Home Run Burgers

I was out in the Taylorsville Rd. area and I thought I would try Home Run Burgers. I'm really glad I did. I had a single and it was plenty at lunch time. Juicy and flavorful. The hand cut fries were excellent. With a drink it was around $6 total. Great Job Bob.

I love the burgers, but didn't like the onion rings. I feel certainly my heart won't care if next time stick with the burger (cheddar, jalapenos, lettuce, pickles, mayo)!

I love the burger too, and with the 25 extra toppings you can really make your burger your own. I liked the fries alot as well. The only think that I didn't like was the milkshake. It was really bad. It was supposed to be chocolate but it tasted like just plain malt powder with no chocolate flavor. I am not sure if it was a bad batch but it was not good.

That said I repeat I really liked the burger!!

+1 on Burgers. You guys do a great job.


Still, I'd rather have my fries a little more crispy. Perhaps I'll I'll ask for it next time. I've not tried their O-Rings, but still am ALWAYS on the lookout for a good order in Louisville.

[Robin Garr]

Coincidentally, we had burgers at Home Run in St. Matthews today. Great burger.The fries are above the median, but having had frites recently at Caffe Classico, Blind Pig and Bank Street Brewhouse all three, I'm a tough judge on fast-service fries. They were okay.

Coincidentally, we had burgers at Home Run in St. Matthews today. Great burger.The fries are above the median, but having had frites recently at Caffe Classico, Blind Pig and Bank Street Brewhouse all three, I'm a tough judge on fast-service fries. They were okay.

BSB's fries are soooo good.

Given the feedback if their fries could be moved from good to great why couldn't Home Run duplicate the double frying method? Or do they do that now? Doesn't seem like much more of an expense just more time for something that could make people head over hills for the fries. I know they are hand cut so if they perfected them it seems like an opportunity for them to gain more fans. Or else doing the research on making great frites could give them a niche like these other places that were mentioned.

[Robin Garr]

Given the feedback if their fries could be moved from good to great why couldn't Home Run duplicate the double frying method? Or do they do that now? Doesn't seem like much more of an expense just more time for something that could make people head over hills for the fries. I know they are hand cut so if they perfected them it seems like an opportunity for them to gain more fans. Or else doing the research on making great frites could give them a niche like these other places that were mentioned.

Good questions, Brian. Bob Kiper of Home Run hangs out around here, and I expect he could answer that. My best guess, though, is in the niche that he's shooting for - family fast casual or whatnot - the demographics and the budget don't really justify making a labor-intensive, gourmet-style alternative. He's trying to be a casual but comfy burger (and fried fish and chicken!) restaurant, and I doubt that 5 percent of his clientele would notice the difference, making the additional effort and training cost-prohibitive.

But I'm just guessing. Maybe Bob will tell us.

HRB does double fry their French Fries. The difference may be just in the temperatures used for each cooking or possibly the type of oil or potatoes used. Personally I think their fries are very good and really don't require any changes.

I actually was in Home Run Burger on Hurstbourne today too. I got there way after the lunch rush, around 3pm and the burger was as I remembered it - great, but sadly, the fries were like my last visit which I expressed discontent with. I wish I could remember now what time I went to eat at the one in Middletown. I'm wondering now if it is just a timing issue on me getting some fries that have been in the warmer a while.

I think I'm going to ask for them to drop an order of fries for me next time and see if they will comply and see if that corrects the issue.

Haven't made it to HRB yet...Every time I start to drive down that way the car mysteriously starts pulling to the right...Right into either 5 Guys (who have excellent fries) or Shady Lane's parking lot. Think maybe I'll do the "manual overide" thing next week and give HRB a try.

We were at HRB-Hurstbourne last night. Burgers were great as always. Hubby tried the cajun fries and they were pretty good. I ordered the onion rings, very good...depending on your preferences. They are hand battered in a beer batter, so it's kinda light, fairly crunchy and really good flavor. They've always been fresh when we've ordered them, but we always go during the dinner rush too.

Haven't made it to HRB yet...Every time I start to drive down that way the car mysteriously starts pulling to the right...Right into either 5 Guys (who have excellent fries) or Shady Lane's parking lot. Think maybe I'll do the "manual overide" thing next week and give HRB a try.

If your car ends up taking you to the parking lot of 5 Guys get out your horse whip and make it take you to HRB the next time the whip will not be required! Not only of the burgers better but you're supporting a local enterprise. If it ends up taking you to Shady Lane enjoy the food!

+1 on Burgers. You guys do a great job.


Still, I'd rather have my fries a little more crispy. Perhaps I'll I'll ask for it next time. I've not tried their O-Rings, but still am ALWAYS on the lookout for a good order in Louisville.

FABD on Bardstown Road has THE BEST ONION RINGS EVER. just sayin.

I was excited to see the thread about Home Run when I checked in last night. Thanks for all of the feedback - and yes, we have always twice-cooked our fries. My daughter, Kathy, says it's the "pomme frites" way. We actually have another step: After the #1 Idaho baking potates are cut, they are then rinsed until the water runs clear; washing away starch. Guess why...so that they are fluffy inside and CRISP outside!

It's a long process but worth the time and effort. After rinsing at least an hour, the potatoes are blanched and then hung to "rest" before the final frying step -- when they are cooked until crisp and golden brown. This is where it seems that we drop the ball sometimes. All of our steps involve using a timer, but we train our staff to cook the fries longer if they need it. Lots of variables - temperature of the blanched fries, how many orders you are cooking at once - and you can't let them drain over the fryer for very long because the heat from the oil will take away some crispness. And if they are packed for carry-out and the customer scrunches the bag closed, we tell them to leave the bag open a little because the steam from the hot food in an enclosed bag will make the fries soft. It's the daily ritual of running a restaurant: watching and training, watching and training some more. Home Run's policy is to cook fries as they are ordered - and we tell our staff to throw away fries if they get ahead and the product is sitting for more than 5 minutes or so!

Our managers do a GREAT job but they can't be everywhere all of the time, so - I'm glad to know that there is an area that needs some attention - because we always learn and do better. We have been analyzing the cook times again today and looking at ways to take away any "wiggle room" - consistency is what we strive for, getting it right every time, one customer at a time.

And if we happen to "strike out", please let us know so that we can fix it. And that concludes the tutorial on homemade french fries!

Bob Kiper
www.homerunburger.com