LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Roam Artisan Burgers Opening Soon in Lafayette


Founders Lynn Gorfinkle and Josh Spiegelman pose in front of Roam Artisan Burgers at La Fiesta Square in Lafayette. Photo Tom Stenzel

With construction moving at a steady pace, Roam Artisan Burgers at La Fiesta Square in Lafayette plans to be open before Christmas. This isn't your typical burger joint, but instead Roam offers a menu that is focused on sustainably-raised meats and locally grown produce.

With two locations in San Francisco, founders Lynn Gorfinkle and Josh Spiegelman are excited to open Roam in Lafayette. When asked what inspired them to open a gourmet burger restaurant in the first place, Spiegelman said that Roam combines both his and Gorfinkle's passion for two things: great food and health/nutrition. Also, after traveling and eating at some of the best restaurants worldwide, they realized that the casual element of fine dining was lacking.

So with Gorfinkle's expertise as a chef and in operations management, and Spiegelman's expertise in business and finance, they opened Roam together. "We wanted to put the fine dining experience in everyone's hands and make it really accessible. So we don't have any snobbery around eating. It's just about coming in, whether you've just finished at the gym or are walking around in shorts and a T-shirt and want to get a burger or date night. With Roam you can dress it up or dress it down. It's however you want to approach it, but we're always going to be here serving the same, really good quality food at a reasonable price point," says Spiegelman.

"We're really into the source of our ingredients. We work exceptionally hard to guarantee the quality of what we're getting. It's everything from all the meats that are pasture-raised - where the name Roam comes from - to taking a perspective of looking at agriculture and ranching and going back to the way that things have always been traditionally done, which is healthiest for the planet, and the best thing is it's the healthiest and most nutrient-rich for us who are eating it."

Gorfinkle and Spiegelman have thoughtfully planned out the menu starting with your choice of meat; 100 percent grass-fed beef, free-range turkey, all natural Bison as well as an organic veggie burger. Not sure what to have on your burger? There are eight different delicious styles to choose from ranging in variety from the Sunny Side - topped with an organic, free-range egg, white Cheddar, caramelized onions, greens, tomato and sweet chili sauce to the French and Fries - topped with Truffle parmesan fries, Gruyere, avocado, caramelized onions, watercress and Dijon mustard, or of course there's always the create your own option.

For sides, they offer skin-on Russet Fries, Sweet Potato Fries and the Zucchini Onion Haystack. For those who want to try it all, there's the Fry-Fecta which supplies a generous size of all three.

Roam's fries are fried in rice bran oil, which is very light, says Spiegelman, and lower in saturated fat, resulting in a lighter fry that's a little better for you. On a side note, Roam recycles their used oil by participating in a waste oil program in San Francisco where the oil goes to fuel Muni buses.

Roam caters to all kinds of diets; including everything from vegetarian to gluten-free and Paleo. Don't feel like having a burger? Check out their Market Salad with ingredients that change according to the season. There's also a seasonal veggie dish and don't forget the organic veggie burger made in-house.

Gorfinkle and Spiegelman not only care deeply about the quality and source of their meats and produce, but also about being eco-conscious in the operations and building of their restaurants. Per Gorfinkle, Roam composts up to about 80 percent of food waste, and participates in a compost program where the soil is used in school gardens in San Francisco and farms throughout California. Also at Roam Lafayette, they're making use of reclaimed, salvaged wood and low-toxic paint in constructing the new restaurant.

But back to the menu, one can't have a burger and fries without the traditional milkshake, and even better, these shakes are stepped up a notch. Made with organic ice cream from Strauss Family Creamery, there's everything from mint chip, salted caramel, and coconut to a seasonal pumpkin spice shake with the option of having a bruleed marshmallow on top.

Also featured are artisan sodas made without corn syrup, featuring unique flavors such as Meyer Lemon, ginger lime, prickly pear, caramelized pineapple and blood orange. Beer and wine are available on tap and in keeping with the sustainability focus with no waste of bottles, but tapping straight from the barrel.

The Lafayette location like the others in the city, will offer casual seating including a community table that seats 18. Outside patio seating will also be available. It is the largest of their three locations.

Roam Artisan Burgers Lafayette will be open seven days a week, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information visit roamburgers.com.

Lamorinda Weekly business articles are intended to inform the community about local business activities, not to endorse a particular company, product or service.