Grindhouse replaces NFA Burger at Truist Park just weeks into baseball season

“We only even got notified of the first two locations ... like a month ago,” Brounstein told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The local burger chain opened in sections 315 and 335 of the ballpark this year.

“So everything happened pretty quickly. Very quickly,” Brounstein said.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

At the Outfield Market’s Grindhouse stall, customers will be able to purchase the least expensive burger in the ballpark at $10.99, according to Brounstein. Because of the stall’s space constraints, they’re serving a single-patty burger there rather than the double-patty versions available at the other Grindhouse locations in the stadium.

NFA Burger’s stall lasted only a handful of games after the team started its season. At the Braves’ first two homestands against the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies earlier this month, fans could buy a basket of three slider-sized versions of the famous NFA burger for $14.

Billy Kramer, the owner of NFA Burger, told the AJC he agreed to bring his sliders to the Outfield Market around the same time he signed a deal to open his first full-service restaurant at Avalon. As the Braves season began, the timeline for the Avalon NFA Burger advanced much more quickly than he anticipated.

“We expected the liquor license to take anywhere from two to six months, but it was approved in 40 days,” Kramer told the AJC. “The work on the space was not as intricate as we originally thought, and our general contractor got it done really quickly.”

Kramer said there is still no opening date for the Avalon NFA Burger, but it will open much sooner than he expected.

He also clarified he would not have pulled out of the Outfield Market if Grindhouse had not been able to take over for him.

“We weren’t going to leave anyone in the lurch,” Kramer said.

Both Kramer and representatives for the Braves said there were no ill feelings after NFA Burger’s brief tenure at Truist Park.

“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to share the NFA Burger experience with Braves fans at Truist Park,” a Braves spokesperson said. “Given all of the exciting things they have going on as a company, they decided to focus their efforts on their new location at Avalon in Alpharetta. We wish them the best of luck!”

The change is an about-face for Kramer, who said in March he was excited to have a location at the ballpark and was looking forward to future events.

“I get to be at the stadium all the time? And (at) the All-Star game?” Kramer said at a media event last month, referring to the 2025 All-Star game that will be held at Truist Park in July. “That sounds pretty cool.”

Before opening NFA Burger, Kramer was a well-known burger fanatic who ran an Instagram account called Billy’s Burgers, and his obsessiveness only intensified when it came to creating his own deceptively simple burger. At the media event for the Outfield Market in March, Kramer pointed out that he’s relatively new to the restaurant industry after opening the original NFA Burger five years ago with no experience.

Brounstein said Grindhouse was able to take over so quickly because they already have a great relationship with Delaware North. The food and beverage contractor also runs the two Grindhouse locations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Kramer praised Delaware North as well and said he would love the opportunity to work with them in the future.

“I’ve worked with difficult people before,” Kramer said. “These guys are on the opposite end of the spectrum.”

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