Entrepreneur Creates ‘Whamburg’: A New Virtual Dining Concept in Windsor

Windsor, ON: Adam El-Dika, Co-founder of Mare Nostrum (located on the University of Windsor campus), opened the virtual doors of his newest restaurant, Whamburg, a smash burger concept on November 2nd, 2020. The smash burger style is simple yet artisanal: a type of burger preparation where fresh ground beef is pressed using a weighted iron on a scorching griddle. The result comes out to a beautiful caramelized crust, with crunchy edges that add an immense amount of flavour to the burger.

Whamburg operates on a 'ghost kitchen concept', meaning that services are only offered through applications such as UberEats, SkipTheDishes, and DoorDash. The restaurant offers a hyper focused menu specializing in smash burgers, fries and malted milkshakes.

The concept came about after being hard hit by the pandemic. With the University of Windsor deciding to move its delivery of classes to an online model, the campus has become akin to a ghost town. Mare Nostrum was forced to close for 10 weeks with no one on campus, but since it has opened, the establishment has experienced a 90% reduction in revenues. With this being the most challenging of times in most recent history for the hospitality industry, Adam’s entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and over the last 4 months Whamburg was developed. When no one could visit the eatery due to its unique location, the idea transitioned to get the food to the people - and what better way of doing so than operating as a ghost kitchen.

Sourcing the highest quality beef in the area from the Butcher of Kingsville, combined with the iconic Martin’s potato bun and a grill press, ‘Whamburg’ is the only restaurant specializing and serving up mouth watering smash burgers. Paired with american cheese, fresh produce and the Wham sauce, the concept has seen hundreds of burgers smashed to the point of selling out in just its first week soft launch.

The team at Whamburg will open Monday through Sunday from 3:30 PM to 10:00 PM only through UberEats, SkipTheDishes and DoorDash. With a skeleton staff operating, patrons can rest assured that the result is in minimal contact points and greater adherence to guidelines setup by the WECHU.

Sourcing the highest quality beef in the area from the Butcher of Kingsville, combined with the iconic Martin’s potato bun and a grill press, ‘Whamburg’ is the only restaurant specializing and serving up mouth-watering smash burgers. Paired with American cheese, fresh produce and the Wham sauce, the concept has seen hundreds of burgers smashed to the point of selling out in just its first-week soft launch.