7th Street Burger Is Buying Speed With Second-Generation Kitchens

7th Street Burger opened its first Pennsylvania location at 1215 Frankford Ave in Fishtown in late August, the chain's 35th unit overall. It's a five-year-old New York smashburger concept, backed by Left Lane Capital since 2023, and Fishtown isn't the last stop. Two more Philadelphia leases are already locked for by year end: 1518 Chestnut Street near Rittenhouse Square, about 2,500 square feet in the old Amma's South Indian Cuisine space, and 3931 Walnut Street in University City, taking over the Hummus Grill box that had run there since 2008.

All three sit in second-generation restaurant space. An existing hood, grease trap and gas line let a VC-funded operator skip the part of a restaurant buildout that usually burns a year and six figures. Even with that head start, the Fishtown space took from October to late August to open, proof that outside capital doesn't buy its way around Philadelphia's permitting and buildout pace. If you own a vacant restaurant box with the infrastructure still intact, this is the exact tenant profile circling it.

The neighborhood isn't unanimous. The local Reddit thread on the Fishtown opening ran hot within days: frozen fries, an under-seasoned patty, a sauce one commenter compared to McDonald's, and more than one local calling it a brand living on social media rather than the product. A few pushed back and called it a fine six dollar burger. That split matters for anyone negotiating with this tenant. A concept expanding this fast on outside money doesn't get years to prove itself if the reviews sour before the second location even opens.

I went and tried it myself. The burger's a classic double smashed patty with a good sauce, and the cajun fries had real flavor. What stood out was the onions, chunky instead of the usual disappearing act they pull in a burger this rich. Better than the internet gave it credit for.