Hurb's Burgers

Local BusinessWhen Irish guys are frying
Hurb's Burgers started out at Concrete Street, plans to expand in franchise deal
Fanny S. Chirinos Caller-Times
Sunday, May 14, 2006

Judging from the news photo framed at Hurb's Burgers on Chaparral Street, the burger joint in Decatur, Ill., was tiny. There was no place to sit.

A few screened windows for taking orders and catching a glimpse of the crowd, a large grill and fryers were all the tools Bill Krekels used to make his magic. That and a few fresh beef patties, cheese and a couple of buns.

"We all liked them and I'd always said I'd open a place where I could sell these burgers," said Gary Durbin, president of Hurb's Burgers Inc. "When I'd tell Bill, he'd say he would come down and eat one. He died before I opened my first store."

The type of double-cheeseburger Durbin, 48, ate as a kid now is enjoyed by hundreds on a daily basis at any of five Hurb's Burgers locations in Corpus Christi, Robstown and Mathis. The company started by selling burgers at Concrete Street Amphitheater more than five years ago.



Business takes off
Downtown: 705

Chaparral St. 884-4872. Opened St. Patrick’s Day, 2003 Weber/Saratoga: 6410 Weber Road. 855-4872. Opened Sept. 1, 2005 IH 37/McKinzie Road (inside Shell station). Opened Sept. 1, 2005 Robstown: (inside Valero station). Opened April 4, 2006 IH 37/Hwy 359 (inside Texaco station). Opened April 15, 2006
Gary's son, Patrick, helped start the business at the amphitheater and said he kept telling his dad they should open their own restaurant.
"People would come up to me and ask where they could get the burgers," said Patrick Durbin, 27. "They'd say they didn't care about the concert. They would pay for a ticket just to come eat a burger."

Two years later, they opened Hurb's Burgers on Chaparral Street. Since then, they've opened locations on Weber Road, in Annaville, Robstown and Mathis. Now the company is looking to expand throughout Texas and the United States. The Durbins have hired a consulting firm to help organize the company and franchise it.

The Hurb's burger is unlike most burgers you'll find. "We don't consider Whataburger a competitor because you're talking about two different products, really," Gary said. The thin patties, never frozen, grill fast. So fast, that the burger could be cooking while the customer is standing in line to order it. Patrick explains how:

"I'll lean back from the 450-degree grill and see the line of people. If I see five of them, I slap 10 patties on the grill. Most people order doubles and if they don't, I got a double to eat. Sometimes, I'll have the burger out before you finish filling up your drink."

At the downtown location, Patrick is the only person in the kitchen during the busiest hours of the day, between 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. He prefers it this way because people just get in his way, he says.

Laura Garcia's introduction to a Hurb's burger took place at the downtown location about two months ago. She's hooked.

"I don't know what it is about them other than they're juicy," said the 24-year-old Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi student. "You don't wait forever to get them and they fit in your hand. When you take a bite, you feel the melted cheese and can tell the patty's just come off the grill. It's kind of weird now that I think about it, but that's why I love them."

Garcia said she comes during lunch, even when she probably has to wait for a table. But it's worth it, she says. She has tried the onion rings, the fish sandwich and the hot wings but says it's the burger that keeps her coming back.

"I think the double cheeseburger ruins it for the rest of the menu items," she said. "You can get the other stuff at other places, but a Hurb's burger you can only get at Hurb's."

A family business

Sitting across from the bus terminal downtown, the first Hurb's Burgers to open is as diverse in its decor as in clientele.

Nailed to one wall are motorcycle parts that have served their purpose on a Harley Davidson, or came straight out of the box to serve their purpose on the wall. Exhausts, handlebars, seats and spokes are just some of the items that run the length of one wall in the eating area.

"My dad rode a Harley for 30 years and I have one now," Patrick said. "I spent two full days nailing bike parts. I even nailed a part my dad had bought for his bike. People will trade me their parts for mine or they just want a memento."

Opposite that wall is another showcasing large works of art from a family friend. Portraits and paintings of hog-riding enthusiasts are sold, literally, off the wall.

"The store has characteristics that reflect who we are," Patrick said.

The Durbins are hard-working Irish Americans who have embraced their Celtic heritage. Gary owns and leads the company while his wife, Cindy, manages the Annaville location and Patrick runs the downtown restaurant. Three-leaf clovers and the orange, white and green of the Irish flag adorn the restaurants.

"My mom bred it into our heads, 'You're Irish Catholic and don't you forget it,' " Patrick said. "We have Irish and English ancestry from both sides of the family and the Irish is what comes out in our pride, in our characteristics and our way of thinking."

It also comes out from their bodies. Cindy has one tattoo while the others are clad from shoulders to calves in body art. Between his shoulder blades, Patrick has a tattoo that says "Erieghn Go Braugh," which means Ireland forever.

The Durbins opened the first restaurant from money saved through their other business, Gulf Coast Graphics. The initial $30,000 investment earned profits to open a second and third restaurant last year and the rest this year.

The schedule has been seven days a week, 356 days a year to get the business where it is now, Patrick said.

"No one outside the family knows how hard we've worked to get this going," he said.

During the lunch hour, seats at any of the restaurants are hard to find. The popularity of the restaurants led Gary to move his business to the next level - franchising.

Going global

Francorp USA, a Chicago-based full-service consulting firm, is working on organizing Hurb's Burgers Inc. Within a year, the company hopes to introduce the world to Hurb's Burgers and begin franchising the company.

"We'll saturate the concept in Texas because there's a huge market," said Christopher Conner, a Francorp senior consultant. "Once a solid foundation is developed, we'll take it further."

In today's market, it is difficult for a business to begin franchising, Conner said. Of the 15,000 contacts the firm receives a year, Francorp works with fewer than 100. Of those, very few will expand beyond their state.

Hurb's, however, shows promise for several reasons.

"There's a low initial investment of about $100,000 or less, which is low compared to other chains like Burger King," Conner said. "(Gary has) developed a name for himself and he's got a great, fresh product. We've seen great upside potential on the revenue side."

Gary's goal is to open 200 to 300 locations in the United States. Conner said franchising is the quickest and least-expensive way to do it.

"If we can survive in a downtown location across the street from a bus station, we can survive anywhere," Gary said.

The other option is to raise about $200 million to open the locations plus 200 top-quality managers," he said. "It's difficult."

If and when Hurb's goes global, the Durbins said they won't change. The estimated $35,000 royalty fee per new location is not enough to change them.

"We're not suit-wearers," Gary said. "We don't even own suits. I'll probably keep promoting the franchises and let the managers mind the stores. Patrick will pass the grill to someone else and promote the franchises with me."

The Durbins won't be looking for anyone in particular to carry the Hurb's name to the next level, only that they be smart and hardworking individuals.

"I'm not looking for people with tattoos or body piercings just like I'm not looking for people in business suits," Gary said. "I'm looking for people who can dedicate the time to building a business like we did. After all, the name's riding on it."

On a recent Tuesday, Hurb's downtown was standing-room-only. People stood in line, looking around for the first available seat while they ordered their lunch and filled their drinks.

A district judge, an employee from the city of Corpus Christi's wastewater department, businessmen, students and a mix of about 25 other customers sat enjoying their food, mostly burgers and fries.

"You can come here wearing anything from a suit and dress to shorts and flip-flops and fit in," Garcia said as she waited to order. "Watch, someone will see the line and get up a minute sooner than they would at any other restaurant because there's an understanding among customers. We understand a hankering for a Hurb's burger."

Sure enough, a party of three got up to leave and Garcia claimed the table. As two more customers walked in, they looked around as they got in line to order. There was no place to sit, yet.

Contact Fanny S. Chirinos at 886-3759 or chirinosf@ caller.com