Smashburgers served with a side of good will
On May 31, Will’s Smashburgers opened its doors, inside Center Cuts Gourmet Butcher on Main Road in Mattituck, serving up the sizzling summer staple with signature sauces and good vibes.
With the young entrepreneur Will Burrell’s big plans and an even bigger heart, every smashburger he serves comes with a positive message, an attempt to help combat mental health struggles.
“Mental health is very personal to me, and I want to raise awareness,” Will explained. “That’s why I do the handwritten notes on each bag, something as simple as saying ‘Have a great day,’ or one of my favorite ones is ‘You’ve conquered a hundred percent of your hard days,’ just reminders to keep going and that you’re loved.”
The good will goes beyond the positive vibes. At the beginning of 2025, the 17-year-old junior at Brunswick School in Greenwich, Conn., started his own events and catering company named Will Burrell Events. Since the business’s creation, Will has run a food truck for four different events, donating a portion of his smashburger profits to the Gary Sinise Foundation, the not-for-profit that supports families of fallen military and first responders.
At one event alone, Will raised $1,500. He plans to continue supporting the foundation with a portion of the new summer pop-up’s profits.
His attachment to the North Fork started in childhood, spending summers at his family’s home in Jamesport. At 14 years old, he got a seasonal job at Center Cuts forming burgers, packaging meat and helping customers — all the while, creating connections to start his savvy spot, under a DBA.
He approached his former boss, Center Cuts owner Justin Aranoff, with the his idea, and the two decided to give the burgers-in-a-butcher-shop concept a go.
“It’s just a win-win,” Will said. “You get customers coming in for me, then they buy a steak and vice versa.”
He’s provided another extra bonus to Center Cuts, too, having purchased picnic tables for Will’s Smashburgers and the butcher shop to share.
Will serves all-beef smashburgers, with or without American cheese, at $9 for a single patty and $12 for a double, along with standard burger toppings. There’s also a special savory-sweet onion jam to slather on your burger as an extra option for his hungry customers, too.
Through the process of flipping and searing all summer long, Will hopes to get to know the ins and outs of the food business.
“I’m learning how to deal with taxes, I’m learning how to deal with people,” he said. “I’ve created an LLC. It’s giving me a head start on what I want to do eventually.”
Next year, he plans on pursuing a hospitality degree and later moving onto real estate development.
“I have a very specific plan,” Will said.
Will’s Smashburgers serves in Center Cuts Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 5 p.m., and Fridays noon to 6 p.m.
