If you found yourself following a new burger account on Instagram recently and weren’t sure why, it’s because you were already following its predecessor: GoDog.
Backed by Ean Bancroft of forthcoming Decatur fried chicken restaurant Mothers Best, Smiley’s Burger Club begins popping up in March at Kelly’s Market on East Howard Avenue. The next pop-up takes place on March 30 and will continue popping up at Kelly’s on the last Saturday of every month until Bancroft finds a permanent home for Smiley’s Burger Club in Decatur.
“I built a relationship with Kelly’s and owners Sean and Tanner Crotty. I used to do hot dog events there when I was doing GoDog,” Bancroft says. “I’ve found Atlanta is more of a burger town than a hot dog town.”
While working for Linton Hopkins years ago, Bancroft says the Atlanta chef once told him that if you don’t see what you want on a menu, go out and create it. That’s how the iconic Holeman and Finch burger came to fruition and what prompted Hopkins to open Hop’s Chicken at Ponce City Market.
“Anybody who endeavors to make a new concept has to have a selfish interest in it. I wanted a slim smash burger and a simplified menu burger joint like you see in other cities,” he says. “I love the burgers at NFA Burger and Patty and Frank’s but I don’t always want to drive that far to get one.”
A Smiley’s burger comprises one to three griddled patties topped with American cheese, pickles, and a riff on Big Mac sauce served on an Engleman’s potato bun. Add-ons include onions, jalapenos, and crumbled bacon pieces. Bancroft hand grinds meat to form patties and makes batches of pickles as part of the toppings for the burgers. It’s a classic burger, he says, and all you need.
The menu for both the pop-up and future burger shop features seasoned fries and tater tots. Bancroft cooks and stages out of the kitchen at Sceptre Brewing Arts in Oakhurst, owned by his Mothers Best business partners, Donald Durant and Armando Celentano. Celentano also owns Argosy in East Atlanta Village.
“The vibe we’re creating plays into nostalgia and Americana food from the late 1950s and early 1960s. It’s simple. You come in, you order a beer, a burger, and fries. There’s no menu anxiety.”
Bancroft already has his eye on a Decatur location for Smiley’s Burger Club. He’s not ready to reveal the possible location yet, and won’t be until he signs a lease. If opening Mothers Best has taught him and longtime restaurant partner Ross Winecoff anything, unexpected issues always crop up. The restaurant was supposed to open last October, then this February. But they’re now feeling confident of a late May opening for Mothers Best.
Nothing has changed in terms of the concept or menu for the Decatur restaurant. The menu still calls for buckets of fried chicken, fried chicken sandwiches, and fried chicken tenders with sides of red beans and rice, brined collard green coleslaw dressed in Duke’s mayo, and a fast-casual take on Robuchon potatoes. A takeout window will serve fried chicken, cocktails, and frozen drinks to go.
Until Mothers Best opens in Decatur, people can catch it popping up at festivals this spring and at restaurants around Atlanta. You’ll find Mothers Best serving at Reynoldtown restaurant Breaker Breaker along the Eastside BeltLine on Monday evenings in March.
And Smiley’s Burger Club and Mothers Best aren’t the only irons in the fire for Bancroft and Winecoff.
Tuesday evenings see the pair slinging seafood dishes and gumbo at Argosy in East Atlanta Village with Seafood Eatfood. Argosy doesn’t serve its popular pizzas on Tuesdays, so the pop-up helps fill the gap.
Bancroft, who grew up in New Orleans, says to look for dishes like a dark roux gumbo with chicken and andouille sausage and wood-fired grilled oysters dressed in a compound butter of parmesan, garlic, citrus zest, and herbs. Expect specials of wood-fired little neck clams, peel-and-eat shrimp, and marinated crab claws. Bancroft sources oysters and shellfish from the same company as Kimball House. Food comes served on pizza trays with branded Mothers Best liners.
“Seafood Eatfood started as a way to keep working while we build out Mothers Best. But we’re always looking for an opportunity to cook and just have fun,” says Bancroft. “Now, with Smiley’s, it’s about creating that little local burger shack like Skinny’s on Anna Maria Island. It’s not fancy or elevated. It’s plain and simple burgers.”
