08/31/2026
It’s funny how a picture of a burger can represent so much more than a burger. ❤️🍔
Our first full weekend under new management is officially in the books, and it’s hard to put into words how we’re feeling.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday brought full dining rooms, familiar faces, new faces and more kindness and encouragement than we could have asked for.
Were we perfect? Absolutely not. 😂 We made mistakes, ran out of a few things and learned A LOT. But our customers were incredibly patient and gracious while we found our footing, and we can’t thank you enough.
Behind the scenes, we couldn’t be prouder of our team. New and seasoned team members came together, jumped in wherever needed and got stronger with every service.
But this picture represents a little more to us than just a new burger…
RJ and I met when we were 16 and 18. We grew up together, worked jobs we didn’t always love, put in more hours than we could count, made mistakes, learned hard lessons and spent years working toward a life we hoped we could build someday.
So there were a few moments this weekend when we looked around at a packed dining room, watched our team working together and thought… how did we get here? ❤️
We’re incredibly proud. Not because we have it all figured out, because we definitely don’t. 😂 But because we know what it took to get here, and now we get to pour everything we’ve learned into a place and community we genuinely love.
And that burger? 🍔 It’s pretty special too. It’s one we’ve perfected at home over the years and have been waiting a long time to bring into the restaurant. Josh, Alanna and the team absolutely delivered it in the kitchen, and seeing how much you loved it made it even better.
So yes, it’s a picture of a Smashburger…
But to us, it looks a whole lot like hard work, growing up, taking chances, believing in ourselves and the beginning of something we’re really proud of. ❤️
To everyone who walked through our doors, supported us, encouraged us or gave us some patience when we needed it, thank you.
We’re tired. We learned A LOT. We survived weekend one. 🙏😂
From our family and our entire team at Ponds, thank you for one hell of a first weekend. ❤️
