See inside Burger 25's new Brick restaurant, opening this week
Brick, it's burger time.
The Vetter family, which opened Burger 25 more than a decade ago in Toms River, will add a third restaurant on Thursday, Aug. 22. With 126 seats and 4,000 square feet, the new location for Steve and Denise Vetter -- who run their restaurants with daughter, Alexis Wasilick, and son, Aidan Vetter -- is larger than their others in Toms River and Ship Bottom.
The restaurant is tucked between Icarus Brewing, which opened earlier this summer, and Mahana Fresh, which is opening soon, on Route 88.
"This is a location that we could not pass up," Denise said late last year.
Burger 25 is known for its burger and fried chicken sandwich selection, milkshakes and fries, plus menu items created in collaboration with local food businesses (Burger No. 25, which changes monthly, is currently topped with mozzarella cheese and pesto from nearby Livoti's World Market).
The menu at the new restaurant mirrors the others, with a new addition available only in Brick, Steve said: a Bavarian pretzel served with beer cheese made using Yacht Juice, one of Icarus' most popular brews.
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"I think it's perfect for (being next to) a brewery," Steve said.
The cheese also made its way onto Burger No. 3, the Brew House Burger, which comes on a Bavarian pretzel roll.
Burger 25's proximity to Icarus Brewing also means brewery patrons can order from the restaurant. Breweries in New Jersey are not allowed to sell food beyond packaged snacks but can coordinate with outside food vendors, so Icarus' patrons can order via tabletop QR code and Burger 25's employees will deliver.
Restaurant customers can also bring cans from the brewery to have with their dinner.
"I believe it is a match made in heaven," Steve said in a prior interview. "We've always welcomed BYOB, and to be next to one of the most popular breweries in New Jersey ... it’s awesome."
As for the restaurant itself, fun doodle art and big-screen televisions cover the walls, arcade games are available at the rear of the dining room, and a telephone pole strung with sneakers -- a nod to the Nike Dunks worn by employees -- hangs over the front door
"We want to have unique features at every single store," Steve said. "We want each individual location ... to have its own unique feel."
Go: 2045 Route 88, Brick; 732-451-4747, burger25.com. Also at 199 Route 37 in Toms River, 732-270-0025, and 1915 Long Beach Blvd. in Ship Bottom, 609-879-2525.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: See inside Burger 25's new location, opening this week
