Roddyburger story: bringing smash burgers to Tunbridge Wells
Roddyburger had a mission: create the best burgers Tunbridge Wells has ever seen
Roddyburger started as a passion project in lockdown. Richard Oddy (see what we did with the name, there?) noticed there was a real lack of good burgers in Tunbridge Wells.
Having grown up in Tunbridge Wells, Richard decided if no one else was going to make good smash burgers in Kent then he'd have to do it himself.
Richard set about using the best ingredients, carefully sourced for maximum flavour and quality, crafting them into fresh, delicious burgers for the hungry Tunbridge Wells hordes. Everything would be made fresh, on-site in Tunbridge Wells. Here's the Roddy story...
We Roddy love a good burger
Where does your love of burgers come from?
Richard: Everyone loves a burger; they are that rare combination of comfort food, convenience and taste all rolled into one. For me, though, the most important part of any burger is the beef. If you can’t taste the beef then you don’t have a proper burger.
What made you want to start a burger business in Tunbridge Wells?
The pandamic and lockdowns came almost out of the blue and I found myself without a job and without access to a good burger. So, after a bit of investigation, I approached a local pub that was closed, rented their kitchen, and set about creating the best possible burgers.
Roddy cares about where our beef comes from
What beef do you use? What makes this beef better than anyone else's?
We use aged ex-dairy beef from a supplier in Wales. When we first started out we tried several local suppliers but nothing quite cut the mustard so to speak.
We needed a product with maximum flavour, but that was also sustainable and with a provenance that was transparent.
When we were first introduced to our supplier's ex-dairy beef. The taste blew us away and we knew we had found our supplier. We talk with them on a weekly basis and have now been sourcing our beef from them for four years.
Real burgers, made fresh in Tunbridge Wells
Tell us about your buns.
Our buns are sourced locally from a bakery called The Sussex Kitchen.
They are a demi-brioche bun that retain a slight sweetness but most importantly they keep their integrity with two juicy patties sandwiched between them.
You make your sauces in house - why?
Sauce should complement the beef in a burger, or the chicken in a sandwich. Other than using a well known brand of red and white sauce, we make everything ourselves in house.
Our house burger sauce was a labour of love initially until we came up with the right combination of spices that hit the mark, and our house BBQ sauce starts off using stock from our chicken wings. Everything is designed to give maximum flavour.
Homemade, independent, passionate
You love a pickle. Tell us about that...
Pickles make everything taste better. Fact. Every one of our burgers (except the blue cheese Francais!) features something pickled, as do many of our sides.
What do we pickle in house? Red onions, cucumbers, sweet peppers, chillies, daikon. You name it we’ve pickled it. And don't forget our beer battered fried pickles or “frickles”. They will enhance any meal!
What are you most proud of with Roddyburger?
I’m proud of the fact that we have achieved what we set out to do - create the best possible burgers. This is borne out by our huge repeat customer base and the fact we have grown from renting pub kitchens to having our own restaurant and events business.
The best smash burgers in Kent – Roddy approved
What's your Roddyburger order?
What a tough question! It has to be The Oklahoma and Brisket loaded fries. And maybe those fried pickles. Oh, and you better throw in some HOT wings! Crikey I’m hungry just thinking about it!
What are you waiting for?