A 'Sizzling Hot' Pandemic Expansion For Sacramento's Burger Patch
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – While many restaurants have struggled to stay alive during the pandemic, one Sacramento restaurant is expanding.
Burger Patch, a plant-based burger business, that opened two years ago in midtown Sacramento has added two additional locations during the pandemic – one in Davis and one set to open in East Sacramento in May.
Danea and Phil Horn are founders and co-owners of Burger Patch. Their business model of curbside, contactless, mobile orders, created even before the coronavirus began, has helped them expand fast.
"You're going to get a text message showing where you're at in line, how many orders are ahead of you, so you can know the precise moment, you should walk up to the window to grab your fast patch meal," Danea Horn said.
Josh Wood is CEO of Region Business, which represents 120 restaurants in the Sacramento metro area, many of which have been forced to shut down as a result of the pandemic. Burger Patch's expansion is surprising.
"They are a unicorn," Wood said. "That is a unique story, and it's great to see that it's happening for someone."
Wood says Burger Patch should be seen as a pioneer for their business model.
"They're really a restaurant 3.0," Wood said, "and that's where we're seeing a lot of restaurants head, is in that direction. But the fact that they started that way and they built their model that way, I think has really given them a competitive advantage."
This Sacramento plant-based burger restaurant's recipe for success.
"It's all happening so fast," Phil Horn said.
It's leaving customers hungry for more.
The Burger Patch started with just 15 employees and has grown to more than 100 since the pandemic started. The restaurant is also expected to announce a fourth location soon.