To put it simply, The Burger Shop (at 162 North Main Street in Souderton, PA) is a revolutionary restaurant. The Burger Shop manages to combine the food customization of a chain like Chipotle and the comfort of a local family-owned business into one establishment, all while serving up some of the best burgers in the community. 

The Burger Shop was opened in March of last year by Giuseppe Chiaro. Chiaro has a fair amount of experience with the community’s food scene, as he also owns Caruso Brick Oven Trattoria (also on North Main Street in Souderton). Although Caruso Brick Oven Trattoria is also very successful, Chiaro wanted to start a new venture to fill a gap in the community’s food scene. He opened The Burger Shop to serve as a small restaurant that would give customers the opportunity to stop in for a quick, but great, bite. The Burger Shop is decorated very nicely with a vintage arcade/ice cream parlor style, and it fits in great right next to Modern Male Barbershop. 

However, our newsgroup didn’t just visit for the decorations. We were attracted by promises of great burgers. We were met at the counter by a menu and the cashier. Unbeknownst to most, The Burger Shop serves up more than your standard burger. The Burger Shop also features a chicken patty and a 100% plant-based burger made by Beyond Meat. If you’re not in the mood for a burger, The Burger Shop also offers other comfort foods such as french fries, onion rings, grilled cheese, and milkshakes (vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry). However, that’s not where it all ends. Next, you choose your bun from a couple of options including a standard brioche bun, a “smart” gluten-free bun, or even a lettuce wrap. After choosing a bun, we were asked to select a cheese. To my surprise, there were 6 different types of cheese available. They ranged from a classic American cheese to a vegan cheese. After we completed our orders, we went and took a seat at one of the five to six available tables. After a few short minutes, the chef called us over to choose our toppings. The Burger Shop has a large selection of toppings and sauces available. You can choose to add simple sauces such as ketchup and mustard, or something more diverse such as their homemade basil pesto sauce. For toppings, you could choose from a large amount of standard free toppings, or for one dollar extra, premium toppings such as smoked apple bacon, an egg, or even avocado. 

Overall the feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. Our newsgroup members all loved the burgers, and we plan to go back again. We loved the relaxed atmosphere, and during an interview with the chef, Thomas, he also mentioned how The Burger Shop has a better atmosphere than any of the other restaurants in the community, which helped to set it apart. Pennridge senior Mark Yilanjian, who frequents The Burger Shop, said that “While the service is like a crazier Subway, they make it up in their food…If you’re looking for a quality and an upcoming burger place, this is the spot.” 

Coming up, The Burger Shop will be hosting a celebration of their one-year anniversary of their opening.  At the event, on March 18, 2020, the shop will be giving out 300 free burgers. Anyone is welcome to come and burgers will be served on a first come first serve basis.