Home Run Burger now has six locations, including Franklin, which is its first Indiana location.
Elissa Maudlin | Daily Journal
Step aside Rally’s, a new burger restaurant in Franklin has come to bat.
Home Run Burgers and Fries soft-launched its first Indiana location at 1599 Morton St. on Thursday. The chain will also be opening another Indiana location next month.
The restaurant’s official grand opening and ribbon cutting is scheduled for 2 p.m. May 30.
Established in 2008, the burger joint has five locations around Louisville, Kentucky, according to the company. The new Franklin location is in the old Rally’s building.
“(The Indianapolis area) is just such a good market,” said Todd Gross, vice president of operations and franchising. “It has football, it has baseball, it has the Indianapolis 500.”
He also said the restaurant chain chose Franklin because it found it was “a great family community (where) everyone’s very connected.”
Gross believes what sets Home Run Burger apart is its customer service, which he says staff exemplifies at the restaurant and the quality of its products and ingredients. The restaurant’s logo says the food is “always fresh, made-to-order” and Gross said some items include fresh-cut fries, certified Angus beef burgers, an all-beef jumbo hot dog, black bean and garden burger, salads and 28 free toppings.
For the last three years, the restaurant chain has won Louisville’s Best Burgers award, according to the company.
“There is a big difference to what we do,” Gross said. “We’re close to a Five Guys or Freddy’s, but the quality (of) what we do is another level and we offer so (many) more options.”
In the next five years, Gross said the goal is to have 100 restaurants.
The Franklin location is the first Home Run Burger without a dining area, largely due to the fact it opened in a former Rally’s. People can order from their cars at the drive-thru or get out and order from a window.
With renovations ongoing for the last month, excitement has built in the community.
“I’m excited for them & ready to try it out!!” Franklin resident Scott Wiegert said in response to a request for feedback on Facebook. He said Rally’s was his favorite burger place and he hopes Home Run Burger does well in Franklin.
Another Franklin resident Tabitha Radford agrees.
“I can’t wait to try it,” she said on Facebook. “From their menu, it resembles my favorite burger joint in the Nashville, Tennessee area.” She is most excited to try it and possibly have a favorite burger joint closer to her.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, although Gross said that may change after the first couple of weeks. He said he is most looking forward to letting customers “taste what we offer and seeing why we’re different.”
“We’re a big company that loves community involvement, so we love to give back,” Gross said. “We want to align with all the schools, sports teams like baseball and softball. I own a food truck, the Home Run Burger food truck, so we can come out and do community days. For us, it’s not just about coming here and making money. It’s about us being involved.”
