Come February, SFU will boast another burger restaurant. Franchise Big Smoke Burgers will soon move into the Cornerstone building where the Himalayan Peak used to reside.
Big Smoke Burgers has 20 locations internationally, including locations in Toronto, Dubai, Kuwait, and one in Vancouver on Broadway. The space was acquired by Haley and Maney Grewal, both SFU Beedie alumni, in July of 2015. It has recently been undergoing renovations, and is set to open in February.
The Peak sat down with General Manager Sydney Olmsted to speak about the upcoming opening.
Said Olmsted of the decision to bring the international chain to SFU: “We’ve never opened in a university campus before, so we thought it’s a great market to try and test out a few things. . . we’re changing a few things on the menu, [and] testing among the students. It’s a great population to try on.”
Some of those changes include offering breakfast options such as breakfast sandwiches, which Olmsted assured would be affordable, but more “high end” than Tim Hortons. Said Olmsted, “Some classes start early, so people need breakfast, and from what we’ve heard there aren’t too many options up there.”
In addition, the location has been licensed and will have space for 10 taps and serve beer from local breweries such as Moody Ales, Dageraad, and Steel and Oak. However since the space is not a “liquor primary” license, minors will be permitted inside.
While the restaurant intends to open after the reading break, Olmsted said, “With restaurants, it’s hard to give an exact date.”
Olmsted believes that Big Smoke’s food will allow it to stand out from the competition. “I think our product is really fresh, a little more high end, and made with love. Our meat comes in every single day. It’s fresh. We could tell you where it comes from. The farms are local. I’m not sure if other places can do the same.”
