A popular burger spot at Martha’s Vineyard is heading to New York City. Fat Ronnie’s will open this fall in a 1,300-square-foot space at 303 Sixth Avenue in the West Village.
Reynaldo “Ronnie” Faust opened Fat Ronnie’s at Martha’s Vineyard in 2013. For Faust, who was born and raised in the Bronx, the West Village expansion represents a homecoming, spokesperson Nicki Francis told What Now New York.
“He decided to open up the restaurant in Martha’s Vineyard and it was a huge success, so it was just natural expansion for him to eventually open up in New York City,” Francis said.
Faust is a fourth-generation burger maker with deep family roots in the restaurant industry. Brand growth to New York City has been in their plan for Fat Ronnie’s for a while, but events like the COVID-19 pandemic forced the expansion to the backburner.
This will be the second location for the brand. They previously had a location in Miami, which opened on the cusp of COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. That location has since closed and is in the process of relocating.
The New York location will be similar to the Martha’s Vineyard spot, with an old-school burger joint atmosphere with 16 seats. Fat Ronnie’s finds its strength in its variety of toppings and its large portion sizes.
“Our burgers are wonderful. They are 8 ounces of Black Angus beef. They are big and juicy. We grill a country roll, so you take a bite of the bread and the juicy burger,” Francis said. “The thing that makes us unique — and this is why you can eat there 1,000 times and never have the same thing — is you get to choose whatever toppings you want on it.”
Fat Ronnie’s features 32 different toppings that customers can add to their burger, including a diverse array of options like portabello mushrooms, bacon, carmelized onions, pickles, pineapples and different varieties of mustard.
Aside from burgers, Fat Ronnie’s serves menu items like lobster rolls, chicken tenders, chicken wings, chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, cheese fries, veggie burgers and salads.
The team is aiming for an October opening in the West Village.
Francis said they are looking forward to catering to a new market and to having the opportunity to better serve their current customer base, as well.
“We do have a cult following in Martha’s Vineyard and a lot of those customers live in New York, so we’re excited to be able to service them all year around in New York,” Francis said. “It’s also very excited for Ronnie to be opening in his hometown.”
