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A rendering of the forthcoming concept Eazzy Burger from the teams behind ZZQ and Ardent Craft Ales (Image courtesy Fultz & Singh Architects)
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The Eazzy Burger logo (Image courtesy Kames/Coffey)
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(From left) Tom Sullivan, co-founder of Ardent Craft Ales, and ZZQ owners Chris Fultz and Alex Graf (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
“In some ways, ZZQ is coming full circle,” says Chris Fultz, who, along with wife and co-owner Alex Graf, is part of the ever-present duo at the Scott’s Addition smokehouse.
“It’s where we started,” he says of the former storage building behind the Ardent Craft Ales beer garden where, years ago, Fultz served as pitmaster-in-residence while hosting biweekly pop-ups, preaching Texas craft barbecue and gaining faithful devotees, laying the groundwork for their smoky and wildly successful venture that opened in 2018 around the corner from Ardent.
Currently, that space behind Ardent's beer garden and between the businesses is a construction site, and things are indeed coming full circle. The area will be home to Eazzy Burger, a forthcoming burger concept from ZZQ and Ardent aiming to debut by late summer.
“We were just looking at the way the neighborhood changed and how much we had grown as a brewery and trying to make the best use of space,” says Tom Sullivan, co-founder of Ardent Craft Ales, which opened in 2014. “We thought, if we found the right partner there, we could really maximize and continue to be the destination we’ve always been but add another layer to what we offer."
Sullivan didn’t have to look far. Beer and barbecue go hand in hand, and neighbors ZZQ and Ardent have an extensive and entangled history, the kind where flashbacks lead to chuckles and serious bouts of nostalgia, coupled with a deep-seated sense of trust.
Graf likes to refer to their shared backyard space as a mini campus, and it's common to spot butcher-paper-lined silver trays traveling back and forth between the two businesses. ZZQ's first-ever public appearance was in 2015 at Ardent's inaugural Swine & Brine event, and years prior, when Sullivan dove into homebrewing, he held beer tastings at Fultz's house before Ardent even had a name.
“There's the idea of this [ZZQ] community, and then the community that’s at Ardent, and we looked at where the Venn diagram overlaps and how can we serve better, and serve more people,” says Graf, who was chosen to take part in a James Beard Foundation women’s leadership program late last year.
Another similarity: Both businesses share an investor, Brian Bolcar.
“Me and Russell [Cook, ZZQ culinary director,] and Orange have been talking to [Bolcar] about this idea of a burger joint way back,” Fultz says. “People come in [to ZZQ] and say, ‘You should open one of these in NoVa or Virginia Beach or come down to Charlotte.' There will never be another ZZQ; it’s a one and only.”
And while ZZQ possesses a certain unique magic — with its origin story, details such as the neon sign with a Texas flag and citrus fruit in the dining room (a nod to Fultz's Texas roots and Graf's roller derby nickname, Orange), and the familiar faces serving slabs of 18-hour-smoked brisket — the goal for Eazzy Burger will be to replicate.
“We are viewing this as a beta site. We want to grow this into a small chain of restaurants; this won’t be the only one,” Fultz says of the new venture.
The branding for Eazzy Burger features two Z’s, a reference to its smoky sibling, and an image of a slightly chubby burger. It's intended to be simple and approachable, aiming to appeal to a broader audience, Fultz noting the iconic imagery of burger bigwigs such as Shake Shack or In-N-Out.
Planning for replication also means intentional discussions surrounding composting, recycling and beef sourcing, as well as an acknowledgement of the role they play in the food system.
"A huge part of Eazzy Burger is going to be our mission to be good stewards of the environment and advocates for fighting climate change, particularly how the beef industry factors into that,” Fultz says. “It’s so important to our mission.”
He says they plan to partner with local and regional farms that focus on regenerative ranching and agriculture and soil and land management, a growing movement with young ranchers in the industry. They are currently working with a family-run operation in Maryland, Roseda Farms, which specializes in Black Angus cattle and works closely with a tight-knit collective of farms.
“We want to make it so our guests aren't having to make decisions to make good decisions,” Graf says.
On the menu, diners can expect five or six signature items, a build-your-own option, a chicken sandwich, Impossible patties for vegans, and classic burger accompaniments including fries, onion rings and soft serve.
“Our spin on the basics, but have some fun on it, too,” Fultz says, hinting at a cheese enchilada burger, an ode to his Lone Star State roots.
A progression to burgers seems natural for the ZZQ squad, who have garnered many an accolade for their smoky comfort fare. Fultz adds that they’ve been experimenting with burger blends for years and have a brisket, chuck and short rib variety they favor.
“In simplest terms, you could retool that kitchen and serving line, and it could be an awesome burger joint as well,” Graf says, indicating the current ZZQ kitchen.
They describe Eazzy Burger as a cool, family-friendly joint, somewhere to stay a while, and Graf says she's excited to break free from the "rules" of Texas barbecue a bit, such as the traditional serving line and the motto that when it’s sold out, it’s sold out.
“I’m looking forward to not imposing as many requirements upon the guest; we want it to be easy,” she says.
Designed by Fultz & Singh Architects, in which Fultz is a partner, the restaurant will feature a 60-person patio with descending heaters to enable outside dining during cooler months, in addition to an almost 50-seat dining room with an open kitchen layout and high-top tables. There will also be an outdoor toilet facility for a streamlined experience.
Of this union between the brewery and the barbecue joint, Sullivan says, “Making the investment right in the backyard really made sense, and to turn this into the best version we can create right here in Scott’s Addition."
For these friends and neighbors, this next step is about building off of an already strong foundation, exploring their potential and continuing to let their relationships, with each other and the wider community, evolve to become even deeper.
Fultz says, "We are thinking of this as a sister restaurant to ZZQ and going to translate some of this 60 feet away in that warehouse building and have this great synthesis that happens with Ardent’s culture and the culture we’ve created here."
