Located at 610 E Kaliste Saloom Rd., Broaddus Burgers is a restaurant specializing in “build-your-own burgers.” They offer a wide selection of burgers, sides, non-burger options, hot dogs and low-carb and vegetarian dishes. The Lafayette community loves this place for its creativity and warm atmosphere.
Their menu includes a variety of dishes, such as The Sizzler (Spicy Broaddus burger on a sweet bun with mayonnaise and sriracha, topped with jalapeños, banana peppers, pepper jack cheese and grilled onion), PBB (Broaddus burger on a sweet bun with peanut butter, bacon and cheddar cheese), Chicken Parmesan, Boudin Grilled Cheese, Mac and Cheese bowl and Shawn’s Hot Dog (hot dog topped with chili, pepper jack cheese, sriracha, grilled onions and condiments you pick.
Broaddus Burgers was established in 2014 by Shawn Broaddus at 1940 Moss St. After 3 years of serving Lafayette citizens, they decided to open a sit-down version of the restaurant in 2017 on Kaliste Saloom. In 2023, the restaurant announced opening a second location at 4519 W. Congress St. Since its expansion, the restaurant has extended its menu to daily lunch specials and trivia nights.
The atmosphere of this restaurant was definitely casual but still inviting. The warm brown accents on the walls made me feel like I was at home, and the local pictures emphasized the food and environment. The bar area was bright and welcoming, making customers thoroughly enjoy their experience.
My colleague and I had the pleasure of visiting this restaurant on Wednesday, Mar. 26. As we walked in, we grabbed a menu to figure out what we wanted before ordering and sitting down. Looking at the menu, I knew it would be difficult to choose a singular meal. Everything looked so good. The amount of different kinds of burgers you can have was astonishing if I am being honest. The menu’s side section also functions as a typical appetizer section. These sides include fried eggplant, sweet potato fries, onion rings, fried pickles, boudin balls, fried cheese sticks, mac and cheese and a twice-baked potato.
As I highlighted earlier, the entree section is extensive. I went for the Grilled Chicken Club with loaded fries containing chicken, cheese, jalapenos and ranch. My colleague decided to get the Grilled Chicken Mushroom Swiss with loaded fries that contained bacon, cheese, mac and cheese and mushrooms. After ordering, we decided to sit outside since it was reasonably warm. After waiting only 15 minutes, our food was out. My club sandwich was massive. It had a deliciously seasoned chicken breast with fresh lettuce, tomato, bacon and swiss cheese. My fries looked equally as good. The cheese was perfectly melted.
My colleague’s meal was just as impressive. Her mushroom burger also contained a well-seasoned chicken breast with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, swiss cheese, mayo and grilled mushrooms. Her fries looked even better. The mac and cheese was piled on the fries, not making them soggy.
After we finished our mouthwatering meals, I decided to interview the front-of-house manager, Ethan Nelson. “I have been working here for two and a half years…my experience here has been above average. I don’t hate my job at all.”
I asked what his favorite aspect of working at Broaddus Burgers was; he responded, “Probably feeling like my input matters, that we’re a local spot. We are not a large corporation chain and the owner operates physically in the building a few times a day. So when there’s issues and complaints and things that we noticed that can be affected, it’s nice to know that it doesn’t matter what position you are in, if you see something the owner is pretty receptive.”
“My favorite thing on the menu is anything with fried mushrooms…it’s a good environment here; we’re pretty relaxing. This is one of those places where if you make mistakes, you get corrected, like we don’t yell at people.”
I could tell that this restaurant loves to serve the community. The staff was pleasant, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying their food once again.
If you would like to visit Broaddus Burgers, they are open Monday through Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
