L-R: Ashley Boggs Robilio, Lauren McHugh Robinson, Alex Boggs, and Samantha Boggs Dean
It seems like everywhere you turn, there’s another Huey’s. Celebrating its half-century anniversary in 2020, the restaurant is about to open a 10th location in Olive Branch in August.
A big part of the classic eatery’s fame is the iconic “Huey Burger,” which has been around almost as long as the restaurant.
“It’s my understanding that when my dad started working at Huey’s they were selling burgers,” says Samantha Boggs Dean, one of the four children of the late Huey’s co-owner, Thomas Boggs, who still work for the Huey’s corporation. “But Daddy started buying his meat down at John Gray’s Big Star, which was at McLean and Madison. And that’s kind of what made the burgers take off. It was great quality meat and we got it fresh every day. They would take a grocery cart and walk down to John Gray and get the meat.”
Huey’s now buys “certified Angus meat from local farmers,” Dean says.
What makes the Huey Burger memorable? “I think it’s the great meat, but, also, we don’t allow our cooks to use a spatula and flatten it. Because we feel like if you flatten the meat it makes all the juices come out. That is not allowed.”
Huey’s now features 16 different varieties, including the Mac ‘n’ Cheese Burger and the 100-percent vegan Beyond Burger.
But, she says, “Huey’s seasoning is what makes it. If you eat a burger — even ours — without the seasoning, it’s not as good.”
The Huey Burger has grown in size from 4 ounces to 6 ounces over the years, Dean says.
The original Huey Burger was “still what it is today with cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, pickle, lettuce, tomato, and onion,” Dean says.
In the early days the restaurant also offered, as it still does, the West Coast Burger (guacamole, Monterey Jack cheese on a buttered, toasted whole wheat bun) and the Smokey Melt (smoked cheddar cheese on the patty on toasted wheat bread.
Huey’s now features 16 different varieties, including its newest burgers: the Mac ‘n’ Cheese Burger (white macaroni and cheese, bacon, scallions, diced tomatoes, and white American cheese served with chipotle ranch dressing on a brioche bun); and the 100-percent vegan Beyond Burger – six ounces of plant-based patty topped with gouda cheese.
However, not every idea is a success, Dean says. “One of the burgers that didn’t do that great was the Hawaiian Burger. It was made with pineapple salsa, Swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomato, but it just did okay. It didn’t merit us putting it on the menu.”
Huey’s
Nine locations around Memphis.
