The Three-Beef-Blend Burger That Survived In-N-Out: Inside Tony burgers' Utah Success Story

There's a specific kind of crunch you get from a french fry that's been blanched, cooled, and fried again in 100% peanut oil. It's the sound Chris Carver was chasing when he and his wife Nicole decided to open Tonyburgers back in 2009—right in the middle of the Great Recession, right when everyone said they were crazy. "We were told by every food vendor or anyone we talked to that we were insane," Nicole remembers. They wanted to hand-cut fresh potatoes daily. They wanted real ice cream for their milkshakes, not soft-serve. And they wanted to blend three different cuts of beef—sirloin, chuck, and brisket—for every single burger patty.

One customer on Yelp put it simply: "I absolutely love Tonyburger! It's my favorite burger place. The burgers are delicious and the fries are amazing. The hickory sauce is delicious and I use it on everything!"

Sixteen years later, Tonyburgers has seven locations across Northern Utah—including their best-selling downtown Salt Lake City spot at 613 E 400 South—and they're still doing it the hard way. Because as Chris's late father used to say, "It's the hard that makes it great."

When the Housing Market Crashed, the Carvers Built Burgers

Chris and Nicole Carver were building luxury homes in Park City when 2008 hit. The Kaysville couple had to figure out a way to support their family when the housing market collapsed, and Chris had always dreamed of owning a burger restaurant. Nicole, practical as ever, went along with it—even though she admits she doesn't really like burgers. "But I really like our burgers," she clarifies.

The timing was perfect in a weird way. During recessions, people want comfort food, and burgers were having a moment. "We never went out to eat when I was young, but my dad would barbecue burgers in the backyard," Nicole says. There was nostalgia there, warmth. And Chris had a computer science degree he wasn't using and a brother named Tony who used to cook really thick burgers when they were kids.

So they went on what they called "The Great Burger Quest." Las Vegas. Phoenix. Los Angeles. And finally, New York City. They tried burgers everywhere, looking for patterns—the freshness of the bun, the make-up of the meat, exactly how it was cooked. They followed delivery trucks. Chris literally spotted a Sysco truck on the highway and followed it all the way to the South Jordan warehouse just to figure out how to buy wholesale food.

In New York, they discovered Pat LaFrieda Jr., the legendary meat purveyor who revolutionized burgers by mixing different cuts of beef. LaFrieda's famous blend uses chuck, brisket, and short rib—and that became Tonyburgers' blueprint. The fat from the brisket, the flavor from the chuck, the richness from the sirloin. It was the answer they'd been searching for.

The Burger Chain That Went Toe-to-Toe with In-N-Out

They opened the first Tonyburgers in Centerville in 2009. For the first year, things were good. Then In-N-Out Burger opened a few blocks away. "In-N-Out opened a few blocks away from their Centerville location 'and killed us,'" Nicole said. Chris took a job selling cars for six months while Nicole ran both restaurants—Centerville and the struggling downtown Salt Lake location they'd opened in 2010.

They moved Centerville to nearby Clinton, where there was a drive-through. Nicole tried everything to get people into the Salt Lake store. Promotions, deals, guerrilla marketing. "We felt like if they tried us, they would like us," she remembers. But nothing seemed to work. They couldn't see any real difference in traffic.

Then—two years later, for reasons they still don't fully understand—the downtown location exploded. Word of mouth kicked in. People started coming back, bringing friends. Today, that 400 South location is their best-selling store, and in 2014, they went back to Centerville triumphantly. Now they have seven locations across Northern Utah: downtown SLC, Holladay, South Jordan, Centerville, Clinton, West Valley, and Herriman.

One regular from the Clinton location captured the sentiment perfectly: "The fries are a perfect match - thin, crispy, perfectly seasoned (the peanut oil makes a huge difference)."

The Ten-Step Fry Process Nobody Asked For

Here's the thing about Tonyburgers that separates it from every other premium burger place in Utah: they do things the stupidly hard way. Their fries go through a 10-step process. First, they're hand-cut from fresh Idaho russet potatoes—never frozen. Then they're soaked to remove excess starch. Dried. Blanched in the fryer to cook the insides. Then cooled completely.

Only when you order does the second frying happen—in 100% peanut oil, which costs more but creates that signature crisp exterior. "We use 100 percent peanut oil, which is more expensive, but it helps with the crispness," Chris explains.

They cook their burgers on chrome flat-top griddles, not traditional steel. "Chrome doesn't have the pores that some metals do, so there's no flavor transfer from what was cooked on it before. The meat also sticks to the grill better, so we get a good 'crust,' or caramelization."

And those milkshakes? Hand-scooped hard ice cream, never soft-serve. One customer gushed about the seasonal offerings: "They use fresh ingredients. We've stopped at Tony's burgers several times just to pick up a raspberry shake!"

Every detail costs more. Takes more labor. Requires more space. But that's the point. Quality isn't convenient.

What to Order at Tonyburgers: The Manager's Favorites

Walk into any Tonyburgers location and you'll see the "Manager's Favorites"—pre-designed burger combinations for people who don't want decision paralysis. But the real star is the Ol' Reliable, named after Chris's late father's favorite fishing lure. "My dad had a fishing lure called 'Ol Reliable,' because he could always catch a fish with it. He passed away right before we opened, so I gave a shout out to him."

It's American cheese, lettuce, tomato, fresh onions, pickles, and Tony Sauce (their version of fry sauce). Simple. Unfussy. A burger you can count on.

Other crowd favorites include:

• Tony's Southern Burger – One review raved: "Love love Tonyburgers Southern w extra crispy fries"
• I'm So Bleu – Blue cheese crumbles, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and garlic aioli
• SUPERSMASH – Grilled onions smashed directly into the beef patty for maximum flavor integration
• Grilled Cheese Burger – Their take on a patty melt. As one customer put it: "The grilled cheese burger is their take on the patty melt and it's the best I've ever had."

And don't sleep on the sides. The cheese curds—added during COVID because fries don't travel well for delivery—have become a huge seller. The onion strings are crispy, salty, perfect. And those twice-fried fries? One Tripadvisor reviewer summed it up: "Best burger in Salt Lake! Choice cuts of meat. And the onion strings are incredible, as are the malts. High-quality ice cream--caramel is the best!"

Tonyburgers and Utah's Premium Burger Revolution

When Tonyburgers opened in 2009, Utah's burger scene was very different. Five Guys hadn't arrived yet. Shake Shack was still years away. In-N-Out was just beginning its Utah expansion. The Carvers were early to the premium fast-casual burger game—and they did it with local ownership, local decision-making, and a genuine commitment to craft.

The three-beef blend they use isn't gimmick marketing. It's inspired by Pat LaFrieda's New York City burger revolution—the idea that mixing specific cuts creates depth of flavor you can't get from standard ground chuck. The sirloin adds leanness and beefy flavor. The chuck provides fat and moisture. The brisket brings richness and that distinctive caramelized crust when it hits the chrome griddle.

They're not trying to be In-N-Out. They're not trying to be Five Guys. They're Tonyburgers—a Utah-grown chain that survived the Great Recession, survived In-N-Out moving in next door, survived COVID, and came out the other side with seven thriving locations and a fiercely loyal customer base.

As one DoorDash reviewer noted: "I love the flexibility to order the exact burger I want." That customization—build your own or choose a Manager's Favorite—puts control in the customer's hands while maintaining quality standards.

Planning Your Visit to Tonyburgers

Downtown Salt Lake City Location (Best-Selling Store)
613 E 400 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
Phone: (801) 708-0047
Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-9pm

Other Northern Utah Locations:

• Holladay: 4670 Holladay Village Plaza
• South Jordan: 1685 Towne Center Dr
• Clinton: 1917 W 1800 N (with drive-through)
• Centerville, West Valley, Herriman

Insider Tips:

• Get there during off-peak hours if possible—these places get busy, especially downtown during lunch
• Try the hickory sauce—it's smoky, tangy, perfect on fries and burgers
• If you're not sure what to order, start with an Ol' Reliable to understand their baseline quality
• The raspberry shake is seasonal—grab it when it's available
• Portions are generous; a regular fry is shareable for two people

Price Range: Premium but reasonable—single burgers start around $5.79 with veggie toppings; expect $10-12 for a double patty with toppings. Combos run $12-15.

Tonyburgers accepts online ordering through their website, DoorDash, and Grubhub, though the fries are always best eaten fresh in-restaurant.

Follow them on Instagram: @tonyburgersfood

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The Little Burger Chain That Could

Chris and Nicole Carver didn't set out to revolutionize Utah's food scene. They just wanted to make a burger that tasted like the best burgers they'd tried in New York and Los Angeles—except here, at home, where people needed comfort food during the worst economic crisis in decades.

Sixteen years later, they've done something remarkable: built a Utah chain that competes with national brands on quality while maintaining the warmth of a family business. Their kids work there sometimes. They know regulars by name. They refused to cut corners even when cutting corners was the only way most restaurants survived.

"This burger hits hard. Juicy smashed patties, melty cheddar, grilled onions, crisp pickles--everything layered just right," one recent Yelper wrote about the SUPERSMASH. That's the Tonyburgers experience in a sentence—every element working together, nothing phoned in, built the hard way because the hard way makes it great.

When you bite into an Ol' Reliable at the downtown Salt Lake location, you're not just eating a premium burger. You're tasting what happens when two people refuse to compromise, when they follow a Sysco truck to learn the supply chain, when they travel the country to understand beef blends, when they choose chrome griddles and peanut oil and hand-scooped ice cream even though literally everyone told them it was insane.

That's the best burger in Salt Lake City. And it's worth every penny.