A celebrity-owned burger restaurant chain debuted its first Sarasota location, joining the growing list of dining and drinking options at the local airport.
Wahlburgers is now open at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport at 6000 Airport Circle in Concourse B, the restaurant announced in a social media post. The chain is owned by chef Paul Wahlberg and his actor and musician brothers, Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, who along with the restaurant were the subject of the A&E series “Wahlburgers” that ran from 2014 to 2019.
First opened in 2011 in Hingham, Massachusetts, part of the Greater Boston region where the Wahlbergs grew up, Wahlburgers now has locations in 16 states, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. While there are Wahlburgers locations on Florida’s east coast — food trucks in Vero Beach, Stuart and Rockledge — this is the first Sarasota location.
What does Wahlburgers’ menu include?
As one might expect from its name, burgers make up much of Wahlburgers’ menu. Those include the brothers’ choices: The Our Burger with “government cheese,” lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and signature Wahl sauce (Paul’s choice); the BBQ Bacon with white cheddar, bacon, fresh jalapeños, barbecue sauce and avocado spread (Donnie’s choice); and the O.F.D. — an acronym for Originally From “Dorchestah,” referring to the Boston neighborhood Dorchester where the Wahlbergs are from — with two patties, Swiss cheese, bacon, sautéed mushrooms and tomato jam (Mark’s choice.)
The menu also includes “Mom’s favorite,” a bacon mac-and-cheese, as well as sandwiches, salads, sides, starters, shakes, floats and other desserts, and beverages.
What other restaurants are in Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport?
While Wahlburgers may be a national chain, many of the dining options recently opened in Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport are actually locally based. Those include Patrick’s 1481, a downtown Sarasota favorite known for its burgers and named for its Main Street address; Mattison’s, Chef Paul Mattison’s namesake restaurant with locations in downtown Sarasota and Bradenton as well as U.S. 41; and Anna Maria Oyster Bar, the seafood staple with several Sarasota-Manatee locations including on Anna Maria Island’s Historic Bridge Street Pier.
Bradenton-founded brewery Motorworks Brewing also now has an airport location, along with expanding to Tampa and Orlando. The airport still has national chains represented, too, including Jimmy John’s and Starbucks.
Wahlburgers is open 4:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. For more information, visit wahlburgers.com.
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Celebrity-owned burger restaurant opens in Sarasota
Reporting by Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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