Austin-Based Badd Burgers Validates a Fully Mirrored Smash Burger Model and Expands to Five Nights a Week at Hole in the Wall
AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, January 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — In a saturated smash burger market, Austin-based Badd Burgers has taken a structurally different approach: every signature burger on its menu exists in two forms — traditional beef and fully plant-based — built with identical structure, naming, and branding.
Founded in August 2025 by chef Tommy Marquez, Badd Burgers began as a fully bootstrapped pop-up operating under a tent with two flat-top grills and limited burger drops. Each activation served as a live proving ground. Only the burgers that consistently sold out advanced to the permanent lineup.
The results validated the model.
Six months later, Badd Burgers transitioned from pop-up to permanent kitchen operations inside Calamity at the legendary The Hole in the Wall near the University of Texas campus. The brand now operates five nights a week, maintaining the pickup ritual that defined its early days: customers collect orders from a literal square cutout in the wall illuminated by a signature blue lamp.
“We didn’t want a vegan option,” says founder and chef Tommy Marquez. “We wanted parity. If a group walks in and half eat meat and half don’t, the experience shouldn’t change. The burger shouldn’t feel like a compromise.”
Unlike most fast-casual burger brands that treat plant-based offerings as secondary substitutions, Badd Burgers was designed around full menu mirroring from inception. Each core build is available in both protein formats with equal positioning, eliminating the typical divide between indulgent burger culture and plant-based dining.
The brand’s aesthetic leans unapologetically bold — indulgent smash patties, high-contrast visuals, late-night energy — intentionally challenging the restrained tone often associated with vegan menus.
“Smash burgers are supposed to feel excessive,” Marquez adds. “There’s no reason the plant-based version should feel like a downgrade.”
Since opening its permanent kitchen, the company has expanded operating days and scaled production to meet accelerating demand. What began under a tent has evolved into a consistent five-night operation within one of Austin’s most iconic venues.
As plant-based dining continues to normalize across consumer segments, Badd Burgers represents a case study in how structural menu parity can broaden audience reach without diluting brand identity.
For now, the concept operates out of a hole in the wall in Austin.
But its fully mirrored model may signal where food menus are headed next.
About Badd Burgers
Founded in 2025 by chef Tommy Marquez, Badd Burgers is an Austin-based smash burger concept built around full vegan and traditional menu parity. The company operates inside Calamity at The Hole in the Wall near the University of Texas campus and serves five nights a week.
Tommy Marquez
Badd Burgers LLC
+1 512-970-6831
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