Bub's now biggest, ugliest

This time last year, the walls of Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream were nearly bare.
When the restaurant opened this past year, it claimed the prize of Best New Restaurant for Best of Bloomington.

But today, 3-by-5 photos line every wall in the establishment.

In each photo, a customer holds up an empty plate that once held what is now Bloomington’s best burger.

Anyone who eats Bub’s signature Big Ugly burger, a one-pound-after-cooked patty of beef or elk, is rewarded with his or her photo on the wall, and owner Matt Frey has lost track of just how many people have come in to take a bite out of a burger and this opportunity.

“When we opened the restaurant eight years ago in Carmel (Ind.), we thought a few people might try and eat it, but we never thought pictures would be wallpaper on the walls,” Frey said.

Bub’s current general manager, Justin Tarin, said beyond eating the burger, people genuinely want to get their picture on that wall.

“It’s really cool to have that atmosphere,” Tarin said. “I had a family stay to watch someone else try and finish two Big Uglies. It draws a crowd, and you don’t get that wherever you go.”

But what most people like about the burger is its simplicity.

Bub’s prepares its burgers with freshly baked buns and hand-pattied, never-frozen meat that is a significantly larger meal than elsewhere because the patty weighs more before it is cooked.

“I don’t know if it’s the bun or the meat. It’s just really good,” said regular customer Katie Hannah, 21.

“Our burgers are the closest burgers you get to the backyard, 4th of July burger,” said Caroline Shurig, 22, a Bub’s waitress since February. “It just reminds me of home.”
And that’s what Frey says Bub’s does best.

“Our business plan is be good at one or two things and keep it simple,” Frey said. “Long-neck beers, milkshakes and burgers. Who doesn’t like it?”

Frey is flattered by how quickly Bloomington has accepted Bub’s as a local favorite.

“There are so many restaurants that have burgers, so it’s a very competitive market for our main entrée,” Frey said. “It’s been an honor to get this award so quickly.”

A tip from Frey to anyone itching to complete the Big Ugly challenge: Don’t fill up on water.

“There are kids, there’s women and there’s an 8-year-old that’s done it three times now,” Frey said. “There are people that cheat a lot. But we want people to succeed, come back and try it again with their buddies. It’s not just a good burger. It’s the ambiance, and it’s a destination point where you have fun eating.”