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The two Port Jefferson Station pals who survived opening a burger joint three months before a pandemic are ready to take on the mall.
Boxcar Burgers, the no-frills, quick-service staple at the Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma station, is heading to the food court at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove this summer, co-owners Steve Cannon and Mike Dorian confirmed to Greater Long Island.
The pair — Port Jefferson Station natives and lifelong friends who grew up together and graduated from Comsewogue High School — are targeting a June opening, with July 1 as their outside deadline.
“We should be able to start swinging hammers within the next week or so,” Cannon, 41, said, adding that they expect to obtain construction permits soon.
The renovation will be largely cosmetic and involve about three weeks of work, he said. After that, the team will finalize operational setup, hire and train staff, and then crank up the grill for customers.
The new Boxcar Burgers location will occupy the former Dutchess Cookies space in the food court, and will follow mall hours: opening around 10:30 or 11 a.m. daily, while closing at 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Staffing is expected to run four or five employees per shift.
Long-anticipated expansion
Boxcar’s expansion is years in the making. Dorian and Cannon had eyed a mall location before eventually pivoting to a food truck earlier on their Boxcar journey. (They still operate for the food truck for private parties and catering.)
Last summer, Cannon reconnected with a contact at Smith Haven and began negotiating a lease deal.
“We had several months of discussions, and then we finally hammered everything out,” he said. “And now we’re just excited to get in.”
The timing dovetails with the mall’s broader transformation. Simon Property Group last year announced a multimillion-dollar renovation of the mall, including a full overhaul of the food court, new flooring and fixtures, and an outdoor plaza.
The Boxcar duo did their due diligence before signing on. Dorian, 41, said they studied foot traffic data and came away reassured.
The property, he noted, survived the 2008 recession and COVID without closing, and now benefits from a new Stony Brook Medicine wing attached to the north side of the building.
They also discovered that a significant share of riders passing through the Ronkonkoma station, which already feeds their flagship location, find their way over to the mall.
Cannon expects the mall location to closely mirror Ronkonkoma. Square footage is similar, though the new space has something the train station spot lacks: a dedicated back-of-house area for prep and cleaning.
“Our operational style involves quick service, making everything fresh, cook to order and quickly. We think we can pretty much just mirror that blueprint,” Cannon said.
History of perseverance
That blueprint has built a strong following since the pair opened Boxcar on Jan. 4, 2020, at the train station, in a former pizzeria location that had sat vacant for years.
The timing of the launch was, to put it mildly, complicated. COVID-19 arrived within weeks of their debut.
With the dining room empty, takeout orders kept the kitchen humming.
“The store was completely empty, but the (take-out orders) were all lined up. It was mayhem in the kitchen,” Dorian recalled.
What has kept customers lining up since those early days, both owners agreed, comes down to ingredients and craft. Three of what the owner’s call Boxcar’s biggest attributes are below:
1. The beef — ground fresh daily from a proprietary blend — comes from a Rockville Centre butcher that has been in business for roughly a century.
2. Martin’s potato rolls anchor every sandwich.
3. Pickles and onions are chopped up before they land between bun and burger: Dorian said it ensures every single bite of a burger delivers the same flavor hit.
“When you chop up the pickles and the onions, with every bite you get the exact same thing,” he said.
Hand-cut fries and hand-spun milkshakes round out the menu.
Dorian said the Runway — a double cheeseburger loaded with barbecue sauce, bacon and onion rings — is the most popular menu item.
“We’re definitely extremely excited to get the ball rolling at the mall,” Cannon said.
Top: Boxcar Burgers owners Steve Cannon (left) and Mike Dorian. Inset photo of popular menu item Runaway Burger (courtesy photos).
Earlier Boxcar coverage
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