31-29 Ditmars Blvd
May 30, 2018 By Tara Law
A small restaurant chain known for offering extravagant burgers, milkshakes and sandwiches plans to open an Astoria location in August.
Burgerology, which is known for serving burgers loaded with creative toppings and frosting-coated milkshakes, will open at 31-29 Ditmars Blvd, the former location of MP Taverna.
The Astoria Burgerology will be the restaurant’s third location. It opened its first restaurant in Rockville, Long Island, in February 2017, and its second in Huntington, Long Island, in August.
Mac Attack Burger served with fries (Photo: Burgerology/ Facebook)
The restaurant has built a “cult following,” according to John Falcicchio, the general manager of the restaurants. He said restaurant goers enjoy the wide and wacky range of burgers, cocktails, fries and shake toppings that are offered.
These include the “mac attack” burger— a burger topped with mac and cheese, cheese sauce and served on a pretzel bun.
Side dishes include “short rib poutine” as well as house cut fries topped with cheese curds, braised short rib and Cabernet gravy.
The restaurant also serves more traditional options, including salads and non-beef burgers made with black bean soy-based patties, tuna, turkey and lamb.
The source of the restaurant’s success, Falcicchio says, is that the food looks as good on social media as it tastes.
The creation of the restaurant’s shakes— crafted by coating a glass in vanilla frosting and rolling it with cereal and candy toppings— was featured in a video by online lifestyle magazine Insider. The video was viewed nearly 100,000 times.
The restaurant also boasts a full bar with similarly innovative cocktail options, including a cocktail that lets off smoke.
“These days everybody has some form of social media, and people forever have been eating with their eyes,” Falcicchio said. The menu items, he said, are “all geared and built towards making amazing pictures.”
Burgerology Shakes (Photo: Burgerology/ Facebook)
However, customers drawn to the restaurant by photos and videos come back, he said, because of the taste.
All of the burgers are served with USDA prime beef; the food is served with house made dressings and sauces; and the fries are cut by hand, Falcicchio said.
Burgerology has been around for less than two years, but its owners have a burger joint legacy.
The company is run by husband and wife team, Eddie and Georgia Gatoulas. Georgia also co-owns New York Burger Bar in Massapequa, Long Island. Their children, John and Maria Gatoulas, will be co-managers at the Ditmars location.
The Ditmars location will be Burgerology’s largest, and is planned to feature 100 indoor and 80 outdoors seats, as well as an upstairs event space. Upon opening, Burgerology will also deliver to the surrounding area.
