ROCKFORD, MI -- Whether its a lunch rush visitor or mid-afternoon straggler, the guest experience starts with a prompt greeting at Bridge Street Burger Shack.
Burger Shack, located at 51 E. Bridge St. NE in Rockford, is a throwback fast casual restaurant offering a simple menu of quality ingredients. Its guests have come to expect nothing less.
The fast casual spot opened in May 2016 and has made its fingerprint on its community, employing families of school-aged teens and sponsoring Little League teams.
Owner Peter Setterington is a Marine Corps veteran. With 40 years of culinary experience, he helps prepare young employees for the workforce and aims to teach them how to set realistic expectations for themselves.
Setterington himself starting at a pizza shop at 15 years old. Then, he continued in fine dining and catering following military service.
When transitioning the kitchen from catering eight years ago, Setterington's goal was adding classic, accessible dining to Rockford without competing with other area businesses.
"When I travel, this has always been the kind of place I like to find," Setterington said. "The key to me was delivering a high-quality product at a really great price while taking the same approach as fine dining -- quality ingredients, hot and fresh, made to order."
The restaurant offers a simple menu focused on burgers and crinkle cut fries. Hamburgers are made with a chuck, brisket and sirloin blend in a smash patty style.
The double comes standard at just under a quarter pound. Kids burgers (single patty), black bean and impossible meat are also offered.
Burgers are made to order. For the indecisive, just say "stacked" for every topping or "deluxe" for lettuce, tomato and onion. All toppings are free of charge with the exception of bacon or an egg for $1.50, and extra cheese for $0.50.
Burger meals costs $10 for the double, $11 for the triple and $11.50 for the quad. The impossible meal is $11.25, and the black bean meal is $10.
Sides include loaded fries for $5.50 or one-pound "bag o' fries" for $6.
The eatery's beverage offerings include root beer floats made with hand-dipped ice cream for $2.50 and bottled soda from Cedar Springs Brewing Company.
"We're not pumping out food for the sake of it," Setterington said. "When people leave here, I want to be a five-star experience. It's a sense of pride for me."
Burger Shack is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday: The restaurant is closed Sunday.
Online ordering is limited to 10 items. For larger orders, customers should call the store.