Bognor's new burger restaurant goes down a treat

Box Burgers, in High Street, Bognor Regis, officially opened on Saturday, January 14, and owner Tom Boxall says customers have already taken a liking to the eatery's handmade burgers and gourmet shakes.

The business started out as a street food cart during the first lockdown, but Mr Boxhall said he was overwhelmed by orders so quickly that a proper, brick and mortar restaurant was a natural next-step.

"I always wanted my own restaurant,” he said. “That was always in the back of my mind, but I didn’t think it would happen so quickly."

Having worked in hospitality and catering for well over ten years, Mr Boxhall said food is a lifelong passion of his – and that’s something he hopes will translate to the quality of his burgers.

With beef sourced from a butchers in Middleton and freshly-baked rolls bought from a Worthing bakery, he said Box Burgers focuses on fresh, local produce to ensure the best quality meals.

"Pretty much everything is made fresh. Even all the jams and garnishes and condiments,” Mr Boxhall said.

So far, that's paying off. Since opening earlier this month, he said the restaurant has been packed to the rafters. “It’s been really really good, and on a much bigger scale to the food truck. On a Thursday, Friday night, I’m turning over more than 100 covers.”

The diner specialises in ‘smash patties’ – a style of burger popularised in the US by fast food favourites like In-N-Out burger. Rather than cook with a regular, thick patty, smash patties are crushed on the grill to ensure a speedier cooking process and a different kind of flavour.

"Smash patties are much quicker to cook -and I think they’re tastier,” Mr Boxhall said. “Sometimes you order a burger and it’s like a hockey puck, or it’s dried out. But with the smash burger, there’s a much higher fat ratio in the beef, so it’s a lot tastier and a lot juicier. Plus you can cook them really quickly, because you’re just searing them like you would a steak.

To find out more about Box Burgers, follow the restaurant on Instagram.

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