Burgers are the last word consolation meals for thus many individuals, together with Mike Puma who in 2013 began Gotham Burger Social Membership. A easy idea the place a gaggle of burger lovers would tour New York Metropolis on the hunt for the perfect burger. Nearly precisely a decade later, Puma finds himself leaving a 28-year-long profession on Wall Avenue to open his very personal burger spot after he managed to construct himself with a cult-like following of individuals obsessed along with his smash burgers.

I’ll be the primary to confess that I’m a part of the next as I’m an enormous fan of those completely juicy, but delightfully crispy, tacky burgers. The primary time I had the prospect to attempt certainly one of Puma’s well-known Gotham Smash burgers (made within the type of an Oklahoma fried-onion burger with American cheese and onions grilled to perfection) was at South Seaside Wine & Meals Pageant in 2020, simply earlier than the pandemic started and it’s principally set the usual for each burger I’ve consumed ever since.

During the last yr, Puma’s discovered himself operating pop-up after pop-up with strains wrapping full metropolis blocks and people devouring his burgers saying it’s greater than well worth the generally 3-hour lengthy wait. He hit that essential level the place he discovered himself much less and fewer enthusiastic about going to the workplace, the place by day he’d been a monetary advisor for almost three a long time.

“I simply wasn’t as fulfilled. My finance shoppers weren’t almost as excited because the individuals I used to be feeding burgers to,” Puma shared. “There was an enormous distinction in pleasure from anyone consuming my burger for underneath $10 to once I’d make somebody cash on Wall Avenue, you realize, the response once I was working with shoppers is simply by no means the identical response as when anyone loves your meals. The gratification from it and to see individuals’s faces gentle up. It by no means got here shut.”

After seeing Puma announce on his Instagram (the place he has nearly 200K followers) that he was leaving the company world and there was a brick and mortar burger spot within the works, I knew I needed to meet up with him to get the small print.

We chatted about the way it all started, the choice to make burgers a full-time gig, and what to anticipate at this primary restaurant location. Right here’s the way it went:

Amber Love Bond: I’ve identified you for fairly a while, and I’ve gotta be sincere — I forgot that you simply nonetheless had a company job!

Mike Puma: Yeah! This shall be 10 years in October since I began the Gotham Burger Social Membership whereas working as a monetary advisor. There was no “influencer” element then, I used to be simply doing this for enjoyable and out of pure pleasure. We by no means thought individuals can be following what we had been doing. Again in 2013, phrases like influencer didn’t exist. We had been simply posting what we had been as much as. When you advised me again then that we’d be doing this interview proper now? I might have advised you that’s not going to occur.

ALB: How did GBSC get its begin?

MP: I needed to search out the perfect burger in New York and one night time I simply posted on Fb asking who needed to do a burger tour? It was a enjoyable strategy to get my buddies collectively as soon as a month and the response was fast. Everybody needed to do it. The primary time we met up I believe we had about 16 or 17 guys and I used to be like that is big, however it would most likely die down to love 2 guys simply grabbing a beer and a burger in a couple of months and it by no means did. It solely grew and so did our social presence, which introduced different alternatives.

For the higher a part of the primary few years it was only a group assembly as soon as a month and writing a evaluate on a burger. However as our following and presence grew, the alternatives got here and one was from an animal rescue referred to as Social Tees. They reached out and thought it could be enjoyable if we did an occasion collectively the place we made a burger and the proceeds went to the animals. And I used to be like, that’s nice! Let’s do it! I’ve all the time cherished the Oklahoma-style burger, so it was an early rendition of the burger I do now and that was actually the leap begin to the place I’m right now. It led to extra alternatives to principally cook dinner for individuals—largely all fundraisers at the moment.

ALB: So the momentum was rising!

MP: Yeah, then the pandemic hit. However proper earlier than it, we did Cochon 555 which was such an ah-ha second as a result of on this room of all these celebrity cooks, we had a loopy line. We had been doing one thing proper! Then round June 2020, bars and eating places began reaching out to companion in pop-ups to assist them hold their doorways open. A few the spots occurred to be within the Decrease East Aspect, so I used to be capable of hold my grill saved inside (as a result of there was no indoor eating) and wheel it out and round when wanted.

I used to be so restricted in what I might do to start with. I didn’t have a truck or something! I used to be relying on UberXLs to load my stuff and get my grill round. Typically they’d see my grill unassembled and would cancel, and I’d have to search out one other one—however we made it occur. We had been doing like three occasions every week and bringing a bit of little bit of life (responsibly) again to NYC, which was finally a useless metropolis on the time. We’d create these little pockets of life and enjoyable.

Folks had been ready as much as 3 hours for a burger and I used to be so fearful they’d be upset about it, however 99.9% of them stated they’d do it yet again and that it was completely price it. So then we hit some extent the place we added one other grill and extra individuals behind them. We actually tried to create a vibe with music and a few pleasure.

ALB: I really like that! You actually introduced that pleasure to those burger lovers!

MP: Yeah! It was cool. However for the final 2.5 years or so I’ve been juggling each careers. Finally you notice what you actually take pleasure in doing. The pop up is a number of work, lots to coordinate, plenty of heavy lifting. However whether or not we had been cooking in 25 diploma climate and freezing or 100 diploma climate leaning over a sizzling grill, I wouldn’t have it every other method. It was simply a lot enjoyable. So clearly the subsequent step was the place do I am going with this?

ALB: It’s time for a restaurant!

MP: I did contemplate doing each (jobs), however finally that’s what I made a decision. Financing and every part fell into place fairly simply. Now I’m getting a number of questions on “Are you going to be cooking? Are you going to be operating entrance of home? Are you going to be strolling across the room?” And I’ve stated, “sure, sure, and sure. And I’ll be cleansing the loos, too.” You need to do all of it to achieve success and lead by instance. I do know being there and being the face of the model is necessary as a result of persons are used to that and shall be searching for it. We’re excited to see the place it goes.

ALB: Are you staying within the Decrease East Aspect space the place you’ve kinda discovered a house along with your pop ups?

MP: The primary location shall be within the Decrease East Aspect, simply because it is sensible. The neighborhood has been so good to us and we now have a built-in viewers. It simply feels proper. The second location may even be in New York, after which after that we’ll hopefully increase outdoors of New York. I’d quite develop nicely than to develop too quick.

ALB: Let’s discuss in regards to the menu! Clearly, the Gotham Smash shall be on it, however what else can we count on to see?

MP: At first we’ll hold it fairly tight. So the Gotham Smash in a single, double, and triple type. We may even supply a plant-based model of the Gotham Smash—it really works very very nicely and can give non-beef eaters the prospect to have the identical expertise. We’re going to do my ode to the bodega traditional, however in a taco type: the chopped cheese. Known as a Harlem Taco, it’s a chopped cheese taco with ​​Tapatío crema and a few pickled jalapenos. After I make these, generally I like them higher than my burger! They’re wonderful!

After which we could have sides like fried pickles, french fries, do-it-yourself onion rings, tater tots, and loaded tots. That would be the menu to start out, plus beer and wine—with a full liquor bar hopefully by the tip of the yr. Sooner or later the menu might embrace hotdogs, burgers of the month, and extra. It’s all the time enjoyable to experiment with completely different flavors and kinds.

ALB: As a fellow company world escapee, I can’t inform you how glad I’m for you with this new enterprise! There’s one thing actually particular a few second profession that you simply discover unintentionally by a ardour that brings you such pleasure.

MP: I by no means noticed myself leaving Wall Avenue, however this expertise has meant a lot to me. Folks assume that is sort of an in a single day factor, like “oh the pandemic, you’ve been cooking for 2 years.” No, I constructed this model over 10 years. I used to be all the time excited to see the place this might take me—particularly as a model constructed on social media. I actually needed to see the place it naturally went. I didn’t precisely need to should swim upstream, however was glad to let the present take me. And that’s what occurred right here. The present took me, the pandemic occurred, and the eating places reached out. It was sort of a very long time coming, particularly during the last yr. There’s a pleasure that I get to expertise when individuals take these first few bites that’s like nothing I get to expertise once I’m sitting within the workplace behind a pc display screen. Whereas the choice wasn’t taken calmly, it was a fairly simple one to make.

For these questioning if the Gotham Smash will make its method again to Burger Bash in each Miami and New York Metropolis — it’s on his radar and I can’t wait. Gotham Burger Social Membership plans to open its first brick and mortar location this Spring in New York Metropolis.