Jam’s Airdrie has gotten creative and found a way to incorporate a popular television show into its menu, while at the same time supporting local charities.
Every Friday, hungry Airdronians can head to Jam’s and see what the restaurant’s chefs have cooked up for a burger special that week, with menu items being directly influenced by the television show Bob’s Burgers, which published a cookbook the restaurant uses for inspiration.
“For me, burgers have always been a huge thing, I have been cooking for 26 years,” said Brad Stefaniuk, owner and chef at Jam’s. “I love the cartoon, so I said what the hell, let’s start doing Bob’s Burgers.”
The show consists of the idiosyncratic adventures of the Belcher family. It is an animated sitcom about a lax burger restaurant owner and his eccentric family, including his wife, two daughters and son.
“There is never a dull day in the restaurant,” the synopsis of the show states on IMDB.com. “The parents struggle to get by, and their kids do all but make it easy for them.”
Another aspect of Jam’s TV-inspired concept is that the promotion will benefit local charities. As the new burger creations are created every Friday, $1 from each burger sold will support a variety of different charities in Airdrie. The restaurant will collect the proceeds and present the funds to the charities once a month.
“The whole reason for me opening restaurants is to give back to the community,” Stefaniuk said. “I work a ton, and I want to give back.”
The first local organization Stefaniuk plans to give back to is North Rocky View Community Links, which provides various resources to residents that range from driving the elderly to appointments, to helping low-income residents file their taxes.
Stefaniuk said if any local charity is in need of funding at the moment, he hopes to help as many as he can through the Bob’s Burgers promotion.
“It’s never going to be a lot of money – we are a really small restaurant – but we want to do our part and set an example for all of the bigger places,” he said.
The restaurant owner added he wants larger restaurants that are making more money know they can give back to their community as well.
“If I can do it, why can’t you?” he said. “I want to make people feel like they should give back more.”
According to Stefaniuk, the promotion has started off slowly. He said as the business doesn’t do a lot of marketing, they are hoping word-of-mouth promotion helps people find out about the restaurant's great food and the Bob’s Burgers connection.
“We are trying to put out the best product, so people want to talk about it,” he said.
Every Friday, locals can pop in to try out the restaurant creation for $12 for a burger and a side. The restaurant is located at 700 Market Street #113, and is open for dinner hours from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fridays.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
