Rooster’s Smash Burgers serves up burgers and a welcoming environment

UTICA — Focus on one thing and do it well. That’s the goal of Rooster’s Smash Burgers owner Javon Pratt. His restaurant, open for nearly four years, focuses only on burgers with the goal of making the best burger around. Pratt used to own a pizzeria before selling it in 2019. He also worked for a while at Upstate Cerebral Palsy (Upstate Caring Partners), but says, “I just had the itch to go back into business for myself.” Pratt thought about opening another pizzeria but couldn’t find a suitable space. Then he saw a space available on Charlotte Street he thought would be a good location, but he needed to figure out what to serve if it wasn’t pizza. The idea came to him after he got “stuck” for a while in a fast-food drive-thru waiting for a burger. “There’s a market for burgers,” he says, and he liked the idea of serving only burgers. “If you go to Philly, you have places that just sell cheesesteaks. If you go to Chicago, you have places that just serve hot dogs.” So, Rooster’s Smash Burgers was born in November 2021. The name honors a former employee from Pratt’s pizzeria, and the menu features about a dozen different burgers along with fries. The lone exception to the burger-only menu policy is chicken nuggets. At first, Pratt was the sole employee with a streamlined system that allowed him to work the entire restaurant by himself. “Then we just slowly grew,” he says. Eventually, Rooster’s transitioned to a new location on North Genesee Street, where Pratt took over the restaurant side of Kookie Q’s, which still operates a seasonal ice-cream business there. The businesses share prep space. “We do a lot more volume,” Pratt says of the new location, which Rooster’s Smash Burgers moved into last October. His old space had seating for 19 people, while he can seat 40 people inside at his new location, which also offers outdoor seating. The Rooster’s employee count grew as well, from about four employees on Charlotte Street to about 14 employees now, Pratt says. He prides himself on the homey, welcoming feel of Rooster’s, along with use fresh-baked buns from Salvatore’s Bakery and meat that’s ground fresh at Chanatry’s daily. Pratt trains his employees to focus on quality service and products. “I want you to make this burger like it’s for your mom,” he says. “I think the thing I’m most proud of with Rooster’s is what people have to say about the way we make people feel,” Pratt concludes.