Great Plains Burgers seeks to offer high-quality American fare
To Mo Farha, the fare at his new restaurant Great Plains Burgers is the epitome of Americana.
"I have a great passion for the American hamburger. For me, it's a source of American pride," the Ann Arbor native said. "I have a true burger, fries and shakes passion. These things go together."
Farha is the manager and a partner in the new eatery on Plymouth Road across from University of Michigan North Campus. The Huron High School and U-M graduate has operated restaurants around town, but never has focused solely on the hamburger.
And if the concept works, he plans to open more locations - at least one other in 2010, possibly two or three, he said.
Farha and his partners, one of whom is Gary Staub, son-in-law of Tom Monaghan, developed the concept after two years of study.
"We just didn't come up with it. We did extensive research," he said.
The re:group marketing company of Ann Arbor helped Great Plains with the branding of the restaurant. Creative director Rhonda Huie and Kellie Bambach worked on the account, and Huie said the goal was both to emphasize the American-ness of the concept and differentiate the eatery from other places where you can get a burger, such as bars.
"We wanted to create something that felt very natural and high-quality, but not so much Old West," Huie said. "We wanted it to be more contemporary."
The simple logo, with a profile of a cow surrounded by two stems of wheat, was meant to convey a down-to-earth, not "precious" brand, Huie added.
"It's higher quality, but it isn't fussy," she said.
It was also important to make sure customers didn't expect to enter a tavern-like atmosphere, or another traditional burger-serving restaurant.
"We don't want them to think they're walking into a bar and be disappointed," Huie said.
Great Plains is also embracing the local food movement and environmentalism as much as possible in the restaurant, which opened to the public Thursday, Farha said. The hamburger meat is Michigan-grown and ground every day. The buns are baked and delivered daily by Zingerman's. The equipment is Energy Star-rated. And the napkins, cups and plates all are either made from recycled material or are compostable.
He said the restaurant will try to source all of its produce locally, but may not be able to in all seasons. But, unlike some locally sourced food in town, Great Plains' burgers are modestly priced at $4.50 for a single, 1/3-pound patty, and $6 for a double. Fries are $2 for a regular serving and $4.50 for a basket, and shakes are $4.
Farha said the restaurant's location in the Upland Green mixed-use development -- which also features a Panera Bread and Qdoba Mexican Grill -- was an important consideration in creating the restaurant's identity."Every place has something different to offer. This could become a mecca for food," he said.
Farha said he looked at various locations around town, including Liberty Street between the U-M main campus and Main Street, before deciding on Upland Green. The development had stalled in the middle of construction before a new set of investors stepped in last year.
Freelance reporter Dan Meisler can be reached at danmeisler@gmail.com.
Comments
mirunner26.1
Thu, Oct 15, 2009 : 12:26 p.m.
I love a good burger and at a reasonable price. Are you going to have vegan and vegetarian burgers too? There is quite a population in the Ann Arbor area. I think it's great you are using local meat and bread. If this goes well and you are looking to expand, consider the Dundee area. With Cabelas and all the visitors, they can use a good burger place besides the fast food junk. A coney island restaurant opened there a year ago and is doing quite well because it offers something different than chain restaurants (like Applebees and Bob Evans) and fast food at a reasonable price.
brian
Thu, Oct 15, 2009 : 8:39 a.m.
Is this place similar to Five Guys Burgers or Bagger Dave's?
sillyboy
Wed, Oct 14, 2009 : 1:24 p.m.
So the son-in-law of Tom Monaghan is a partner in this venture. I stopped buying pizza from Domino's when I became familiar with Mr. Monaghan and his politics/causes as I didn't want to be giving him my money. Does the son-in-law share those politics/causes?
rennsemmi
Wed, Oct 14, 2009 : 12:31 p.m.
I'm a bit disappointed, just had lunch there. While the burger was delicious, especially the toppings, the fries were really bad. Soaked in oil and over-fried. This is not a good start if there is another burger place right across the street!
thatphotoguy
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 : 9:41 p.m.
I'm one who respects the opinions of others, but I have to say, some of these critiques seem to be focusing on the weaknesses, and almost avoiding the positives altogether. I went there with a group of friends recently to see what it was about, since we're burger-fanatics, and found nothing wrong with the place. First impression was positive. It looked like the designers knew what sort of contemporary appearance they wanted to implement and did so successfully. The menu was small enough so that a first-timer wouldn't spend longer than 10 seconds deciding what they wanted. As for price, the cost for the 1/3 lb burger at Great Plains was $1 more than a McDonald's Big-Mac, and larger (needless to say, better tasting as well); I don't see any holes burning through any wallets there. The staff was friendly and very open to requests. Food arrived shortly despite a relatively crowded lunch period, and it tasted as good as it looked. If anybody has had Sidetrack Bar and Grill in Ypsilanti, think along those lines. Review: 1. Appearance was catchy. 2. Food was delicious. 3. Staff was friendly. There is no template for a successful business, but this place is genuinely a pleasant dining experience. These are local people trying to make a living by providing the area with a great alternative to fast-food when looking for hamburgers.
forges
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 : 9:15 p.m.
Although I agree with some of the things being said, one thing people have to understand is that this is a new business. Things need to be tried, and critiquing is always needed in the beginning in order to get the feel for what it is people truly want. I spoke to the owner because I went in for a veggie burger myself and was told that it is something that is being worked on. As well as a quality chicken sandwich. It seems like a nice place to me, and was very inviting to my friends and I.
janaesimpson
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 : 9:02 p.m.
Without cattle hearding, please, tell me where will we get our meat from? The point is that they're being as environmentaly friendly as possibly. Not necessarily GREEN. Also, purchasing michigan grown product is putting money into Michigan's sorry economy... so its ultimately helping. This place does not claim to be vegetarian-- but offer quality burgers and milk shakes, and fresh cut fries.
HeidiKap
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 : 7:21 p.m.
I think you guys may be on to something- but it doesn't seem like the rollout is doing everything for you that it could. My husband was on his way home from the lab and went in to pick up dinner... and he left without buying anything. Simplicity can be an interesting differentiation, but nothing here says sustainable differentiation. You should have a mission statement painted over an entire wall. Quality and ethics aren't really visible properties. The menu is simple but too expensive for simple. Even the text on your take-out menu card isn't reflective of the home-grown, local spirit of the place or your brand- it looks like a night club's. And one commenter below hit one point squarely on the head- no vegetarian alternative, as if cattle farming were environmentally friendly. I think the restaurant needs something in the way of 'we're committed to organic, local beef, but if that's still not your thing, we'll meet your needs.' To be frank- your mission is to be different from a bar, but your burgers and menu cards aren't visibly different from a bar's. Vinology and Grange are going to be Ann Arbor institutions because they've made local something creative- they stretch the genre. Have neat local seasonsings for your fries. Put local bacon on a burger. Add some unconventional vegetables like fresh cucumber or a wacky local cheese. Zingerman's sandwiches are huge, but they're expensive. Do a semi-affordable, natural burger with some optional pizazz to make it a meal worth driving to pick up.
jreed205
Mon, Oct 12, 2009 : 11:38 a.m.
I never even noticed the burger place in the courtyard shops other then wendys, did they do their homework. Great Plains has a very good burger and the fries are made from fresh potatoes while you watch. The atmosphere is comfortable and inviting and extremely clean. Strongly recomended.
roadsidedinerlover
Sun, Oct 11, 2009 : 1:25 a.m.
This new burger restaurant will be competing against another new burger place a few steps away in the Courtyard Shops. I am not sure they did all of their homework. That being said, will they have turkey or veggie burgers?
townie54
Sat, Oct 10, 2009 : 12:06 p.m.
now I like a good burger too but saying they are green when cattle production uses up more resources than almost any thing else in the world cracks me up.No I'm not against farming and I dont believe in man made global warming.I wont be alive when it happens anyway.But cmon if your associated with the cattle industry in any way your not "GREEN".So stop pretending