Happy & Helpful
Harriet’s Hamburgers brings new menu items and experiences to the Ballantyne® campus
By Allie Papajohn | Photos courtesy of Harriet’s Hamburgers
To some, a hamburger is just a hamburger. To Joe Haubenhofer and Brian Stockholm, it’s everything.
The pair, (along with co-owner Collin Ricks), opened Harriet’s Hamburgers inside Optimist Hall in the fall of 2020. Since day one, the brand has focused on two simple things: hamburgers and happiness. Soon, this feel-good concept will make its way south when it opens at The Bowl at Ballantyne™ this summer.
“We wanted to prove the concept,” says Haubenhofer. “Could we do something so simple? We sell a hamburger, fries and a drink. If we can prove [at Optimist Hall] that we can do something so simple and so well and do it fast and high quality with a layer of hospitality, then we would try to move it out to independent stores.”
The opportunity to expand to Ballantyne was a no-brainer. Harriet’s team recognizes the value in its density, office proximity and captive audience of families, young and old.
The journey to perfect what they call “America’s favorite sandwich” was tedious, including countless iterations of The “OG” Hamburger — Harriet’s signature burger — and a strong focus on quality ingredients. At the Ballantyne location, guests can expect the same flavors and standards they’ve grown to love, with a few upgrades and additions.
Known as a summertime seasonal at their food stall, a new version of another burger, The Royale, will find a permanent home on the menu. The updated build features iceberg lettuce, tomato, yellow American cheese, house pickles and a new condiment called Good Good Sauce, which was carefully crafted to pair with the vegetable components of this burger.
The Jucy Lucy, currently known as a secret menu item, will find its way onto the menu board alongside cheese curds, house-made aqua frescas, frosé and their signature Suffolk Punch-brewed beer, the Lucy Lager. Thanks to a new green-emission fryer, their golden french fries will also get a little makeover, helping them stay crispy, hot and fresh for longer.
Residents will want to keep their eyes peeled for Harriet’s Chariot, an electric vehicle known as a Moke that will hit the streets of the Ballantyne campus. The street-legal machine will feature a roof rack built to hold catering and to-go orders and offer delivery within a 2-mile radius. It will also come in handy for their Random Acts of Kindness visits, where they drop off loads of hamburgers to unsuspecting, deserving citizens.