The scene: In just over five years Umami Burger has surged from its humble start in a single Southern California location to more than twenty outlets on both coasts and the Midwest (California, New York, Nevada, Illinois). It has quickly amassed a cult following of diehard fans, not dissimilar to the more famous Southern California burger chain In-N-Out. But true believers aside, the Umami Burger model is very different from any of the fast food players in the burger space. It is more similar to fast casual newcomers like Bobby's Burger Palace, BurgerFi and Larkburger, but even these, where you order at the counter, lack the full-service, sit-down experience Umami Burger delivers quickly and causally. It's not fast food, but it is fast full-service dining.
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