The expansion rate of Broken Hearts Burger Club has been nothing short of impressive. The COVID-era concept has proliferated across Brisbane since bursting onto the burger scene in 2020, opening new stores at a rapid clip. After launching in Morningside, the team – helmed by Jay Gordon (the brains behind Peer Reviewed Burgers, the pop-up from which Broken Hearts evolved) and Chè Quaedvlieg – has opened locations in Ashgrove, Mango Hill, Victoria Point and West End. This week has seen Broken Hearts add another spot to the portfolio, with a new site opening on Monday September 12 in New Farm. It’s a testament to the quality of the offering (which revolves around a tight range of old-school hand-smashed burgers) that Broken Hearts has managed to flourish without experiencing any drop-off in demand. “The secret of our business – and I say secret, but I don’t mind saying it – is that it’s simple,” says Jay of Broken Hearts Burger Club’s appeal. “It’s really built around this burger that I wanted to have every single day – when I lived in LA I was having every single day – and I figured someone else might want it once a week. The [Broken Hearts] vision has always been a place where we can go and get the burger we want. It’s not a monstrosity that, while delicious, make us not want to have another one for six months.” Those that consider a Broken Hearts burger a weekly must will be thrilled with the team’s 30-seat New Farm locale – it’s located on the corner of Brunswick Street and Merthyr Road in the space that once housed DA’Burger. The previous tenant’s rustic aesthetic and written-on walls have been exchanged for the signature red, white and blue scheme of Broken Hearts, though traces of DA’Burger’s grungy patron-graffitied past are still visible in the autographed lamps.

Like all of its sibling sites before it, Broken Hearts Burger Club New Farm keeps its menu concise, honing in on a core range of products executed at a high level. “In-N-Out has had the same menu since the 1970s and it might be obnoxious for us to make that comparison, but they only became that because they stuck to their guns through those early years where perhaps there was temptation to change and mix it around, and now it’s something that really sets them apart,” says Jay. “We want to be that – we’ve managed to stick to that menu for almost two years now and it’s still going strong.” Key to the menu is the patty, which is made using a blend of chuck steak, upscale cuts of porterhouse, sirloin or oyster blade, and bacon – seasoned with a pinch of salt. Once cooked on the flat-top, these lacy-edged discs are then layered with American cheese, bread and butter pickles, and sauce atop a lightly toasted potato bun. You can get your burger in classic cheeseburger form or made fancy with the addition of lettuce, tomato and onion. Sides like shoestring fries (which can be made cheesy or Feisty style) and mozzarella sticks are joined by a range of shakes (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, lime and a special flavour) and soft drinks. At the end of the day, perhaps the reliability of Broken Hearts is the most integral ingredient to success. “We want to be that diner off Seinfeld that people know they can go to every Thursday lunch and have a funny chat with their friends,” reveals Jay. “That’s what it was always intended to be for us and that’s what it still is.”

Broken Hearts Burger Club New Farm is now open to the public for dine-in and takeaway. Head to the Stumble Guide for operating hours and links to order-ahead platforms.