To celebrate its first anniversary, True Blue Butcher & Barrel will give away 1,000 free smash burgers on Feb. 11.
 
Bobby Zimmerman, owner of the We Are True Blue restaurant group, made a similar pledge a year ago for the opening of Butcher & Barrel, located at 110 Greenfield St. The eatery gifted 892 burgers last year, but Zimmerman intends to meet his initial pledge of 1,000 free burgers this time.
 
“We fell short of our goal during our opening last year,” Zimmerman said in a release. “I vowed to give away 1,000 free burgers for our first birthday.”
 
The promotion will begin at 11 a.m., and until the restaurant meets its goal, all guests who make a purchase will receive a free burger.
 
Butcher & Barrel’s smash burger starts with a crispy patty, formed from a mix of ground beef and ground bacon, layered on a challah bun and topped with American cheese, homemade garlic pickles, lettuce, tomato and a special sauce.
 
This year, Butcher & Barrel plans to distinguish itself from Zimmerman’s other restaurants in the We Are True Blue brand. The brand’s focus on freshly butchered meat will continue with a “more interactive butcher shop experience” coming to Butcher & Barrel soon, according to a release. But Butcher & Barrel will also lean into a new identity as a vibrant spot with live music, more than 200 bourbons and whiskeys, and a redesigned menu focusing on new shareable and handheld dishes.
 
One new item coming to Butcher & Barrel is the Carolina Hot Chicken Sandwich, featuring chicken dry rubbed with a spicy, bright red Kashmiri chili pepper seasoning and fried. The crispy chicken is topped with bacon, American cheese and a spicy special sauce, plus shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato and – as any nod to its classic Nashville counterpart requires – bright, tangy pickles.
 
Butcher & Barrel plans to reveal its full revamped menu within the next two months. In the meantime, diners can still enjoy the restaurant’s buy one, get one free deal on the current menu of shareables from 4-6 p.m. and 9-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The deal is only available for those seated at the bar or on the patio at Butcher & Barrel.
 
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