Jacksonville

Kirk Burgers Launching Food Trailer Focused on Fresh Angus Beef

A former IT professional is launching a burger brand inspired by a lifelong restaurant background.

Photo courtesy of Kirk Burgers.

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Kirk Burgers, a new food trailer from Kirk Lawler and his wife Janet Lawler, is preparing to serve Duval, St. Johns, Nassau and Clay counties with a focus on smash burgers and fries. Lawler told Business Debut the trailer is targeting a mid-June public launch, with a neighborhood soft opening planned first.

What to Expect

Kirk Burgers will launch with a streamlined menu focused on smash burgers and fries. For special events or private venues, the trailer may also offer hot dogs by request, Lawler told Business Debut.

The brand’s tagline is “fresh, never frozen Angus beef,” which Lawler said appears on the truck, business cards and logo. The beef comes through Tillman’s Meat Shop in Jacksonville, where Lawler said the shop grinds an 80/20 blend for Kirk Burgers each morning.

Lawler said the goal is to build a burger brand around fresh ingredients rather than frozen product.

“We’re marketing to folks that appreciate real actual 100% never frozen choice ground beef,” Lawler told Business Debut.

The buns are expected to come from Village Bakery in Jacksonville, which Lawler said bakes fresh daily and sells to restaurants and food trucks rather than directly to the public. Lawler said he also plans to source local ingredients when possible, including produce from area farmers markets.

“I’m using the food truck to launch a brand,” Lawler told Business Debut. “I want to get it in the hands of consumers and they say, ‘Oh wow, this is totally different from anything we’ve had from a food truck.’”

Back Story

Lawler grew up in Adel, Georgia, between Valdosta and Tifton. He said his mother worked as a server, and he started in restaurants around age 12 as a dishwasher at a small downtown restaurant.

He later worked at Davis Brothers cafeteria, where he bussed tables, washed dishes and cooked. By age 15 or 16, Lawler said he was opening the restaurant on weekend mornings and preparing breakfast buffet food before customers arrived.

Lawler later spent more than 20 years in information technology, including time with IBM, but said food service remained a long-running interest. Burgers became the first concept he wanted to pursue.

Opening Timeline

Kirk Burgers is targeting a mid-June launch for its public schedule, Lawler told Business Debut. He said the trailer may hold a neighborhood soft opening before then.

Lawler said the business has obtained its permits and licenses, with the original January timeline pushed back by the permitting and inspection process.