P Terry's

By Henry Long

On one hot Thursday this July, P. Terry’s Burger Stand had a line around the building at nearly every one of their 36 locations. It was not for a hot, new menu item, but a good cause. On that day, P. Terry’s donated 100% of profits, to the tune of $150,000, to Kerrville flood relief. It’s just another notch in the belt for the namesake burger chain of Patrick Terry. A restaurant that defies all expectations of chains, burgers and value.

Start in Austin and walk a quarter mile in any direction. You will hit a P. Terry’s. Order me an Oreo shake when you get there. Despite their scale and ubiquity, P. Terry’s feels like a neighborhood spot. On the surface, 36 locations is proliferation, but upon further inspection, it’s familiarity. The burger chain has been celebrating its birthday all year, not by doling out cheap coupons but by improving their service. Changing multiple locations to 24 hours, improving ingredient quality and giving back to the region.

Dining at P. Terry’s involves two separate moments of wow. The first is when you pay and realize your burger, fries and shake somehow all came in under $10. Before your first bite, you’ve already won. The second comes when you finish the meal. When what should be a feeling of guilt for indulging in a prototypically unhealthy dish is replaced with intense satisfaction. Their simple ingredients and timeless recipes shine through over societal expectations of what is and isn’t good for you.

Our fathers and their fathers before them ate burgers. My son will one day eat at P. Terry’s. He will order the double cheeseburger just as I have 39 times this year alone. And he will take it and eat from it and see that it is good. For I know the plans I have for him, plans to prosper and not to harm. Plans to take him to P. Terry’s and show him there is yet still good in this world with a side of fries, extra crispy.