Matthew Thorp
Big Buns is a fun-casual restaurant brand with five locations in Northern Virginia and one in South Florida. Our restaurants are inspired by a true love for burgers, and the belief that eating out, in, or on-the-go, should feel like a fun backyard party with delicious food, ice-cold drinks and good friends.
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While traveling cross-country in 2002, Craig Carey couldn’t help but notice that every town he visited had a “best burger.” In fact, the regional differences of each burger he had experienced during his trip made him wonder, why was there no restaurant that served more than one style of burger? This simple question became the beginning of our journey.
In 2005, Craig teamed up with Tom Racosky, an experienced Chef from Houston’s (now Hillstone), and together they started to mold their vision for Big Buns Damn Good Burgers, a modern “burger joint” with a rotating selection of delicious burgers and craft beer that felt more like a backyard party than a restaurant.
In June of 2007, Big Buns opened its first location in Ballston, Arlington and over the years became a neighborhood fixture. Nearly a decade later, Craig and the growing team spoke about the original vision for Big Buns and began to wonder, what would the restaurant look like today if they could do it all over again?
This simple question inspired a new look and several more Big Buns locations throughout Northern Virginia and one in sunny South Florida. The new restaurants were filled with bright colors, murals and bold sound. Dining rooms and patios came standard with communal tables and beer garden vibes. Newly added beer taps and frozen slushie machines fueled the party-like atmosphere. While some things changed, other things remained the exact same, like the commitment to their founding mission — to serve the world’s most delicious + innovative burgers while sharing the idea of an inclusive backyard party with our amazing guests.
