Now that I no longer have a corporate-supplied computer, I decided to upgrade my home computer, monitor and peripherals. Off to Fry’s Electronics in Fishers. Fry’s is a very interesting place and it’s in the same ‘hell’ as Menards and Best Buy for my wife and daughters. It is a large electronics store – sort of a Best Buy on steroids. They have about 30 stores nationwide, most in California. Indeed, they started in the Silicon Valley catering to the tech crowd there. Each store has a theme, like Star Wars, Computers, Movies; and the Fishers store theme is race cars (can’t blame them…what else distinguishes Indianapolis but the Indy 500?). Fry’s sells everything you will see at Best Buy, and more, including computer parts, appliances, electronic security systems, and lots of gadgety things. They even have a snack bar in the middle of the store. Prices are generally better than at BB, but not as great as Amazon. Alas, on my more recent trips, the store is looking a bit shabby. Never a ‘high end’ feel, it is now full-bore run down; inventory is low and many shelves are empty. It simply does not look good for Fry’s here in Indiana…

Anyway, as I walk out of the store with a new High Def 25” monitor for only $125, I turn on my Uber driver app. My first ‘ding’ is for a pickup 20 minutes away and I decline it. Quickly following is Tu who is 1 minute away at the Walmart I am passing. Tu at Walmart. Should be interesting. I pull into the parking lot and out walk Tu and his buddy. They are not what I expect. They are in their early 30s and have great accents that sound a bit off from Australian, but close. Turns out they are from New Zealand. “Ah,” I say, “I bet most people ask you about Lord of the Rings.” They both nod knowingly and Tu says he doesn’t live anywhere near those film sites but he is the ‘Lord of the Hamburg’. “How so?” I ask. “Burger Fuel,” he replies. “Sounds like a gas station,” I say. Tu tells me that it is their first ‘hamburg’ restaurant in the United States. Now, I’m not sure if Tu and friend are owners (doubtful) or just work for a corporation, but he says that they have about 40 stores across the globe and this is the first one in the US. Wow. Why Indianapolis? Tu reminds me what I had previously heard: Indy is well regarded as a test market city and many products and retailers are marketed here before they are introduced around the country. I looked this up and indeed Nashville, Cincinnati, Indy, Charleston and Jacksonville are known as the top test markets in America. Demographically, these cities most closely match the nation as a whole on 26 different variables; so if it plays in Indy, it has a strong chance of success on a larger scale. Tu’s marketing arm knew this, ID’ed Indianapolis, and the Kiwi BurgerFuel boys fell in love with the Broadripple vibe and the millennial market there. So that is where BurgerFuel is located. Jean, Lisa, Mark and I visited this week. See my incomplete ranking of Burger places in Indy below which now includes BurgerFuel.

I learned a lot on my 10 minute ride from Walmart, including the fact that, if Tu and his bud are representative, New Zealanders are friendly, jovial folk who may not shower as often as their American counterparts.

Frank’s Hamburger Restaurant Ratings (in descending order)

Flamme Burger: Fishers. $10. Silly name (most pronounce it flam EH’) but great burgers fired on a grill that moves up and down over an open flamme, er, flame.

Bub’s Burgers: Carmel and Westfield. $8. My family’s favorite with unique burger seasoning and the Big Ugly. Always crowded.

Bubba’s 33: Fishers. $10. What can I say, I’m a sucker for bacon in my burger. Always crowded.

BurgerFuel: Broad Ripple. $8. Rock and Roll hipster place in cool building. Best thing is that the burgers are fairly thick but have that ‘crust’ that comes with thinner burgers like Steak ‘n Shake. Unfortunately, like those thin-patty places, the burgers don’t come cooked to order and all were overcooked. Some liked the tasty whole wheat bun but I’d prefer a quieter bun that just serves to hold the sandwich together. Good fries. Worth a visit.

Bru Burger: Carmel (a little boujee) and Mass Ave (a little hipster). Just sayin’. $12

Five Guys = Punch Burger = Red Robin > Bagger Dave’s: $6

Culvers = SmashBurger = Freddies = Elevation Burger > Steak ‘n Shake: $5-6

Scotty’s Brewhouse: $8. I’ve given them more than a few chances and the truth is that this place has terrible food, and lousy burgers. Very bottom of my list.

So, what do you think of my ratings?

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