Under the wing of a dedicated veteran chef, a smash burger joint in Cherrydale is aspiring to regional stardom since opening last spring.
Equipped with heated food lockers and contactless ordering screens, Burger Billy’s Joint opened last April at 3800 Langston Blvd, primarily as a takeout and delivery option for its smash patty creations.
These days, the restaurant’s owners are optimistic despite being surrounded by vacant retail bays in what has been a difficult spot for past businesses. The joint plans to add beers and wines to the menu and expand the brand across the D.C. region, co-owner Payman Ahrarian told ARLnow.
He said Burger Billy’s is quickly growing into something more than a carryout — with hundreds of positive reviews, local media praise and a growing customer base that includes the Washington Commanders and visitors from as far as Richmond.
“It’s fantastic,” Ahrarian said. “We’ve exceeded the typical expectations for a restaurant: when you hit break-even point, when you hit profitability. Most restaurants don’t make it past a year. When we hit a year, we saw traffic just go up instead of down.”
Leading the charge is not the fictitious “Billy,” but head chef Keshaun Winston, whose star-studded experience includes cooking for President Barack Obama and Russ Parr.
Groups of customers began shuffling in around noon yesterday (Wednesday), placing orders or picking up to-go bags. Some partook in the restaurant’s $15 lunch deals, which are available from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Nowadays, about 60% of the joint’s profits come from dine-in customers. Winston said its busiest times are weekends.
It’s a feat for Burger Billy’s, which opened in what has historically been a difficult spot for businesses – previously home to Kite Runner Cafe, Gajin Ramen Shop, and most recently, L.A. Leaf, all of which shuttered in the past decade.
“To be quite honest, I was worried too, because we have no other neighbors,” Ahrarian said. “All the spaces next to us are vacant, so we had to find a way to pull foot traffic to ourselves.”
Winston and Ahrarian said the eatery’s success hinges on a couple different factors, including social media influencers who have helped drum up attention.
However, the “main ingredient,” Winston said, is attentive customer service. The head chef is adamant about greeting patrons and building connections “from the time they hit the door.”
“As soon as we get to making their food, I tell them, ‘Let’s get excited. We’re excited for y’all,'” Winston said. “So when they bite into their food, it’s like, the job is done. Like, fireworks go off. And then we’re back to the next customer to do the same exact thing.”
When he serves newcomers, he likes to say, “welcome to your new burger spot.”
The menu offers just four signature burgers, favoring quality over quantity. Each is made-to-order with 4-ounce smash patties from Winchester beef, stacked on fluffy brioche from Lyon Bakery in Hyattsville, Md. The restaurant also serves fries, wings and hot dogs.
Winston’s special and best-seller is the Cherrydale Brisket Burger, layered with grilled onions, smoked gouda and candied rosemary bacon and topped with a homemade honey bourbon barbecue sauce.
Looking ahead, the joint is awaiting approval from the state to serve local craft beers and wines sourced from Loudon County. The kitchen is also experimenting with a potential kebab-inspired burger — a flavorful nod to Ahrarian and co-owner Bob Amin’s Persian heritage.
The team is also in the process of scouting potential new locations across the D.C. area, in localities like Tysons, Leesburg and Ashburn.
“I don’t want to speak to a possibility, but we are actively looking for number two,” Ahrarian said. “Then in the next 10 years, hopefully scale enough to have 15, 20 locations.”
