Back Yard Burgers is expanding to Gastonia, North Carolina, with the introduction of a new restaurant prototype. Featuring an updated building design, Back Yard Burgers Gastonia will open its doors on Monday, September 21, with a more balanced approach to the business, providing opportunities to meet customer needs for drive-thru, pick-up, delivery, outdoor dining and indoor dining. The company also has plans to open additional locations across the Carolinas in the coming months.
“Over the last couple of years, we have been working on our new prototype that includes new technologies, interior design updates and business processes to better serve our guests and our communities,” says Dennis Pfaff, CEO of Back Yard Burgers. “We are excited to now bring these changes to life with our new prototype while delivering the same flame-grilled flavor and back yard feel that has been a hallmark of our brand since its inception to Gastonia and to North Carolina.”
Changes that guests can expect to see when visiting the new prototype include:
Updated interior design that brings the outdoor back yard feel in with pergolas and an opened kitchen that gives guests a better view of their sandwiches being cooked over the open flame with all of the sights, sounds and aromas
More modern exteriors featuring a mix of brick, wood and metal to showcase new signage and the new Back Yard Burgers flame
Carside order taking in the drive-thru and payment through tablets when higher volume occurs to allow for the team to continue cooking burgers to order while serving guests more quickly
Contactless ordering will be available for dine-in guests to encourage social distancing
The menu at Back Yard Burgers Gastonia will continue to feature its 100-percent Black Angus Beef burgers cooked over an open flame while also introducing new burger flavors, including honey BBQ, bacon avocado and mac-n-cheese. “We are excited to bring new flavors to Gastonia while also featuring our traditional favorites such as the classic, bacon cheddar, black jack and mushroom Swiss. Our Grill Master cooks every burger to order for guests, bringing the ultimate back yard grilling experience to life in a quick-service restaurant environment,” adds Pfaff.
In addition to burgers, Back Yard Burgers Gastonia will offer chicken sandwiches and a portobello mushroom cap sandwich as well as new sides such as fried pickles, mac-n-cheese and grandma’s
potato salad. For dessert, guests can choose from the brookie dessert (a combination cookie and brownie) or milkshakes that include chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, chocolate/banana and Oreo.
To support the health and well-being of our employees and guests, Back Yard Burgers Gastonia will follow all CDC and North Carolina recommendations, including face coverings, sanitizing stations, social distancing measures and more.
Axum Capital Partners, a Charlotte, NC, based private equity firm, co-founded by former Carolina Panther Muhsin Muhammad, is the majority owner of Back Yard Burgers. “Since its inception over 30 years ago, the Back Yard Burger story has always been rooted in the promise of offering consumers one-of-a-kind burgers using the highest quality ingredients, prepared in a way that tastes like you made it in your own back yard. That’s what drew Axum to acquire the brand, and we are thrilled to open a new location reflecting our new prototype in North Carolina,” says Muhammad.