Bobby Flay on a roll to D.C.

As business owners around America struggle to make ends meat, the burger industry is far from starving.
 
And Bobby’s Burger Palace in Lake Grove is no exception. The restaurant, owned by famed chef Bobby Flay, first opened in 2008 in the Smith Haven Mall and has been rapidly growing ever since, despite the recession.
 
“There are a lot of burger places popping up these days,” Bob Mundell, a representative for the restaurant, said. “It is a popular concept and that helps us.”
 
But more so Mundell said he thinks the restaurant’s low prices and focus on convenience have made it seemingly recession-proof.
 
“We’re definitely in the right price point to help people weather this economic climate.”
 
With burgers starting at $6.50, the Long Island restaurant flips an average of 500 daily, and has expanded with five locations in New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania over the past two years.
 
Most recently Flay began working with a broker to look into locations in the Washington D.C. area, Mundell said.
 
“We’re looking to try and get our first one in that area by December,” he said. “Our goal is to eventually have 50 or 60 locations, but that could turn into 200.”
 
He said he thinks the quick counter service and no-tipping concept at the restaurant will continue to make it successful.
 
“I think we’ve hit it at the right time,” he said. “People sit down, get their food in a timely fashion and just leave, without worrying about tipping. I think that’s what people are looking for now.”

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