BurgerFi Opens On The Avenue At White Marsh

WHITE MARSH, MD — A new burger restaurant is now open at The Avenue at White Marsh.

Gourmet burger chain BurgerFi officially began serving up burgers, fries and more on Monday, June 29.

A grand opening is planned for Friday, July 3.

BurgerFi prides itself on having "better burgers" and offerings that do not have hormones or steroids in them. Burgers are made from 100 percent Angus beef. For the non-meat-eaters, there is a VegeFi burger made of quinoa or a Beyond Meat burger.

"You notice the difference of our product the moment you touch our food," Diego Sanchez told Perry Hall Patch.

Sanchez, 23, of Baltimore, and his father, Manuel, 56, of Potomac, will operate the restaurant with managing partner Jerry Loor.

Manuel Sanchez says his favorite is the BurgerFi bacon cheeseburger. "I'm a classic," he said.

His son favors the VegeFi patty, which is made of quinoa and fresh-cut vegetables.

"Every single thing that we serve is as high quality as we can get — from our produce to our meat, it is carefully selected," Diego Sanchez said. "Our fries are cut, made to order."

In addition to burgers and fries, the menu features chicken tenders, grilled chicken, hot dogs, fried chicken, custards, milkshakes, nonalcoholic beer and onion rings.

The onion rings are made with a batter that contains locally brewed ale.

"We’re using local craft beer — the Avenue Ale," Diego Sanchez said. "This is the first time that we’re implementing fresh local beer." The beer comes from Red Brick Station, another Avenue at White Marsh tenant.

"This is as local as it can get," he added, since not only is the Avenue Ale from Maryland but it comes from the same shopping center.

"The idea came from not having a liquor license available and wanting to get creative," Diego Sanchez said.

Getting a liquor license in Baltimore County wasn't as easy as in Montgomery County, where the Sanchezes already operate two BurgerFi restaurants.

"While we’re serving nonalcoholic beer, we really wanted to have a local beer available," Diego Sanchez said.

"They look amazing, but they taste even better," he added of the onion rings.

BurgerFi is short for "BurgerFication," or changing the way the world eats burgers, and other foods.

"To have antibiotic-free items like fried chicken for the kids, it’s a big move for parents," Diego Sanchez said. "It’s a really big deal to be able to go to a fast-casual concept and feel good about what’s on the menu."

The company believes in sustainability beyond its food, with each restaurant decorated with chairs made from thousands of upcycled cola bottles and milk jugs. BurgerFi bags are made from recycled paper.

"We commit ourselves to sustainability and being eco-friendly," Diego Sanchez said.

Due to the coronavirus, indoor dining is open at 50 percent capacity, in accordance with the state mandates. There's also outdoor seating on the patio with artificial turf.

Carryout is available, and there are designated parking spots on The Avenue for that purpose.

After White Marsh, the father-son duo will be opening a BurgerFi in Towson Row. The Sanchezes also run BurgerFi locations in North Bethesda, which opened in April 2019; Silver Spring, which came online in January 2018; and Woodbridge, Va., which opened in January 2019.

Their journey from Montgomery County to Baltimore County was bridged by Federal Realty, which manages The Avenue at White Marsh and Pike & Rose in North Bethesda.

"They asked us," the Sanchezes said. "Within minutes, we were captivated by their vision and this amazing plan to renew and update The Avenue."

BurgerFi is at 8145 Honeygo Boulevard in The Avenue at White Marsh. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Tuesday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday.

Grand Opening Celebration Spans 3 Days

BurgerFi is planning a grand opening celebration that spans three days, from Friday, July 3, to Monday, July 6.

Here are some of the specials:

• $5 BurgerFi Cheeseburgers or signature VegeFi (vegetarian patty)
• One free BurgerFi Star Spangled Custard for active military and veterans (with valid military ID)

• Free fries when downloading the BurgerFi app

"Federal Realty allowed us to take more of the sidewalk so we can extend the patio just for those three days," Diego Sanchez said. "Even though we can seat 50 percent of guests inside, the patio is very nice and enjoyable, and we want to expand that area and offer seating outside."

Related:

• Curbside Pickup On The Avenue At White Marsh Now In Zones
• BurgerFi Coming To The Avenue At White Marsh