Amy Pressman has no qualms about a massive Umami Burger flagship setting up at the Grove. Even though it'll be so close to Short Order, her burger-focused venture at the Farmer's Market, Pressman sees the two upcoming restaurants as "completely different" and thus nothing to worry about.
Pressman has known about Fleischman's plans to expand to the Grove for months. She seems to shrug her shoulders at the potentially cutthroat competition that Umami represents and admits to the Huffington Post, "there's a lot of burger places in the world. I'm certainly not thinking that no one else can have one next to mine."
Of Umami founder Adam Fleischman, Pressman says, "He wants to be the new Fuddruckers, the new Johnny Rockets." Short Order, on the other hand, will be a completely unique experience not meant to be replicated elsewhere. "Every part of it, from the drinks to the wine, is going to be really spectacular and really distinctive," Pressman promises. "It'll absolutely have my own personal imprint on it."
The "Fuddruckers" and "Johnny Rockets" descriptions are an interesting choice of words for Pressman, especially considering that the LA Times cited both burger chains to describe what Fleischman is trying to avoid. "People are bored of those concepts," Fleischman told the LA Times. "I was focused on doing something new and exciting," he said of the national burger chains.
In the same article, Fleischman also admitted, "I was wanting to do 50 restaurants from Day One." And with SBE's new backing, he'll get the chance to attempt a nationwide chain. Together, Umami and SBE are planting new restaurants from San Francisco to New York. Grub Street LA reports that the goal is twelve new restaurants a year.
Short Order, a seasonal gourmet burger concept, is slated to open at the Farmer's Market in late September. Nancy Silverton of Mozza is a partner on the project. From Zagat, more on the restaurant concept:
Short Order will be "the reinvention of classic burgers utilizing all types of proteins: beef, pork, lamb, fish and tofu topped with homemade condiments like flavored aïolis, mustards, ketchups, pickles, relishes and spreads, served along side dishes, classic appetizers, salads, desserts baked on the premises, and custard-based milkshakes utilizing local ingredients...as well as artisanal beers and California wines."
Short Order will also encompass an adjacent bakery, which Pressman is naming Short Cake. The bakery will have a huge coffee component ("single origin, like Intelligentsia," says Pressman) and will provide Short Order with custard milkshakes and other sweets.
CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to clarify Short Cake and Short Order's offerings.