Fifteen years after it first lurched onto the Des Moines dining scene, Zombie Burger is doing what any long-running horror franchise eventually must do: reinvent itself. The East Village institution — long known for its campy apocalypse aesthetic, cult-favorite burgers and lines that wrapped around the block when it debuted — steps into a new chapter with a refreshed name: Zombie Burger + Bird.
The shift reflects how the restaurant has evolved since opening in 2011, back when Des Moines was still trying to figure out what kind of food destination it wanted to be. Zombie Burger was a sensation, earning national press from Eater in 2014 when it sold its 1 millionth burger, with its lineup of smashburgers, B-movie theatrics and “GOREmet” menu, an ode to excess as a culinary art form. Zombie Burger was unlike anything the city had seen.
Now the brand is older, wiser and, surprisingly, increasingly defined by chicken.
On June 2, the restaurant announced it had changed its name to Zombie Burger + Bird.
What is Zombie Burger?
When chef George Formaro and restaurateur Paul Rottenberg opened Zombie Burger, the restaurant felt radical. Des Moines had its share of burger joints, but nothing touched the chef-driven swagger and level of imagination found at Zombie Burger. Formaro, who was known for Gateway Market and Centro, built the menu around a three-cut beef blend of chuck, sirloin and prime rib, artisan buns and a roster of burgers that read like a horror-movie marathon: the Walking Ched, the Undead Elvis and the Dawn of the Dead, to name a few.
The restaurant’s post-apocalyptic chic interior with its chain-link fences, murals with zombies, mannequins and masks drew locals and tourists alike for late-night burgers. The Drink Lab portion of the original name brought boozy milkshakes and cocktail experiments to the table.
While those two components, along with a pop-up ramen shop, dominated over the years, the chicken quietly started to take off.
How chicken became the co-star of this zombie film
Formaro has always treated nostalgia and pop culture as ingredients. As he retooled the menu, he built a fried-chicken program that implemented old-school techniques such as hand-breaded strips, classic batter and throwback sesame buns.
Customers noticed. The fried chicken sandwiches, once a subplot, became a full-blown storyline.
“Zombie Burger has always been a place for culinary experimentation,” Formaro said in a news release. “From creative combinations and toppings to five unique patties for both meat-eaters and vegans alike, Zombie Burger’s menu reflects my fixation on flavor.”
What are the fried chicken sandwiches at Zombie Burger + Bird?
With the menu of fried chicken sandwiches comes new ingredients, such as pickled heat, house sauces and toppings like fried pork belly and cheese curds.
What’s staying the same at Zombie Burger?
While the name changed, Zombie Burger continues to offer the same three-meat blend in its burgers, maximalist burger builds, an end-of-the-world aesthetic, handmade shakes and a sense of humor.
Formaro describes the new era of Zombie Burger as “…combining traditional techniques with a modern sensibility and a little bit of theatrical flair.”
Where to find Zombie Burger + Bird
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Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. You can reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Zombie Burger in Des Moines rebrands to reflect its fried chicken era
Reporting by Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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