Skip to content

Second location for burger, beer business bromance

Cathy Dobson What’s better than one Burger? Two. Just ask the owners of Sarnia’s popular burger truck parked at the corner of Davis and Front streets the past two summers.
DSC_3092_1
Chris Lewis, co-owner of Burger Rebellion, at the London Road construction site where a year-round Burger Rebellion will soon open. Cathy Dobson

Cathy Dobson 

What’s better than one Burger?

Two.

Just ask the owners of Sarnia’s popular burger truck parked at the corner of Davis and Front streets the past two summers.

Burger Rebellion started out in 2016 serving up burgers with names like The Traitor and The Interrogator. Five Sarnia entrepreneurs, some also affiliated with The Refined Fool Brewing Company, refitted a food truck to cook freshly ground beef burgers to order.

They set up two blocks from the Refined Fool, Sarnia’s craft beer microbrewery, and offered patrons free delivery if they ordered food from Burger Rebellion.

“Our first season was good, then we doubled growth in the second year,” said co-owner Chris Lewis. “People started coming from out of town just to have one of our burgers.

“Almost immediately, we began thinking about a permanent location since the truck operates only April to December.”

When the Refined Fool announced it was opening a second brewery and taproom at 1326 London Rd., its owners considered adding a restaurant there.

Lewis, who has a stake in Refined Fool, said locating a year-round Burger Rebellion at the new Refined Fool may look obvious now, but an RFP (Request For Proposals) went out test interest.

“Just because there’s some crossover in ownership didn’t mean it would be an automatic fit,” Lewis said. “There were a lot of questions we had to answer.”

Several interested parties responded to the RFP but Burger Rebellion with an expanded menu was the brewery’s top choice.

“It’s quite a commitment on both sides,” said Lewis.  “We feel this is a good choice for Burger Rebellion because we already have a fan base in Sarnia and we are coming to a different area of the city.

“Plus the college is there.

The new eatery will have a large counter, open grill and share tables with the Refined Fool’s taproom.

Construction is underway with all the walls and ceilings at the former TJ Liquidator’s stripped back to steel studs.

Lewis is careful when asked for an opening date.  There are many permits to get, he said.  “It will be in the first half of 2018.”

Seating for 150 will be available between the taproom and outdoor patio.

The Burger Rebellion menu will include salads, nachos, dessert, chicken burgers and a bigger choice of veggie burgers.  Prices will range from $7 to $17 per combo.

Two weeks ago, Lewis announced on Facebook the new location was coming soon. The reaction was unexpected.

“We had 1,000 likes just like that,” Lewis said. “People are really excited.  We feel like this will be the place to go in Sarnia.”

Got a great business story?  Contact [email protected] or call 226-932-0985.


Join the Community: Receive Our Daily News Email for Free