How now browned cow? Inferno increases gourmet burger options by one

The burger drought in Pickerington lasted only a few weeks, as inferno Gourmet Burgers has taken the place of Graffiti Burger at 10503 Blacklick Eastern Road.

The swapping of concepts might overstate the obvious: Burgers are really popular right now.

Chalk it up to budget-priced meals in a down economy, our beef-obsessed society or unwillingness to break from tradition, but whatever it is, it appears the hot-and-juicy artisan burger has recaptured the attention of the local dining public.

Here are a few fairly recent examples: Five Guys Burgers and Fries is blazing a grease-soaked trail across central Ohio, opening its 11th local store last week in Polaris; Graffiti Burger, a homegrown outlet, still has three stores in Greater Columbus; and Ted’s Montana Grill, with its stylized brand of bison and beef burgers, maintains two locations.

Sure, every restaurant and tavern this side of beef has a burger on its menu. And fast-food options hardly have ebbed in recent memory. In fact, McDonald’s keeps setting records.

But the latest wave of ground-beef citadels relies on a simple formula: fresh burgers cooked to order. The short wait, to many diners, seems to be worth it.

The Medina-based Inferno does it slightly different by fire-grilling — not flattop-grilling — its hand-patted, 100-percent Black Angus beef. The price range for the 7-ounce patties, which combine a variety of cuts, is $5.99 for a standard option and $7.99 for gourmet choices. The place has a “salad buffet,” where customers can choose a number of standard toppings, and a gourmet-sauce bar, with such choices as spicy bacon ketchup, chipotle ranch and sweet chile.

The menu is rounded out with sides, grilled-chicken sandwiches, a veggie burger, deep-fried hot dogs and shakes.

While standard white and wheat buns are offered, Inferno also features a soft pretzel bun. It, like Ted’s, also is a full-service restaurant, and will have a full liquor license in place soon.

Unlike the rest, however, it has an intentionally snappy, high-energy environment, with music videos being broadcast throughout business hours, said Sean Brauser, who founded the restaurant over the summer.

Brauser said he wanted to take advantage of the growing gourmet-burger segment of the restaurant industry.

“I wanted to get in on a place where we focus on quality, focus on putting out the best product and putting a twist on it with our brand,” said Brauser, also the founder of Romeo’s Pizza chain. “What we want you to say, when you walk out of there, is it was the best burger you ever had.”
Some judges seem to agree. Inferno took home two awards — first in “best traditional burger” and third in “best cheeseburger” — at the 2011 National Hamburger Festival in Akron.

David Kincheloe, a restaurant consultant based in Colorado, said gourmet, or custom burgers represent only 3 to 5 percent of the total burger market, while the big players — McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and the like — account for 80 percent of the market.

“So that indicates there’s room for growth,” Kincheloe said. “I don’t think it’s reached a saturation point.”

Inferno is open daily for lunch and dinner hours. For more information, call (614) 577-9490.