The fast-growing Whalburgers burger franchise and its celebrity family owners find their newest city outpost in Coney Island

by matt Scanlon

When faced with the question of how to brand a burger uniquely, and after examining the intimidating dozens of interpretations within this burg alone—from wasabe to elk, shrimp to sesame—a cagey entrepreneur would probably not be blamed for looking elsewhere for a business idea. Seemingly, they’ve all been grilled, fried, or broiled. Combining culinary inspiration with celebrity, however, has proved to be a winning formula, and the marketing effort doesn’t suffer one bit when there’s a reality show on one’s side.

The first step in what will become one of the most ambitious fast food business rollouts in the city in years, Whalburgers, a franchise established in Hingham Massachusetts in 2011, is celebrating its first few months in a Coney Island outpost on Stillwell Avenue, after a ribbon-cutting on August 31.

The three Wahlberg brothers who own the business (actors Donnie and Mark, and chef Paul) within the last few weeks also opened what can only be termed a homecoming temple for them, a storefront at Fenway Park (the family home was in the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester). Further plans are afoot to expand to Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington, and Dubai, which will join their Massachusetts storefronts in Hingham, Lynnfield, and the others in Toronto and Coney Island. Company CEO Rick Vanzura announced that seven are ultimately planned for the New York City area alone.

Chef Paul Wahlberg carries more than just a name into the business plan. He has worked his way up the pass at a number of Massachusetts restaurants, serving as chef at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, the Four Seasons, and Bridgeman’s restaurant in Hull. After nine years at the last destination, he opened Alma Nove in Hingham (its name stemming from the fact that the Wahlbergs’ mom had no fewer than nine children).

The TV show, which shares the same name as the restaurant chain and describes the often fractured process with which the brothers administer the business, premiered on A&E in January of 2014, and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program. The Wahlberg reality show franchise itself is expanding, too, with Donnie Loves Jenny–a reality series based on the new newlywed life of Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy—premiering on the same network in January of 2015.

Aimed squarely at the Five Guys chain of burger joints—in which sandwiches regularly ring in at $10-and-up, Wahlburgers attempts to be both up and down market simultaneously, and essentially offers an esoteric take on Boston fast food, with a slightly fussier frisson. Its range of menu items is considerable, certainly beating Five Guys in complexity. At time of press, there were 12 burger styles available at the Coney Island branch, with beef, turkey, and chicken breast filet base meats, along with breaded haddock and Portobello mushroom varieties. Sides include coleslaw, onion rings, sweet potato fries and traditional fries, along with our current staff obsession, tater tots (we like ours with chili). Salad mains are additionally on hand.

The Stillwell Avenue location also features a badly needed and still in-process roof deck (it has long been a mystery why so few Coney Island joints offer roof access), where a full bar is available to diners.

It would at least be a little bit holiday sacrilegious not to give the “Thanksgiving Day” burger a try, which features fresh ground turkey, stuffing, Chef Paul’s orange cranberry sauce, roasted butternut squash, and mayonnaise, for a comparatively thrifty $8.25. We are also quickly warming to the “O. F. D.” (“Originally from Dorchester”)—a half-pound burger with the Wahlberg’s own tomato jam, bacon, Swiss cheese, and sautéed mushrooms for $9.50. Coney Island purists can always go for the House Dog, served “dirty water style” and topped with the choice of sauerkraut, relish, ketchup, Sriracha sauce, mustard, onions, or jalapenos for a family-friendly fee of $4.25

Wahlburgers
3015 Stilwell Avenue / 718.975.7330 / wahlburgersny.com