Mama’s Boy Burgers, a grab-and-go eatery serving local grass-fed burgers and 26 flavors or custard has recently opened under a giant ice cream cone in Tannersville, New York.
“I’ve never owned a building with a giant ice cream cone on it before,” said Michael Koegel, new restaurant owner of Mama’s Boy Burgers that opened in late May of this year in Tannersville.
As a first-time proprietor, Koegel moved from New York City to open a coffee shop in Phoenicia, Mama’s Boy Market and Café, a place he felt was much needed in the small town. After his five years of success as a coffee shop owner, he felt the need to expand and take a risk on another venture.
After considering many different locations for his burger shop, Koegel settled in Tannersville since there didn’t seem to be a place within the community to grab a quick burger for a casual meal. “Mama’ Boy Burgers is to Tannersville as a lobster shack is to Cape Code,” said Koegel. “It’s a roadside attraction. Stop in, get a burger and a ice cream, and go on your way”.
The building was home to the former Smiley’s Ice Cream. The shop continues to serve ice cream, but now features the popular local brand, Jane’s Ice Cream. Additionally they also offer a variety of chef-designed burgers made with grass-fed beef, grain-finished Black Angus cattle raised at JJF Farm in nearby East Jewett.
Koegel is running the business in partnership with the Hunter Foundation and has signed a rent-to-own agreement in the quaint mountain town. Koegel hired New York City chef Merrill Moore to develop the menu, which features six varieties of burgers with fixings such as caramelized onions, smoked mozzarella, basil mayonnaise, and more. The menu also includes a vegetarian falafel burger, hot dogs, salads, and grilled cheese sandwiches. “Crafting the dessert menu for Mama’s Boy Burgers was a no-brainer. “This place came with an ice cream cone on top,” said Koegel. The shop is serving up 12 flavors of ice cream, 26 flavors of frozen custard and other dessert classics.
Koegel’s goal is to source locally as much as possible and is optimistic about the shop’s success. “People think this is the middle of nowhere,” he said, “but it’s quicker for me to get here from my house in Phoenicia than to go to Woodstock.”
Tannersville is on the upswing, with the recently renovated theater, a thriving antique center on Main Street, and the Hunter Mountain Brewery a few miles to the west.
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Topics: Success Stories
