Patty Shack Keeps It Simple

Patty Shack’s key to success is simplicity, says owner Justin Newbold. Before opening his own burger restaurant, he spent years working in various food concepts, including Arctic Circle, KFC and more recently, Five Guys. Through experience, he saw what worked and what didn’t.

  “What I’ve learned is to focus on one thing and keep it simple, to have a consistent product. We just want to do burgers and fries really well,” said Newbold.

   He opened the first Patty Shack in Taylorsville in October 2022, and followed up with a Layton location last August.

   People sometimes tell him he should add chicken or shakes or something else to his burger menu, but he says, “But we’re not trying to be everything to everyone. That’s when people start selling mediocre food.”

  When I interviewed Justin and Aimee Newbold for a Standard-Examiner story, I found a few things that set Patty Shack apart:

1. Fries that stay crisp during takeout. Since a high amount of their orders is takeout and delivery, they wanted a French fry that wouldn‘t go soggy by the time it gets to its destination. Idaho-based French fry manufacturer, Lamb Weston, supplied many samples for the Newbolds to try.

  “We tested 20 different types to see what can be delivered and still be crispy,” Newbold said. “We had to bring them in specially to Utah, because nobody else buys them.”

2. The price of the burger includes a choice of about 20 different sauces and toppings like grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, fresh grilled jalapenos, lettuce, and tomatoes — at no extra charge. Each burger is cooked and custom-built to order.

3. The best seller is the bacon cheeseburger. It’s also manager Aimee Newbold’s favorite on the menu; she likes it with barbecue sauce. Aimee, Justin’s wife, also has a wealth in experience in the food industry. “She ran the biggest Five Guys in New York City when I was the district manager,” Justin said.       

4. Many burger places are known for their signature “big burger.” Patty Shack has its towering Patty Daddy — three patties topped with bacon and pastrami, and as many different toppings as you want.

  It’s not easy trying to eat one of those giant stacked burgers. Justin Newbold says to just grab it and squeeze it together before taking some bites. And yes, you’ll probably lose some of the toppings out the side, so have napkins ready. You’ll also see customers cut their burger in half and try to eat it sandwich-style. Or they just cut it up with knife and fork and and eat it deconstructed.

5. There are gluten-free and vegetarian options.  Patty Shack offers lettuce-wrapped burgers, and everything on the menu is gluten-free except the buns and brownies, Justin Newbold said. “We haven’t found a gluten-free bun that we like, so we haven’t put one on the menu.”

 Because his son has celiac disease, he’s more aware of gluten issues. There’s a dedicated fryer for the French fries and a dedicated grill for the buns, to avoid cross-contamination. They also offer a gluten-free, no-bake cookie made with oats.

    The Maddie Melt is named for his daughter, a vegetarian. It’s grilled cheese, loaded with all the veggie toppings of your choice.

 6. The name, Patty Shack, came from the first location — an aging, modest building in 1207 W. 4800 South, Taylorsville. It’s in the middle of a residential area, and had been Bell’s Deli since 1989.

  “Patty Shack is named after that place,” said Justin Newbold, its worn appearance.  “We went through a lot of different ideas for names. The building is really old, the inside is totally wood. And we wanted a name that would let people know we’re a burger place. So we thought Patty Shack fit well.”

7. Newbold credits Bryson Singletary, a part-owner who runs the Taylorsville location, for much of its success. “Knowing that we’ve built up a cool following in one of the worst locations possible, we can be successful almost everywhere. If you have a good product, people will come back.”

Although Taylorsville and Layton are the only two brick-and-mortar locations, Patty Shack also has “ghost kitchens” in Salt Lake City and Denver, which are for delivery only, and a third restaurant in Wisconsin.

8. The Layton location at 2056 N. Hill Field Road (just north of a Maverik gas station) has limited parking in front, but there’s more parking in the back on the store.

9. High school students and military can get a free soft drink with their meal.

“We’re near Hill Air Force Base, so we get a lot of employees, and also a lot of high school kids for lunch,” Newbold said. “We don’t give out discounts. I feel it devalues our product, and then people won’t come unless they have a discount or a coupon. Our prices are a little higher because we make things fresh. However, students and military can get a free drink, with a student or military I.D.”

    Today’s crowded burger market is sizzling with competition, where local favorites like Burly Burger, Crown Burger and Burger Stop compete with national chains such as Habit Burger, Five Guys, Red Robin, and In-N-Out.  

    “It’s one of those things that almost everybody loves a good burger; they’re very popular in Utah,” Justin Newbold said. “We get people who say, ‘Oh, another burger place,’ but we have a good enough product that we can compete with the others.”

Website: https://order.toasttab.com/online/locations/46835a63-684b-4e52-aea3-5b4cc419760c/default

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pattyshackburgers

  Location: 2056 N Hill Field Road

  Contact:  (Layton) 801-896-0612; https://order.toasttab.com/online/layton

  Hours: Layton: Monday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.   Taylorsville: opens at 11 a.m. daily; same closing hours as the Layton store. 

  Average price: Burger with unlimited toppings and fries, $10—12.