The duo behind popular Lawrenceville restaurants Local Republic and Strange Taco have expanded their metro Atlanta offerings with a new restaurant in Duluth.
Ben Bailey and Chris Collin opened LR Burger last month at 3151 Main St., joining a location that opened in Monroe, Georgia in 2019. In addition to their restaurants, the pair also owns Lawrenceville event space Laundry Events.
Bailey and Collin signed a letter of intent for the space in the early 2000s, and have actively been talking to the city for more than six years about building a restaurant.
The result is LR Burger, a 2,500-square-foot space with a counter-service operation offering a menu of burgers, fries and shakes, as well as adult frozen drinks and boozy shakes.
While Bailey said the build-your-own-burger option is the restaurant’s most popular, the menu also features several specialty craft burger options, a handful of which are also on the menu at Local Republic. The Mr. Jones, named for a customer, comes with pimento cheese, bacon and jalapeno peppers, while the Sink Burger, developed by Local Republic chefs after Bailey and Collin gave them free rein to come up with their own recipe, is topped with fried egg, cheddar cheese, fries, and jalapenos.
Courtesy of Bruce Johnson
Courtesy of Bruce Johnson
The menu also offers a housemade black bean burger, several hot dogs, a handful of chicken sandwiches, salads and a kids menu.
The dining room, designed by local design firm Studio Sogo, utilizes a variety of seating options including booths and banquettes, neon signs, Andy Warhol-style wallpaper, concrete tabletops, metal and raw wood.
Upstairs, a rooftop bar looks out onto a green space with a lean-style roof, as well as an open area enclosed by windows that open onto the green, with a view of a stage.
Even the bathrooms have a “playful” quality, Bailey, said including neon signs that say “Suns out, buns out” and “Nice buns” that can only be read while looking in the mirror.
Bailey, who lives in Duluth, said the goal of LR Burger is to provide a “fun, family-forward place” that offers a quick option for residents to grab a meal, or linger at the bar or on the green.
LR Burger is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, while the rooftop bar is open 4-10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; 4-11 p.m. Friday; noon-10 p.m. Saturday; and noon-9 p.m. Sunday.
3151 Main St., Duluth. 678-829-1128, lrburger.com/location/lr-burger-duluth.
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