Aunty Lucy's Burgers will no longer be available at the Annex Hotel or on delivery apps as of August 31, 2022. The burger favourite comes full circle as it will continue to function by hosting pop-ups, the way it once began.
Undisposable, a branding agency owned by Cheiff Bosompra originally presented "Aunty Lucy's Burger Shop" as a three-day pop-up in the winter of 2019. It was a way to showcase the company's ability to brand outside of the event space. The pop-up was inspired to be the gourmet version of In-N-Out Burger in Toronto, with custom-made boxes and Extra Burger providing the food.
Months after the pop-up, Bosompra was interested in giving it another go, this time on his own. Aunty Lucy's started up again, working in a ghost kitchen at the corner of Queen West and Brock Ave. On June 3, 2020, the restaurant opened its doors in the Annex Hotel. The smash burger spot gets its name Aunty Lucy's Burgers (eventually dropping shop) after Bosompras's beloved grandmother. "A very outgoing person, she would have been happy to see herself represented in North America," he says.
Bringing people together with food and culture was at the forefront of what Bosompra wanted to achieve. He decided to incorporate his Ghanaian background into the menu and the brand as a whole. After the relaunch, Bosompra began to add popular Ghanaian street food to the menu, like kelewele (fried plantain) and jollof rice. Items on the menu are also named after places and cities in Ghana, like the Kumasi and Accra burgers. "We wanted to be really well-made burgers that everyone could enjoy but also a bit different than what would you would find on burger menus," says Bosompra.
After a little over two years of utilizing the space at the hotel, the brand has decided to leave the location. "I feel like I wanted to stop operating like it was and go back to the simplicity of doing pop-ups which are more straightforward, exciting and touch a whole bunch of different crowds," says Bosompra. The company has already thrown six events since the announcement and will be hosting one in Vancouver in September. Expanding beyond Canada, the brand also intends to host pop-ups in the United States during the winter.
"I think it's dope that we're in that space bringing our own flavour and sauce to it. I think it's cool to be representing Ghana through burgers and we will continue to get it out there in a digestible way for everyone to enjoy," says Bosompra.
Aunty Lucy's Burgers has enjoyed their time at the Annex Hotel, but all good things come to an end. Keep an eye out for the next pop-up and be ready to bite into your favourite smash burger.
