to south Florida again. And, I would love to give your burger , fries, fresh lemonade, and choc. shake a try !!!:)
PRESTON : I think it is extra neat that you have engaged yourself in convo on here.
The one other HUGE suggestion I have is to make sure your front line employees are SMILING and/or at the very LEAST, have good energy towards the customers :)! Like those other posts said, the Chik Fil A employees set a good precedant.
I also notice that whatever WHOLE FOODS MARKET I go to in the country, the employees are very personable . Above & beyond.
The cashiers must’ve been trained to always greet the customer properly at the register.
From what I know of this food court and the people who use it is that beef hamburgers won’t be in huge demand. You have a good idea that they should have a much cheaper and smaller burger on the menu. It cant hurt.
ellen f,
good idea for owner to have a smaller and less expensive burger.
you are also so right on having good counter people.
this stand is right next to chik fil a. all he has to is find kids who look and behave like that and he will have good counter people.
I was in the mall’s food court a couple of days ago and the crew that he had behind the counter didn’t look or behave anything like the ones right next door.
Thx, Johnny K !! I feel the slightly lower priced $6.50 “stockyard” burger that Preston is introducing ain’t gonna matter much.
It’s not enough of a drop from the 8 dollar one . Only $1.50 less.
And, I also LOVE the idea of SLIDERS that “ROGER” has just posted.
Hey, Preston should try & steal some of those Chik Fil A workers next door , lol. I know what u mean about the typical Chik Fil A employees, very good energy, nationwide !!
I’m wondering if it’s a case of Preston not knowing what is actually going on with those “uninterested” employees when he is NOT there ?!
Those apathetic type employees are totally unacceptable to me.
I work for tips, as a poker dealer, and I take my job seriously.
We are always supposed to be on top of our game. I’m usually real bubbly, but if I happen to be a drop CRANKY, well, I just have to try & fake it well.
good review from burgerbeast.
http://burgerbeast.com/2013/04/17/burger-the-butcher-in-the-town-center-of-boca-raton-florida-food-court/
Yes the food may be good but almost $20 for a burger w/bacon, fries and a coke is a lot to pay at a food court.
I had to check you can go to Bourbon Steak House in Aventura it’s one of the finest restaurants around and get a 10oz prime burger with bacon, cheese and the most outrageous duck fat fried French fries for $28. Only $9 more but the burger is over twice the size and your dining in a 5 star restaurant apposed to a food court. You tell me which place you would rather spend you money?
What they should do is revamp the menu and sell all kinds of sliders.
No one else has that in the food court.
Something like 4 sliders, ff and a soda for 10 bucks.
Not too many people want a big burger in a food court. But mini stuff goes over huge.
That’s my idea.
I love your slider idea.
There is no White Castle or Krystal in the area and you are right people love sliders.
They could do a chicken, beef, turkey, bison. They could do whatever they wanted and I think people would be thrilled with a small item they could actually walk around with.
Sliders….Great Idea
Slider flights…..
all types of sliders would be a killer in the food court.
no one else as far as I know has this concept.
from what im reading here I seriously doubt that the owner will take the suggestion, but he should.
us boca residents know whats needed and whats not needed.
another “YAY” for SLIDERS !!!!
I LOVE sliders , & it’s a perfect solution .
I had been thinking along similar lines with my 5 ounce smaller burger for 5 bucks idea, when I posted yesterday.
Put me down for sliders. If the guy let’s say has 10 different ones to have he’d have lines.
I say he doesn’t do crap and tries to get away with a 7.25 burger.
Ain’t going to work but he thinks because he has a good place in Chicago he knows better than we do.
Jeff
This fast food outlet is going to struggle in this particular mall.
I love burgers but when I’m in a food court I usually do Chinese food or an outlet with bourbon chicken.
Throw in the gourmet and price aspects and this business is in big trouble.
That sliders idea could actually work.
Guys
The same guy owns a mediterranean outlet called Dandelion right next to the burger one.
This guy better hurry cause the burger I had with ff and a coke for 14 bucks ain’t worth 14 bucks. Maybe 9 but that’s about it.
Put sliders in.
Change the name to SLIDERS
and i’ll bet you he does a huge business.
OMG, you stole my idea!!!!! I love the idea of Sliders…….. Jeff can be our ring leader with all his restaurant running experience!! Jeff???
Ate in mall today at new pizza place. Very good pizza.
Didn’t look like the burger place was doing too much business.
First off I would like to say great blog! I had a quick question
that I’d like to ask if you do not mind. I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your mind before writing. I’ve had a difficult time
clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out there. I
do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be lost simply just
trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or hints?
Thanks!
Signage is barely legible and must be changed immediately. Also who wants to buy food from a place that looks like a funeral parlor. Brighten up the place. The whole deal was so off-putting that I made my purchase next door at the ever pleasant chick-fil-a.
Everyone here has been saying the same thing.
Apparently the guy thinks he knows better.
He’ll find out.
As a semi-frequent visitor to jeffeats.com, I must say I am surprised by the conversation in this thread (both content and tone). Yes, Jeff knows what he’s talking about. There’s no debating that. I’ve found great restaurants on here, and I enjoy his straight forward business talk. But Jeff is NOT the authority. While I’ll agree that B&tB definitely can use some tune ups, the foundation of its existence – the food – is AMAZING. Let’s not forget that it is rated 26/30 on Zagat. I waited a very long time for this place to finally open in Boca. All those females in the food court are often accompanied by husbands, boyfriends, brothers, fathers, etc. I’m a single 26-year old guy who LOVES his burgers…and guess what, this is a destination meal for me. Granted I’m not the majority, but there is most certainly a market for this. I hope (and believe) it is just enough to make this place stick around, albeit not at the volume of Chik Fil A. This is an apples to oranges comparison, even though Chik Fil A is a good chain. $13-$15 all in is a bit pricey for a food court, but the quality is where it’s at. Go into any fancy restaurant for a quality burger – ie. Capital Grille, etc. – and you’re in a lot more than that. Maoz (which I like too) is ~ $11 for an all-in VEGETARIAN meal! $13-15 is actually priced fairly if we utilize this comparison. The female clients you mentioned do cheat every now and then and crave a real burger. For those who still want to stay healthy, healthier bread and meat options are available. I think there’s plenty of room for this QUALITY place in a city that has money and loves food.
jef has his opinion and you have yours.
jeff never discussed food he discussed price.
jeff in a later comment discussed signage etc.
i was in the food court yesterday and i saw this place for myself.
the signage is HORRENDOU. same for the look and color scheme.
i think that the owner already knows that he has a disaster on his hands.
fo ou have any idea how many burgers this guy has to sell just to pay the rent.
just a guess but ill bet you that his rent is close to $20,000 a month, that $5000 a week, throw in labor of about $2500 a week and misc of $500 a week and this uy just to open is in for $8,000 a week or close to $500,000 a year. just to break even he probably has to do $650,000 in sales which at $14 a head is 4,000 meals which is 70 people a day.
So the first 70 people every day just gets him even.
We’ll see, but i seriously doubt all of the women you think are going to eat there really will.
just a guess but i’ll bet you the guy who owns this wishes he never signed the lease in the first place.
Surprised Burger Lover:
Just had a chance to read your comments.
Only time will tell as to how this fast food deal works out.
As I’ve stated here and in many other reviews, Jeff Eats has no skin in the game, so it really doesn’t matter “how” this venture or any other reviewed one works out.
Personally, I wish the guy who owns this joint the best of luck.
As you know, I think the price points are too high, that the product is wrong for Boca Town Center’s food court and that the look/design of the outlet leads a lot to be desired.
Thanks for reading…
I urge you and all other readers to check out this post about B&tB from another well-trusted source: http://burgerbeast.com/2013/04/17/burger-the-butcher-in-the-town-center-of-boca-raton-florida-food-court/
Jeff told us he hasn’t eaten there.
Jeff said the food was too expensive.
Jeff also said that he didn’t care for the store design.
I say Jeff is right.
Good food but wrong place.
Jeff, Jeff, Jeff….SHEESH! Is this like a cult or something? I mean, it’s a pretty good foodie site, but to go as far as “Jeff said this, Jeff said that, Jeff didn’t like this, Jeff didn’t like that…I say he’s right without ever eating there”?! And with all do respect, jeffEATS should probably EAT at the damn places he visits. What a shame.
Surprised Burger Lover,
I seriously doubt that you “get” how Jeff rolls.
Jeff’s comments never touched on the food. His comments concern price points, outlet design, signage, feasibility of product.
For what’s it’s worth, I’ve eaten in the Chicago store and the food is excellent.
I happen to live in Boca Raton and I’m in the food court/mall quite often.
I don’t care what you say, the location is mind blowing dull. The sign board is horrendous. The prices are too high. The crowd isn’t there for upscale burgers.
Since this place opened I must have been in the food court at least 7 times. During my outings Ive gotten food from Chik, Pummarola, Maoz. No there is nothing scientific, but on the times Ive been there THIS ONE has little if no business. As I said, nothing scientific.
What I would suggest for you is that you load down on burgers from this place because if I was a betting man, this place isnt going to make it and will soon be history.
S:
The owner should thank Jeff Eats.
It’s only because of Jeff that they now have a cheaper $6.75 burger.
It was Jeff’s thoughts that made the guy see the light.
I will also bet you that they change the signage.
Another idea made by Jeff and others here.
At 26 you really believe that there is an audience in Town center for expensive burgers?
If you do, think again.
People don’t want to drop $13-$14 for a burger, fries and a soda.
Multiply it at, a husband, wife and a kid could end up spending under your scenario $35-$40 for a food court lunch.
Are you nuts?
Ain’t going to happen.
Your a big shot at 26.
Wait to you got to pay the bills for those wife and kids to eat.
Then you wont be screaming how cheap this food is and what a great buy it is.
The Burger place is in trouble.
Trust me the owner already knows it.
You just don’t see it because your only concern is feeding your face.
I’m with jeff and many many many others here who see the handwriting on the wall for this burger place and it’s not good.
Enjoy the burgers for as on as you can because the clock is running on this one.
Another trusted site picks up the story: http://www.thrillist.com/eat/miami/palm-beaches/butcher-the-burger
Did you read this?
They tell you that you can pick your meat right from the upfront butcher case.
WHAT BUTCHER CASE? There isn’t one in Town Center.
They never even were there.
This is a planted phony story.
You aren’t too swift are you?
Betcha by your 27 th birthday the guy is out of business
I got socks older than you are
Your socks must really stink.
Talking about Apples and oranges. Capital Grill to this place come on now. I’d much rather get a quality burger and pay more for the service and atmosphere of a place like Capital Grill than of a food court.
Apples to apples based solely on food…was not referring to service/ambience/experience/etc. Capital Grille is rated 26 on Zagat, as is B&tB. CG is a much pricier all-in cost due to the full on experience. Not downing the restaurant; it’s a great place. Just proving a point that those who love a very good burger can now get one without spending as much.
Was at the mall yesterday, checked out the action ( or lack of ) at B & TB for the 3rd time. Their problem is not the price or the product, it is pretty much everything else. Menu boards, counter staff, decor, etc., entire presentation lacks big time. When I decide to get a bite at the food court, I walk by all the booths and end up at the one that grabs me. This place does absolutely nothing to grab me in. The right operator can make this place work. Same goes for the Mediterranean place next door ( which somebody said is owned by them as well ).
gary
correctomento.
boring looking outlet.
someone better help this fellow and fast.
I was in the food court today.
There were a few customers at the counter.
The pizza booth was lined up.
The burger booth is very boring to look at.
Hey everybody,
let’s leave this one alone.
the owner has to know by now that he’s got a problem.
Was in food court around 7 pm
This one now has a $6.75 burger.
Too bad the signage is so dull that you can barely read it.
This is one dull looking setup.
Jeff,
The Mediterranean fast food outlet right next to the Butcher is owned by the same guy. Looks to me that they share a common kitchen.
It is mind boggling how bad the signage is in both locations.
The signs are dark, very poorly lit and you can’t from a distance read what’s up there.
Whoever advised the owner on design should be shot for incompetence.
This Butcher food outlet is going to die a slow painful death unless the owner revamps the look of the store.