Neil Hodgson
Like many people, I love a good burger, and over the years I’ve enjoyed some beautifully tasty treats sandwiched between two buns. However, I’ve also had a number that were unbelievably bad.
In Nelson, we are lucky to have a very good burger joint – Burger Culture in Trafalgar St. It’s owned by the Williams family, who also own The Vic Brewbar next door, and Scott Wright, ‘‘a friend who loves burgers too’’.
The family ownership nature of Burger Culture brings passion to the business, and as chef and part-owner Chris Williams told me, ‘‘we try to have fun with everything we do’’.
You can feel the positivity and buzz in the place when you walk in. From the lively music to the busy staff, it feels like the people there care and want you to have a good experience.
The Williams family hadn’t invested in a food business before they bought The Vic, but they bring a huge amount of experience in the hospitality industry.
‘‘All four kids worked in hospo both in England and here, so in many ways it’s in our blood,’’ says Chris.
He left England as a kid when his parents migrated here in the early 2000s, and when he left school he decided to become a chef. ‘‘I had worked in various bars and cafes to earn some money, and liked the idea of working with food.’’
‘‘I trained at Sky City in Auckland, then worked for Peter Gordon at Dine, and was one of the chef team that opened Hotel De Brett in Auckland. That went on to win a best restaurant award in 2009.
‘‘We were in Queenstown and me, my older brother and Dad were sitting at Botswana Butchery, joking about buying our own restaurant. Unknown to the rest of us, Dad had been quietly looking for a place to buy, and a couple of months later told us he had found something in Nelson.
‘‘We didn’t go ahead with that option, but loved Nelson, so we spoke to the owners of The Vic, and they agreed to sell it to us.
‘‘We look back on that night at Botswana Butchery with a lot of joy, and laugh at our naivete. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.’’
The decision to buy The Vic was made as a family, and they also decided to work it together.
‘‘We haven’t killed each other yet. Working with family has its challenges, but it’s also the best fun.’’
Each person brings their own skills to this family business, and that includes their partners.
‘‘My oldest brother Phil is the general manager and oversees both businesses, and his partner Alice handles the accounts. My younger brother Howard runs The Vic, and my sister Zoe runs Burger Culture. I finally found a girlfriend, Sarah, after years of looking, and I’m sure she’ll get roped in at some stage.
‘‘Then, of course, there’s our parents, Ian and Sally. Without them, none of this would be possible.
‘‘They sacrificed everything and put it
all on the line to invest in the future of their children and grandchildren – utter legends.’’
Burger Culture was purchased after Chris and his sister went back to England a couple of years ago and saw the boom in burger joints there.
‘‘I worked at North St Standard in Bristol, which is a stand-alone, almost American-style restaurant serving things like mac ’n’ cheese, burgers and that sort of thing.
‘‘I spent a lot of money eating burgers, and thought the best way for me to feed my burger habit was to have a burger restaurant – and I knew there was an opportunity in Nelson to do something different.
‘‘We also wanted to marry our two homes – Nelson and Bristol. Both have a thriving art scene, passion for good food, and an expressed interest in growing their own economy through local produce.’’
Chris says The Vic was and still is going very well, and the family are proud of the eight years they have been there. But that business comes with its limitations.
‘‘It’s the opposite to here. The Vic has to be everything to everyone and serve a range of foods, from bowls of chips to pasta, pies, steak and nachos. But at Burger Culture, we just have one key product and cook the hell out of it.’’
The most noticeable point of different to the burgers Burger Culture makes is that it uses brioche buns, baked on site to a secret recipe, rather than standard bread buns.
‘‘Molly is a Swedish baker, and she comes in at 5am every day to make all sorts of buns fresh each day. She is a star for us, and makes everything from glutenfree buns to vegan buns, keto buns and flavoured buns, as well as what we’re claiming to be Nelson’s best donuts.’’
Chris is quick to point out the most important part of the business is the staff.
‘‘Our head chef Kieran is a qualified chef with years of experience and an incredible talent. His partner, Madolyn, helps Zoe run the front of house operation and is one of the best managers we’ve ever seen. We wouldn’t be the success we are now without these two in particular.
‘‘We don’t want people who are just there to flip burgers. I know it sounds cliche´ , but our staff are the most important part of the business. It comes back to our business ethos that has a focus on family, staff and customers. It drives every decision we make regarding every aspect of the business.’’
The Williams family are really happy with where they are at in terms of food, and the customer feedback they get is extremely positive.
‘‘But we are always tweaking the flavours and offerings and trying to stay ahead of trends. We even have the new Beyond Meat Patties that people are really enjoying.’’
Quality is number one across every aspect of the business, and that flows through to the suppliers the family have developed relationships with. Hop Federation is the main beer supplier – ‘‘Because they are so passionate about what they do, we love working with them’’ – along with other suppliers they can rely on to provide them with freerange products, which are also organic where possible.
And I can say that they are arguably the tastiest burgers in town.
‘‘We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into . . . Working with family has its challenges, but it’s also the best fun.’’