What do you get when you combine hustle, heart and a flat-top grill? In just 57 days, Bobby Warrender has made a splash on social media — and sold over 2,000 burgers.
On Saturday, July 26, he’ll be bringing his big silver food truck, his fryer and his flat top to Zócalo Food Park, 636 S. 6th St., to debut his big, juicy West Coast-style smash burgers.
“We put love into every burger. And if it’s not right, we’ll make it again,” says Warrender, owner of Bobby’s Burgers, which got its start in Kenosha just two months ago.
From SoCal dreams to MKE smash hits
Warrender, who grew up between Northern Illinois and Kenosha, Wisconsin spent a portion of his early career working his way around restaurants from front to back of house. In 2017, he moved out to San Diego, California.
“I fell in love with the culture and the burger scene,” he says. “And I swore I would never come back. But my father passed away in December of 2024 and my mom needed a hip replacement. So, I came back to Kenosha to take care of my mom.”
“I knew I needed to do something in Kenosha, and food has always been my love language. So, I decided to bring a great West Coast style burger to Wisconsin.”
He hatched a plan and ordered a food truck. In the interim, John Ziemba, a long-term friend, approached him about debuting the truck at the Lake Andrea Beer Garden in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. Warrender agreed.
But as the truck’s debut at the beer garden approached, he realized that there was no way he’d have the truck in time. So, he resorted to Plan B, a pop-up burger stand.
“I used a grill that someone let me borrow, a tent from Walmart and a Temu fryer and we made it happen. The pop-up was incredible – even though everything that could go wrong, did. But people went nuts for the food. So, we kept on doing pop-ups.”
In mid-June, the truck came in. But it came in pieces without axles.
“We had to assemble it and pass inspections for an event that night. But somehow we did it,” says Warrender. “We didn’t have running water and we had to string in electrical lights for the event, but we made it work.”
Shortly after he got the truck situated, he got a call from Cathy Sederberg, the owner of Common Cookhouse where he was renting space for his commissary kitchen. She said that Lion’s Tale Brewery was looking for a food truck for the weekend and she recommended him.
“I already had a gig at the Kenosha Market that day, but I took it on,” he says. “The morning was exhausting. But I drove up to Wauwatosa, pulled in and opened the window. We were just annihilated.”
The second time he served at Lion’s Tale, he got a visit from Sean Phelan of Phelan Development and co-owner of Zócalo Food Park, who stopped by and stood in line for 45 minutes.
“By the time he got to the window, we were sold out. So I made him an impromptu batch of our loaded fries. He ate the whole thing and then came back and told me that I needed to come by and check out Zócalo.”
So, he stopped over, checked out the food park and arranged to bring the food truck back on July 26 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. to debut Bobby’s Burgers at Zócalo.
Big, juicy & nothing like the others
“I’ve put a lot of effort into my burgers,” says Warrender. “It took me five years to come up with my beef blend [a combination of tri-tip, chuck and short rib] and create my Mystic Sauce.
Beyond that, his smash burgers are inspired by the West Coast style – topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and "Animal Style" sauce (inspired by In-N-Out).
But the key behind the flavor is the quality of the ingredients which begins with beef from Two Creek Farms in Union Grove; buns made by Kenosha’s Piaella Bakery with locally sourced grains; French fries which are hand-cut and double-fried in locally sourced beef tallow; and high quality refrigerated kosher pickles.
“We don’t have a fancy seasoning blend for our burgers,” Warrender says. “We just season with salt and pepper. It really lets the flavor of the beef shine.”
Warrender has also kept his menu simple. Burgers include a single smash ($11.99); a double smash ($15.99); a triple smash ($19.99) and a 5x5 Big Back ($25).
Beef tallow fried French fries are 6.99 and loaded fries (a large order of fries topped with chopped burger, extra cheese, extra onions, pepperoncini, pickles and Mystic sauce) for $12.
Bobby’s also offers deep fried Uncrustable topped with cinnamon, sugar and whipped cream for dessert ($6 each).
Of course, you can also be a “cool kid” and order from the Bobby’s Burgers Secret Menu, which includes the Bobby Banger, a double burger with deep-fried Uncrustables as the bun.
Warrender laughs. “It’s gardening inspired.”
Before you go
Bobby’s Burgers will be serving up their West Coast-inspired smash burgers and hand-cut fries at Zócalo Food Park, 636 S. 6th St., on Saturday, July 26 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Get there early and expect a line.
Moving forward, Warrender says he’s working on getting a second truck so that he can be at Zócalo Food Park full time, Until then, watch his social media for updates. His schedule is posted regularly on Instagram and Facebook and you can find the Bobby’s Burgers menu at BobbysGotBeef.com
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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