Portland, Oregon-based Killer Burger is looking to slash the competition in San Antonio’s ever-escalating burger wars. The growing franchise is opening a second area restaurant in the Brooks neighborhood, at 7511 S. New Braunfels Ave. #105, on August 4.
The new burger joint is owned by founder Thomas “TJ” Southard and Natasha Fogel, the chain’s first woman franchisee. Killer Burger made its San Antonio debut in November 2024 at 12834 Potranco Rd., the chain’s first storefront outside of the Pacific Northwest.
“Our Potranco restaurant has done really well since we opened last year, which made us eager to expand in San Antonio with a second location in the bustling Brooks neighborhood that’s seeing a ton of development,” explains Southard via a release.
Killer’s whimsical approach to burgers is similar to Voodoo Doughnut, Portland’s most famous culinary export. While a fast-casual restaurant, it piles on unexpected ingredients like crispy onions, green chiles, and Swiss and blue cheese fondue. Most of the menu items have oddball names like Motley Qüe.
Oh, and there’s a peanut butter-pickle-bacon burger, slathered with mayo and the chain’s signature house sauce. Maybe the killer is heart disease?
In addition to the beefier menu items, Killer Burger serves crispy chicken sandwiches and tenders. Sides are limited to thickly cut fries, but there are seven sauces to dip them into. Desserts include a hefty chocolate chunk cookie and a brown butter and sea salt rice cereal treat.
When diners aren’t chowing on fantastical flavor combinations, they might take notice of Killer’s new kitchen format, said to “maximize throughput and increase speed of service without increasing square footage of costs.” More likely, they’ll take a moment to admire the artwork, including a mural that pays homage to Fogel, who was a recipe tester long before she became an owner.
“I’ve known TJ for 18 years and like to say that I was there before Killer Burger was there,” says Fogel via a statement. “I officially joined Killer Burger when we were at four units, and at the time, I spoke little English. Having grown with the company to now serve as an owner, operator, and business partner to TJ has been an incredible opportunity, and relocating to Texas to open this location with him is a full circle moment for me.”