Feature: Stackburger

Here’s a fact you may be surprised to learn about the owner of Stackburger, which is located on Spring St., in the Sault’s downtown.

That is, Stackburger owner Kevin Syrette is a member of the Grammy-nominated drum group Bear Creek, which received a nomination in the Best Native American Music Album category in the American Roots genre at the 53rd annual Grammy awards.  

While performing across North America for approximately 20 years with the group, Syrette was given the opportunity to try a lot of burgers in cities across North America.

And in a way, it was the frequent travel that inspired Syrette to think about opening his own burger joint in the Sault because, wherever he went, he would try burgers in different cities.  

As a quick option and because he loves burgers so much , it was a go-to when on the road a lot for the various drumming gigs the group had.  At any rate, Syrette found that a lot of cities had great burger places but the Sault didn’t really have a strictly-burger joint other than the big fast food chains which often serve frozen burgers.

So, he decided to take a leap of faith in August of 2015 and leave an office job he had to open up Stackburger, which is located at 71 Spring St. in the downtown Sault.

Syrette tells Sault Business Matters that he strategically chose downtown because he felt that the type of menu he had would do well there and also because he genuinely has a love of downtown.

When he traveled a lot, it was always the downtown cores that he was drawn to as a visitor.  The name of the restaurant came from the idea that people could choose to stack their burgers, so he decided to go with a four ounce burger as opposed to the larger ones that some might serve.

One thing to note is that the burgers from Stackburger are made from 100 per cent AAA Penokean Hills Farm beef that is ground fresh daily on site. In other words, you will never be served a frozen burger at Stackburger.  

I can personally attest that you can definitely taste the difference that the quality of the beef makes, having had many a burger at Stackburger.  The burgers are also celiac friendly as they do not have any filler, breadcrumbs, or flour added and there are no eggs used either — they are strictly 100 per cent beef!

The response from locals and visitors alike has been amazing and the decision to keep things simple has definitely paid off as Stackburger has a steady clientele of regulars who love the burgers and of course, the fries! What’s a great burger without great fries?  

The fries are fresh cut and Syrette indicates that they are a two-day process because they are blanched the day before which helps to make the perfect fries.  For those who like gravy on their fries, the gravy is also gluten free and yes, the poutine is definitely a crowd favourite.  For vegetarians, and those with gluten sensitivities, Stackburger does have the ‘beyond meat’ burger as an option and there are also gluten free buns available.  

The toppings options are plentiful, fresh and you can build your own burger or stick with the popular Stackburger combo, which comes with its secret stack sauce.

The vibe of dining in at Stackburger is definitely like an old fashioned diner (think Happy Days) so it’s both family friendly but also a great place to bring your partner or best friends.  

Did I mention the milkshakes?  They have the best old-fashioned milkshakes — and you can also make a malt milkshake.  During strawberry season, watch out for their popular strawberry shakes that are only offered during a short window of time and made with fresh local strawberries!  

The service at Stackburger is very friendly and it is nice to see so many young people being employed by this great local business.  A really nice tradition that Syrette started when Stackburger opened was to give a free meal to the 1,000th order — and usually a photo of the lucky recipient is shared on their social media.

Since opening roughly four and a half years ago, Syrette is pleased to report that just over 150,000 orders have been served, meaning that they have given away 150 free meals!  What an awesome way to show your customers that they are appreciated!

Some other great things to know about Stackburger is that they give 10 per cent off to Sault College students who show their student card and Toyota automobile owners who show their loyalty key card also get 10 per cent off.

If you can’t make it in to Stackburger, they are on Skip the Dishes.  

As for Syrette, Kevin’s philosophy has been to keep it simple, and to stick to what he does best and for him, it is burgers and fries, and this has been working very well for him.  

To keep up with the fun times had at Stackburger be sure to follow them on Facebook.  

Stackburger is open Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m .and they encourage you to call in your order for pickup via 705-575-2874 (BURG).  If dining in, who knows, maybe you will be their next 1,000th order and your meal will be free, so my advice — always spring for the added bacon and cheese!