Johnny Rockets launched a new Millennial-focused fast-casual concept Wednesday called Johnny’s Burger Factory, which the company plans to grow as a sub-brand.

Located in about 1,000 square feet at the Walden Galleria mall in Buffalo, N.Y., the Johnny’s Burger Factory restaurant is the first of two company locations to open this year. The second is scheduled to open outside Syracuse, N.Y., in November.

The concept is designed to appeal to a new generation of customers, with faster service and customization, as well as new technologies that are both consumer facing and in the kitchen to speed cook times, officials said.

“This is targeted to deliver a better-burger experience in a more Millennial-friendly environment,” said James Walker, Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Johnny Rockets president of global operations and development. “The Johnny Rockets brand is synonymous with families, vacations and those type of event-driven occasions. Burger Factory is a little hipper, a little more irreverent, and will focus on burgers, shakes, fries and new hand-breaded chicken tenders and onion rings.”

Guests order at the counter using touch-screen kiosks to build their burgers, Walker said. A self-serve “sauce bar” features eight dipping sauce options to pair with the chicken tenders, fries and onion rings.

In the kitchen is new technology, including “clamshell cooking” systems that cook a burger patty in one minute, along with faster fryers. Walker said the concept can execute a made-to-order burger with fries in less than four minutes.

Down the road, the goal is to add technologies that will allow for baked-in-house buns and house-made ice cream.

On the consumer-facing side, restaurants will have a video wall and a digital menu board designed to resemble a handwritten chalkboard. Team members will wear jeans, T-shirts and butcher-style aprons.

The restaurants will feature Coke Freestyle machines on the soda side, as well as milk shakes.

The average check is around $10 per person, which is similar to Johnny Rockets.

Johnny’s Burger Factory will open without beer or wine, but will add service of those beverages about 45 days after opening, Walker said.

A float made with Guinness beer, for example, is planned, and about four craft beers will be on tap.

Johnny Rockets has experimented with fast-casual variants over the past few years under previous management teams, including JR’s Burger Grill in 2012, which has since closed. The casual-dining chain was acquired by an affiliate of private-equity firm Sun Capital Partners Inc. in 2013.

Last year, the 344-unit chain rolled out a new Route 66-inspired prototype with various formats, and a Johnny Rockets Express quick-service concept is growing in nontraditional locations like college campuses.

Walker said the company is moving forward with those Johnny Rockets formats, but Johnny’s Burger Factory is a very different alternative.

“We’re talking to franchisees both domestically and internationally who are very excited about this direction,” he said. “We believe this will accelerate very quickly.”

The better-burger space is increasingly crowded, but Walker contended Johnny’s Burger Factory will stand out for its strength across the simple menu, offering great burgers along with high-quality fries, shakes and chicken tenders.

“We want to hit all four at the top of our game, and we think that’s a unique competitive menu strategy, to do all those things well but also to wrap it in a Millennial-friendly environment,” he said.

Charles Bruce, who was named Johnny Rockets president and CEO in March, said there is a lot of “sameness” in the better-burger world. Johnny’s Burger Factory will strive to be different.

The concept will also appeal to the nation’s growing Hispanic population, which Bruce noted is growing at seven times the rate of the general population.

Hispanic consumers tend to eat out in larger groups, for example, and Johnny’s Burger Factory will have more flexible seating and community tables.

“There’s a lot of demand for it. Consumers like it, and, like everything else in the restaurant industry, it’s about meeting needs,” Bruce said. “We feel this will meet changing needs most effectively.”

Photo: Johnny Rockets

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].

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