Top It Off

BY LISA SAVAGE

The burgers are outrageous: One uses doughnuts for the bun, and another is topped with a deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The milkshakes are over-the-top: They are at least a foot high and covered with unconventional toppings like chicken and waffles.

The Grind Mac and Cheese Burger Bar is fun, packed full of energy, and one of the newest restaurants in Martin, Tennessee. It attracts folks from as far away as Memphis, Nashville, Paducah and St. Louis.

Most of the unique creations are the ideas of Alan Laderman, who opened the restaurant with his parents, Mark and Lisa Laderman, a year ago.

“It’s a place to have fun and enjoy some amazing food,” says Mark Laderman. “We do some wacky stuff.”

The Ladermans knew five years ago they wanted to open a restaurant that was different. Mark and Lisa Laderman had worked in the restaurant industry for someone else just about all their adult lives. They met while working at a steakhouse in Martin when they were 16 years old and have been together ever since.

It was a dream to have their own place when they opened Sammies — slang for “sandwiches” — in 2012. They opened a second location in 2014. Everything is freshly made, never frozen, and it’s been very successful, Mark Laderman says.

“But it isn’t the kind of food I want to eat every day,” he says. “We wanted to open a burger bar with deep-fried deliciousness.” So they pursued the dream.

Alan Laderman loves to cook and taught himself over the past 15 years. With his parents’ experience in restaurant management, the family teamed up to open The Grind Mac and Cheese Burger Bar. It’s next door to Sammies on Lovelace Street.

WHAT’S IN A NAME

While brainstorming for the name, they wanted to play off the burgers and have a theme. “We thought about what’s important and decided one thing is the grind of the meat,” says Alan Laderman. “We also have a lot of nostalgia that dates back to the late ’80s and early ’90s when the phrase ‘Munchin’ on some Grindage’ was popular.”

The Ladermans also knew what it was like to grind to get where they are. They wanted the bar to be a place for others to relax after the daily grind.

“We brought everything we could to the table,” Mark Laderman says. “We wanted everything to be amazing and over-the-top, and we wanted to be able to give people something they’ve never had before.”

He wanted the service and hospitality to be top-notch as well. He didn’t have a specific plan, but one day, “Bohemian Rhapsody” came on the radio in the restaurant. The servers started singing, and the customers soon joined in. “It was like a scene out of ‘Wayne’s World’ happening in our restaurant,” Mark Laderman says. “And it was done spontaneously.”

The Grind Mac and Cheese Burger Bar in Martin, Tennessee, has been more successful than Mark Laderman, left, and his son, Alan Laderman, ever imagined after opening a year ago.

He encouraged the servers to continue this type of interaction with customers. They play games and do activities, and now Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” is a favorite for the servers and customers. “They are dancing and singing, and it’s just that kind of a fun, energetic atmosphere,” Mark Laderman says.

An outdoor patio opened this fall, and it’s popular for games like corn hole.

The restaurant doesn’t do to-go orders. “The Grind is not just about the food. It’s about the experience, and you’re not going to get that experience if you don’t eat here,” he says. “We are staying true to what we’re trying to do. The food is great, but it’s also a destination. If you’re looking for a nice, quiet romantic dinner by candlelight, this is not the place for you.”

A TWIST FOR THE TASTE BUDS

The milkshakes are a foot tall, piled high and topped with things like Fruity Pebbles, Pop-Tarts, a cupcake or cookies. One of the newest is also one of the most popular — the chicken-n-waffle milkshake. It’s a maple-flavored shake rimmed with crunchy Honeycomb cereal and topped with a maple syrup-covered waffle, bacon and one of The Grind’s signature chicken wings.

The burgers are equally unusual with offerings like The King, a deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich topping a juicy cheeseburger.

The Luther is named for musician Luther Vandross, credited for coming up with the idea several years ago to use doughnuts as buns for a burger. Yes, doughnuts — made fresh at a local doughnut shop — are grilled with the burger fixings in the middle.

The Farmer’s Daughter starts with a prime burger on a bakedin-house brioche bun topped with bacon, hash browns, melted cheddar cheese and an over-easy egg.

Then there are the other creations, such as Fried Mac & Cheese Balls topped with cheese fondue and rolled in hot Cheetos dust or Grindhouse Nachos stacked in a coffee can, turned upside down and uncovered when served at the table. “That way, they stay stacked up, and you get toppings in every bite,” Mark Laderman says.

Much of the marketing is through social media. They post specials on Facebook, and customers have a chance to win free gift cards by liking and sharing the posts. Customers can send a snap to their friends on Snapchat or create a hashtag for their favorite meal. All the creations make for an Instagram-worthy experience at every meal.

The Grind provides free Wi-Fi through WK&T with a 1 Gbps connection that makes those social media posts quick and easy.

“It’s a fun atmosphere and great food,” Alan Laderman says. “Having the Wi-Fi makes it easy for our customers to tell others about their experience.”

Sam Youngblood, 2, left, and his sister, Athena Farris, 7, get ready to dig in to one of the famous milkshakes at The Grind.

THE GRIND MAC AND CHEESE BURGER BAR 112 Lovelace St., Martin, Tennessee

Hours 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday

11 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Friday and Saturday