Elite Event: Smashburger’s Halloween Spooktacular

«Don Diego: Tell the people Zorro is back! To defend the defenseless! Befriend the friendless! And to defeat… the defeatless!»
— Zorro: The Gay Blade (1981)
Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night could stay this particular Masked Man from the eventual completion of his appointed rounds — but Google Maps sure gave me a run for my money…
Last week, I was fortunate enough to bag a spot on the guest list to check out what was rumored to be some exceptional chain food (is that an oxymoron?). However, when I told Google Maps to take me to the correct address, I found myself at what turned out to be Aunt Morticia’s Funeral Parlor and Chop Shop. While the décor seemed to fit right in to the Halloween theme of Unilocal’s Spooktacular event, the combination of the residential neighborhood it was in, and the way the zombies and ghouls out front were hungrily eyeing both my brains and the spoiler on my Mazda 3 made me hesitant to park. Switching to my in-​car Nav system, I realized in the Nick (J.) of time that I was nowhere NEAR Kansas, and headed back into the light. I arrived at Smashburger almost half an hour late, but with my brains uneaten, and my Mazda still intact.
Kudo’s to Christine and her Smashburger veterans for the exceptional job they did hosting our crew of twenty Unilocal Elites. The whole staff was very poised and charming; they’d obviously been around the soft-​opening block before, and they really rolled out the red carpet for us all; we NEVER ran out of food! There were seven burgers on our tasting menu,
as well as three different types of fries and two kinds of shakes: the traditional oreo cookie and the PBJ.
Despite the fact of my late start, the staff kept the food coming, and I managed to taste five out of the seven burgers. My surprise favorite of the night was the Spicy Veggie Black Bean — pepper jack cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, onion, chipotle and fresh halapenos on a spicy chipotle bun. While the texture wasn’t optimal, the distinctly strong flavors blended surprising well into a truly tasty combination. As surprised as I am to be saying this, I didn’t miss the meat at all…
To my regret, I only managed to taste one of the three types of fries — the SmashFries.
While they looked incredible, there was something off about them; they didn’t taste quite right. Maybe it was freezer burn (if the potatoes were fresh, they sure didn’t taste like it!) or maybe the oil they were fried in had seen too much recent action — I’ll just have to go back one of these days and do another sampling.
It was great catching up with the lovely and talented surrealist Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (aka Cat V.), the exotically striking Nyota Uhura (aka Denise L.), and a rare privilege to watch Karen Silkwood’s steroid-​crazed stunt-​double (aka Adam D.) doing radiation-​fueled jumping jacks in the parking lot afterwards :-)
Many thanks to Abby S. for organizing yet another over-​the-​top Elite Event!

This very intimate YEE was a spooktastic SMASH! I was thrilled to be one of the lucky few selected to be on the guest list and I had so much fun dressing up for Halloween. I wasn’t dressed as a French Maid, but as Alice in Wonderland’s darker side — Dark Alice! There were a ton of cool and sexy costumes, but I love «cute» ones the best, such as Marlyn A.‘s Pikachu and Jenna L.‘s Peter Pan! The SWAT team was kick-​ass, armed (with deprecation) and ready to protect us and our tasty bites.
I had never been to a Smashburger before this event. My friend in Vegas raves about them, so I was really excited to sample their menu. The burgers were all delicious, but my favorites were the BBQ, Bacon and Cheddar Burger and Truffle Mushroom Swiss Burger. Bursting with flavor, these tasty burgers SMASHED my taste buds. I’m still dreaming of them… Can’t wait for my next Smashburger fix!
The staff members were super friendly, offering us lots of drink refills and laughs. We even got to take a tour of the kitchen, to see where the magic happens. Hefty balls of beef are smashed on the flat top for a perfect sear and sprinkled with the owner’s proprietary and top-​secret spice blend. We got to taste a freshly cooked patty and it was so beefy and juicy. Great stuff.
Thanks Abby S. for an awesome YEE event and Smashburger for allowing Unilocalers an intimate and cool behind the scenes experience. Cheers!

What a smashing event! (Pun intended)
It was so much fun dressing up with everyone for this intimate Halloween event. When I heard there was another Smashburger tasting event, I crossed my fingers and RSVP’d! I was already a fan of their juicy patties and buns but I wanted to taste the other selections.
My favorite, hands down, was the BBQ, Bacon & Cheddar burger. AH, when in doubt, the one with bacon never fails! The BBQ sauce did not overwhelm the meat at all, everything went together perfectly. I loooove my bacon crispy & Smashburger did it right! Another standout was the Avocado Club Chicken. I’m usually skeptical of chicken choices because they tend to be too dry and unseasoned but wow, this one was amazing! I might have to try the BBQ, Bacon & Cheddar burger with CHICKEN. It’s nice that they allow you to customize like that (:
They also have regional burgers which you can only order at that geographical region. Our Bay Burger is pretty darn good. Arugula & truffle oil, yum! SECRET MENU: Sin City’s burger is available at ALL regions! My favorite fries would have to be the Smashfries but I didn’t get to sample any that night. No worries because the sweet potato fries, onion straws & fried pickles (secret menu, too!) were all very tasty. The shakes are made with Haagen Dazs ice cream. Oreo was soooo good!
We even got to take a tour in the kitchen to see how their beef & chicken patties are smashed with a proprietary tool. Thank you to the lovely crew at Smashburger for opening their doors to us before the public had a chance to preview! & thank you to Abby & Jordan, you guys are amazing! Can’t wait to come back to use the free entrée voucher!

I have been to three (3) Unilocal events the past few years. First time as a +1 (not yet an Elite, nor did I was planning to be one), second one was a casual invite where RSVPing was not mandatory to attend. This event would mark my third (3^rd) Unilocal Event and second (2^nd) as a Elite to attend. I have to say, the Unilocal Elite events are way better –and you feel so privileged to be attend.
I wasn’t sure what to expect on a solo venturing to a Elite Event since I’ve never done that before. I normally would be nervous in these cases, this evening I was so drained from my day job that I had no energy to feel nervous about anything.
It took me a minute to find this location. I finally pulled up the Unilocal app on my phone, hoping there will be photos of the outside of this burger joint to give me some clue to where it’s located at. To much success, it did!
Parked in my Halloween fit (the realistic police officer), I walked through the entrance and was greeted with eyes of speculation. I’m sure I stood out like a sore thumb, someone who didn’t seem to belong in the Unilocal community. The lovely lady scanned my phone for admission, I checked in to this event for a free mini kitkat bar, walked to the cash register for a cup for water, grabbed my water and sat in a seat that was closest to the soft drinks dispensers. Here I am sitting next to a John D. (which turns out to be a really cool gentlemen). Another guy scoot over and sat with us (which I forgot the name of –sorry. He end up leaving to hang out with other people later on).
Right away, I started trying the appetizers that was already served. Our table had skinny french fries, deep fried sliced pickles and a basket of fried green beans and carrots. They were all very tasty. I wasn’t a fan of the pickle entrée, but I’m sure if I was a fan of pickles I would’ve liked it.
Abby settled down the 20 or so of us to hand over the attention to Christine. I couldn’t help but to notice how perfect she is as a hostess. Her hair so perfectly curled, blonde, her speech/​talk/​introduction about the smash burgers, her delivery kept my attention to what she was saying, she was awesome (as a great hostess, you always follow up on your clientele to see what people’s responses are and how they’re doing. Most would be to shy or afraid or lack the basic knowledge of doing so. Christine, however, was very professional and was a great hostess –helps to be looker as well)
From the classic/​traditional burgers (Classic Smash) to the –what I called– manly burgers (BBQ, Bacon & Cheddar, Truffle Mushroom Swiss, & Bay Burger) to the healthier selection (Spicy Veggie Black Bean, Classic Chicken, Avocado Club chicken). Confession, I didn’t taste the last three (3). Not because I didn’t want to (I can assure you, I really do) it was because I didn’t take Abby’s advice and wore pants with an elastic waste band. No, we did not have 7 whole burgers but was given ¼ of each burger. I think we were given about 2 – 4 minutes to finish each one.
We were then given the opportunity to taste the traditional oreo cookie shake (small shot size) and the peanut butter shake as well. I have to say, the peanut butter shake was mighty tasty.
After watching my table-​mates taste the last few burgers, I sat and digested as much as I can. Later on Smashburger offered to walk us to the cooking area to show us how they smash the patties at smashburger. As interesting as it sounds, I actually didn’t want to because I didn’t want to walk out of there smelling like oil and meat. Convinced and at the same time didn’t want my table-​mate to experience it by himself, I joined in on the fun. Besides, I always like the BTS (behind the scene) stuff anyways.
The verdict: I had a surprisingly fun time. Thanks to Abby (and crew) to pull this event together, Christine our well spoken and beautiful hostess for walking us through each burger, and my table-​mate John D. which I enjoyed communicating with throughout the night.
So… when’s the next Unilocal event? =D

The Elite event for the Smashburger was as smashing as the first one, at the Coleman location. Actually, with the inclusion of Halloween, it was even more spectacular. Like the first time, the event was very exclusive and intimate. Sitting at the table and being served is by far my favorite way of enjoying great Unilocal company.
Everyone came out dressed up in very elaborate Halloween costumes. It was fabulous to see the extent of participation. We had a couple of cute Cats (Janet O. & Janet N.), Robin Hood (Jenna L.), the SWAT team (Ly D. & Alex L.), Cleanroom technician (myself), Zoro (Glenn G.), the Dark Alice (Lyv K.), Pikachu (Marlyn A.), Mr. President (Deep S.), a Flapper (Abby S.) and the poet Frieda Kahlo (Cat V.). If I have missed you, I’m sorry.
The Smashburger team deserves a standing ovation, they made the event very relaxing and allowed us to focus on the smashing food and company. The beer was flowing, the burgers were smashing and the food kept coming! This is probably my tenth Smashburger visit and I’m still not over the juicy and flavorful meat it had patented. Anyone that tells me these burgers are dry or tasteless needs to get their palate checked by a doctor!
The best part was the visit to the kitchen to learn about the unique process of smashing a burger. I was recruited by 5 minutes and made my own Smashburger. My ability to make a juicy one secured a backup profession.
Thanks Abby for yet another smashing event! By the way, I’m still FULL!

I’m not sure what got me more excited: learning I just made Elite or finding out I’d be eligible for a 7-​course tasting by one of my favorite burger places, Smashburger! I submitted my RSVP and boy was I stoked when I made the guest list! Happy time!
I arrived in my Construction Worker outfit and was quickly grabbed by some random dude who wisked me away to a secret labyrinth of tunnels inside Westgate Mall. «Boy being Elite is awesome!», I thought to myself giddily. Two seconds later Homeboy plops a set of construction plans in front of my face and I freeze. «Uhhh… I’m here for the Unilocal-​thingy…», I state sheepishly.
«Oh. you’re not here to fix the AC??», he responds confused.
After staring at each other for a few seconds I begin to backpedal. «I’m gonna go now…»
I then proceeded to find the real entrance and checked in with Abby and her crew. They pointed me to the front where I ordered an adult beverage and found an unoccupied seat. I was soon joined by two new Unilocal friends, Cathy N & Carl W. We barely had time to chat it up when the event started. Let me state that I’m not much of a night owl and I really appreciated them getting everything going in a quick and efficient manner. Our host, Christine from Smashburger, took us through an extensive 7-​course tasting that also included sides and shakes. Here are some quick highlights:
Sides– Veggie Frites are pretty good and I think I might prefer them to the Smashfries. We also sampled a Secret Menu Item: Fried Pickles; they were a bit salty but oddly addicting. I had to stop myself from eating them so I wouldn’t fill up before the burgers.
Burgers– We sampled 7 types of burgers and chicken sandwiches. My two favorites were the Truffle Mushroom Swiss Burger (TMSB) and Spicy Veggie Black Bean (SVBB). The TMSB seemed to be the consensus favorite from everyone at my table and a few other reviews/​tips I’ve seen. The TMSB name says it all, but the SVBB is a different story. I know what you’re thinking: surely the King of Carnivores isn’t jumping ships is he? Fear not amigos. I’m not jumping ships but merely expanding my horizons. I really liked the spiciness of the SVBB and I’m already a huge fan of Black Beans so this was a definite winner in my book. I highly recommend this to all my Veg-​Head friends.
Shakes– I tried the Oreo and the PB&J shake and, while I love me some Oreo, I’m simply smitten with the PB&J. For those who don’t know the Smashburger PB&J is a Häagen-​Daz Strawberry Shake with bits of Nutter Butter cookies inside; it’s as good as it sounds.
I’d like to finish off by thanking Unilocal,Abby and (most importantly) Smashburger for hosting the event. The whole thing was fantastic and a good time and full belly was had by all. I can’t wait for my next YEE. Hopefully there will be less pre-​event kerfuffles but at least I’ll always have a good story to tell to go along with all my wonderful burger memories.

For those of us who aren’t Elite newbies or surpassed the 5-​yr mark yet, we were given a second chance to attend another Smashburger grand opening event. The last one was located on Coleman Ave in the Target shopping center. This one is also in the Target shopping center, about 8 miles west in the Westfield Mall.
The welcoming wagon at Smashburger opened up their doors to about 20 of South Bay’s finest Elite members to try their rendition of how they do their burgers. We got to sample their Angus burgers, chicken sandwiches, and vegan burgers along with fries, haystack onions, deep fried pickles (surprisingly good), and Haagen Daz milk shakes.
Before each burger was brought out, Christine described how each of them are unique in their own way. She also gave us great insight on the history of how the Denver-​based Smashburger is the nation’s fastest growing burger chain!
For those of us who were interested, we got to go back to the kitchen where we were shown a step-​by-​step process in how they make these delicious burgers (see my photos). All their ingredients are top-​notch premium products!
Shhhh: On their secret menu: Nutter Butter milkshake, PB&J milkshake, deep fried pickles, and some of their regional burgers are avail in ALL their locations.
This event was so dope even the President stopped by to have a taste!

Can I has cheezburger?!
Woo! Kitty got to spend the night eating tons of burgers, sandwiches and sides at the great Smashburger!
Talk about VIP treatment as elites got to experience a private tasting before this location’s grand opening. Loved the Halloween theme as it is nearing the spooky holiday and loved everyone’s costumes. It’s not everyday you get to dine in with animals, animé characters and people like the SWAT team, Zorro, a 20s flapper and Frida Kahlo!
For the tasting menu, you can bet I bounced like a little kitty and pounced on every burger that came out! Uh oh! Every burger and sandwich was downright awesome and delicious, but my favorites have got to be the Classic Smash, Truffle Mushroom swiss and the Avocado Club Chicken. For sides we got to try a variety, but I was surprisingly liked the fried pickles. It’s the contrast of the crisp exterior with the juicy, sourness of the pickle inside! Also, not forgetting the milkshakes here will definitely bring all the boys (and girls) to the yard! The Oreo and Nutter Butter milkshakes were to die for!
This Spooktacular wasn’t just limited to a just a tasting as we got a good in depth lesson on Smashburger’s origins and goals. I didn’t know Smashburger was from Colorado and the owner had such credibility with coming up with the famous McDonald’s «Big N Tasty» as well as the «Dollar Menu» talk about genius! So thank you for coming to the Bay area
So what puts the «smash» in Smashburger, of course it’s their patent pending smashing doohickey which we got to witness first hand and give it a try ourselves. Freshly rolled balls of prime angus beef, buttered grill, smashed to order, seasoned, grilled and flipped once. Sometimes simplicity really is the best.
Thanks again to Abby S and the amazing Smashburger staff who put on a great event and made our tasting at Smashburger purr-​fect.
Meow, meow, meow, meow. Kitty, Janet out! (=^･ｪ･^=)

It’s so much fun dressing up during Halloween. It’s even more fun when you get treated to an excellent burger place with fellow elites!
Dressed as a cat eating burgers? All seven kinds of them? My paw was greasy, messy and has never held so much good food for a spooktacular event!
The highlight for me was being taken to the back to watch the smash master show us how to prepare a smashing burger! Oh meow… The smashed meat we tried right after it was cooked was juicy and tasty as is! The smashing tool could be bought for $ 300 if you’re inclined to smash your own at home.
The staff was awesome. Free VIP treatment for Unilocal Elites before the place opens to the public. Thanks Smashburger for the welcome. Thanks Abby for the opportunity to once again enjoy a smashing business!

Sit down, SMASH
Stand up, SMASH
Pass out, SMASH
Wake up, SMASH
Faded, SMASH
~~~Welcome to SMASHBURGER~~~
First time here and definitely won’t be my last yo… Where do I start… I got there kind of late as I working on Obama Care Q&A with the House and Senate members!?!
Mushroom burger — super moist and juicy.
Classic Chicken — tasted super healthy and a nice alternative if you’re not craving beef
BBQ Bacon Burger — my favorite, the bacon is cooked on point and the sauce is damn goodz!
They also had the yummy smash fries but I loved it when they brought out shakes. The Oreo shake was amazing, tasted like cookies and cream ice cream (which is my favorite kind of ice cream).
Burger Tour:
We were taken on a burger tour, where we were introduced to the infamous smashing tool (which cost about $ 300, yikes)…They slapped some aprons on us and put us to work, the smash tool is used to flatten the meat, next we seasoned the patty, we left it on grill for 10 seconds, and then flipped it over and cooked the other side. Next we did a taste test and the patty was indeed amazing!?!
Big thanks to Smash Burger and Abby S. for a night filled with yummy burgers, fries, milkshakes, and goodie bags… I’z was nice and stuffed by the end of the night :)

Wow, this was truly a VIP event! Thanks to our awesome community manager Abby S. and the wonderful Smashburger staff, 20 of us were lucky to sample the new location prior to its grand opening. It’s rare for an event to be so intimate… and for everyone to be in costume!
BURGERS: We were swept off our feet by a 7-​course menu of burger heaven.
— — — — — -
1) Classic Smash — Delicious! Keeping it simple, this burger allows you to really taste the flavors of your meat.
2) BBQ, Bacon, & Cheddar — With a subtle BBQ taste and ingredients that just can’t lead you astray, this was one of my favorite burgers of the night.
3) Truffle Mushroom Swiss — I was getting full, but I took a bite. Truffle oil is yummy!
4) Bay Burger — Still my favorite: can’t go wrong with truffle oil, arugula, and ciabatta bread.
5) Classic Chicken — Impressed with the good quality of chicken.
6) Avocado Club Chicken — Even better than the classic! Nice to know there are healthy options.
7) Spicy Veggie Black Bean — I was way too stuffed to try it, but feedback was solid.
SHAKES & FRIES: Oh, those decadent milkshakes and savory fries…
— — — — — — — — -
*Smashfries — thin and crispy, just the way we like it!
*Sweet Potato Fries — a thicker cut, but still very light
*Oreo — I’ve grown up loving Oreo shakes, but this was probably the best I’ve had.
*PBJ (yes, peanut butter & jelly!) — Addictive and nostalgic. I’m probably subconsciously dreaming up fond memories from my childhood when I have this shake.
STAFF:
— — — -
5 stars all around, from the manager Craig making sure we were full and happy, to the marketing specialist describing all the menu items. The servers were all friendly and helpful, and kept indulging our bellies! We even got a behind-​the-​scene tour of how burgers get ‘smash’ed. Fun staff made this an incredible night.
I already enjoyed Smashburger and this spot at Westgate Mall is no exception. I’m even more of a fan! I know it’s going to be super popular as soon as it opens and lines will be out the door. Thank you Smashburger for graciously hosting us before the big day!

Ahhh a wonderfully intimate & festive Unilocal elite event! I loved that everyone dressed up!
Food was delicious, Smashburger was so so SO generous with their 3 sides and tastings of 7 burgers/​sandwiches and shakes. I’m stuffed but so happily so!
I love that there was someone from their corporate office (I think?) explain the process and the background of Smashburger, it just shows how much they love and care about their company and really stand by their product. I also enjoyed how she explained each burger as they were being brought out. Favorites of the night were the Smashfries, the truffle mushroom burger & the classic chicken sandwich. Oh how could I forget the oreo haagen-​dazs shake?!
All their burgers were delicious and flavorful, super kudos to the chicken burger, I’ve never had a chicken burger/​sandwich so flavorful. Smashing that chicken thin, a smashing good idea & the black bean burger which was surprisingly good with one helluva kick!
Really felt like VIPs (uh cos we ARE), the staff there were so friendly and funny, and I really enjoyed the behind-​the-​scenes tour! A first for me at an event.
Left with a bag full of Unilocal swag and a full tummy. Thanks Abby & SB Unilocal!!!Time to FCTFO (Food Coma the Eff Out).

Of course it’s easy to find since the fabulously lit red Smashburger sign glows ever so brightly in the October darkness. Tables set up just for us Elitists.
We get some Gordon Biersch, juice or soda to accompany our burgers. Nice to have their staff explain the story of each burger as they bring it out.