About six years ago, Nick Hufft operated a cramped food trailer outside of Bogie’s in Tigerland. Now, the executive chef of Barcadia has bigger plans for the burgers he sold to his Thursday night bar patrons — enclosing his business in brick and mortar.
Hufft’s business, Curbside Burgers, is set to begin construction in Mid City, next to Calandro’s Supermarket. The $500,000 project will include both indoor and outdoor seating.
The former LSU marketing student worked the graveyard shift from his food trailer while he was still in school. After learning the ins and outs of the food industry, he said, he collected enough cash to upgrade to a food truck.
Passion is key when it comes to the food business, Hufft said.
“You’re the dishwasher, the cook, the accountant, the mechanic, the plumber and the electrician,” he said.
While navigating the “tricky business” of owning a food truck, Hufft said the ultimate end game was always to open a restaurant. Though the project has been in the works for about three years, the dream came true a few weeks ago when he launched the restaurant demo — a basic blueprint of the 2,900 square-foot building.
Hufft said Mid City’s Wednesday Night Roundups — a weekly gathering of several food trucks, music and outdoor seating — inspired him to place his restaurant there. The “pop-up food court,” he said, showcases the local region’s support of small businesses.
“I would pack that truck to the brim and we would always sell out,” Hufft said. “There’s a lot of energy in Mid City and we wanted to be a part of that.”
Other than the food truck social scene, Curbside Burgers also comprises part of Barcadia’s menu. Since Hufft works as a chef for both the New Orleans and Baton Rouge branches, he includes specials for students, like $6 Curbside Classics with fries.
Kellie Heath, Barcadia’s in-house manager, said the hybrid bar-arcade uses the burgers as an incentive to bring in students. She said the burgers would continue to be sold at Barcadia, even after the new restaurant opens.
“They’re hand-ground every day, seasoned and cooked to order,” Heath said. “They’re actually really good burgers.”
Hufft said he uses local ingredients, a unique bun recipe and a specific blend of beef as opposed to the “already ground, 80/20 chuck blend” most other restaurants use. By knowing what goes into his burgers, he is able to serve his meat medium rare, “ice-cold on a platter.”
The Curbside Burgers website boasts “pork belly preserves,” the local vendor’s signature condiment. Smoked pork belly is cut and slow-cooked for hours until it turns into something easily used to top burgers and fries and gives them an “unbelievable bacon taste,” the site reads.
Hufft also runs weekly specials, partnering with local food purveyors and cheese makers at a Saturday morning market.
Curbside Burgers took the idea of the traditional hamburger and sought to enhance its quality, founded on the basic principles of fresh ground beef, fresh baked buns and fresh cut fries, he said.
“They’re something very simple that Baton Rouge … is comfortable with, but we’re elevating that a little bit and I think that’s kind of what separates us from the rest,” he said.