Interior paneling at Larkburger venues is
Monterey cypress, and units were built
from reclaimed timber salvaged from urban
forests in the San Francisco Bay area.
The company has pledged to protect the
environment by being ecologically minded
and driven.
Brent Bingham, Photo Effects
housemade, the buns are baked fresh
every day and fresh produce is sliced daily.
We do not cook or serve any items that are
manufactured or preserved. The food is
wholesome and it’s affordable—a person
can order an entire meal for about $10.”
patty, the appeal is the outer crispness with
the soft texture of the inner burger. With a
thick burger, which could be ½ pound or so
of meat, you can judge its doneness.
How would you like that cooked?
DMK Burger Bar cooks all its burgers to a
well-done state. “It’s a decision stylistically,
qualitatively and for health reasons that I
have chosen to have all burgers cooked to
this doneness,” Kornick says. “Our burgers
are made from grass-fed beef that has been
shown to have less E. coli than commercial
beef, but the truth is, too many people
order their hamburgers at an undercooked
temperature—that’s one thing.”
“Also, if you go to any hot dog stand, or
even a McDonald’s, those places never
ask you how you want your burger cooked.
Burgers are automatically cooked well.
Most people eat their burgers cooked well-
done without question.”
Beyond burgers
Going beyond the food served at
Larkburger, the restaurant is ecologically
minded and driven. It uses energy-efficient commercial equipment. All
cups and containers are a 100%
biodegradable corn-based product, and
utensils are made from 80% potato
starch or 20% soy oil. The eco-friendly
packaging is made with unbleached
paper pulp. The interior paneling is
Monterey cypress from Live Edge LLC,
Oakland, Calif., and reclaimed timber was
salvaged from urban forests in the San
Francisco Bay area and used to build
the units. (A portion of sales is used to
replenish the source and plant new trees.)
In comparison, Larkburger’s burgers are
cooked to order. “We feel customers need
to be given the choice on how they want
their hamburger cooked—it’s part of the
dining experience,” Baker says. “The only
other choice we give them is, instead of a
bun, they can choose a lettuce wrap.
Kornick also points out he has to consider
the size of the burger patties. He bases
the burgers on those at Shake Shack
and Irvine, Calif.-based In-N-Out Burger.
“Our burgers are 5-ounce patties cooked
on a 375ºF griddle. The appeal of this
size burger, when cooked well, is the
caramelization and crispness on the
outer edges balanced with the special
seasonings we’ve developed. A thin,
flattened-out 5-ounce patty only takes two
to three minutes to cook, but on a thick
“When we started talking about this
concept, we wanted to be responsible in
serving the best food possible, and we
wanted to be responsible to help protect
the environment,” Baker says. “We can’t
just generate a whole bunch of trash that
we can’t do anything with. Everything
we give our customers on their trays is
compostable, so we are not generating a
lot of waste to fill a landfill.
“We decide on the toppings, too. For
example, we think Tillamook cheddar
cheese is the best cheese on a burger,
and that’s the only cheese we offer for
those who want a cheeseburger.”
“We pay a little more for certain items, but
we need to be responsible. We would not
have been able to do this concept with a
clear conscience if we’d used Styrofoam
cups and other items that not compostable.”
No burger is complete without an
accompaniment, so both DMK Burger Bar
and Larkburger also offer sides, shakes,
beer and fountain drinks.
Rob Benes is a freelance writer and former
editor of Chef and Chef Educator Today
magazines. He specializes in foodservice
and is based in Chicago.
