The Burger Shack gives unique sizzle to Emporium

02/18/09 - Opening this semester, The Burger Shack has quickly become a popular food destination in the Kingston Emporium while serving up different burgers, sandwiches and a variety of other items.Taking the building that Lai Lai used to occupy, The Burger Shack opened a few weeks ago and attempted to establish a solid menu.

"We wanted to try our menu out and make sure everything worked, people liked the food, and there's been a lot of good feedback so far," co-owner Nate Rowland said.

The Burger Shack is owned by Ben Wood, Jessica Wood and Rowland, who also own the Caliente Mexican Grill restaurant (also located in the Emporium.)

In its early life, students are giving The Burger Shack a positive reception.

"I think it's a good addition to the Emporium," sophomore Nicole Enteado said.

While other restaurants in the Emporium also serve burgers, The Burger Shack aspires to be different.

"We wanted to have some signature [burgers] that kind of just stand out," Rowland said. "We just wanted to do something a little bigger, a little better."

The Burger Shack has nine signature burgers, including "The Ram Burger," the "Kingston Fire," and the "Hawaii 5-0." The Ram Burger, a burger consisting of bacon, American cheese and onion rings, is one of the more popular burgers, Wood said.

"The Kingston Fire" is made up of jalapenos, cheddar, hot pepper relish, BBQ and ranch, while pineapple and teriyaki sauce are the prime ingredients of the Hawaii 5-0.

"I haven't had a burger with pineapple, but when we tried it, it was awesome," Rowland said.

Other than burgers, The Burger Shack offers different kinds of chicken sandwiches and sides, serving everything on the menu with fries.

The Burger Shack also differs from other Emporium restaurants by trying to create a URI-themed atmosphere. Their walls are painted Keaney Blue and plans are in the works to frame jerseys of URI athletes from several different sports.

"[URI is] like a small community here. It's great," Rowland said.

At the same time, The Burger Shack takes advantage of the popularity of sports on campus by giving patrons a chance to enjoy various sporting events. They have one flat panel TV but there are plans to add more.

While The Burger Shack is still in its early stages, there are plans to have some kind of eating challenge.

"It's in our blood. I mean we have the burrito contest over there [at Caliente]. It's just a matter of making something signature that's ours. It's in the works. We do have Suicide Sauce for our chicken fingers, which is extra, extra hot," Rowland said.

To complete the Caliente burrito challenge, competitors must choose any burrito on the menu and eat it with a half ounce of Caliente Mad Dog sauce which is made up of habanero and jalapeno extracts.

"We're torn between different ideas, but there will be [one] because kids love it," Rowland said.

Though there are different ideas for The Burger Shack's future, including plans for raffles and giveaways, the primary focus still remains on the food.

"We're not trying to do anything, but just let our food sell itself," Rowland said.