Craft Concepts Group Debuts The Grand Opening of Blume Burger in Rittenhouse

Teddy Sourias and Craft Concepts Group announce the grand reopening of Philadelphia's most stylish and Instagram-worthy neighborhood burger bar and restaurant. Blume Burger is set to debut this Friday, May 21, 2021, at 1500 Locust Street, in Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Blume Burger is a grand new concept and direction for the restaurant that has remained closed since March of 2020 when the pandemic hit. The big vibes, the flowering plants and the vibrant colors are back - and this time with over-the-top burger creations, boozy milkshakes, tasty sides, wood-fired pizzas and an eye-catching new streetery. Executive Chef Steve Lindabury and his culinary team have given new life to the kitchen with a menu of comfort food and diner-inspired delights that are perfect for neighborhood foodies, returning workers, frontline workers at nearby hospitals, visiting tourists and those simply craving a feel-good meal during these challenging times. Launch services include delivery, dine-in, pick-up, take-out, cocktails to go, indoor dining, outdoor dining, sidewalk seating and an extended streetery. Opening hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 4:00pm to Midnight, with Sunday hours for online ordering only. After Memorial Day Weekend, look for additional hours and days of operation. Blume is also hiring and seeking experienced and enthusiastic candidates who have evening and weekend availability. For reservations, visit OpenTable.com or call 267-761-5582. Delivery will be available on Grubhub and Uber Eats. For more information and weekly specials, visit BlumePhilly on social media.

"We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of Blume Burger at 1500 Locust Street," said Craft Concepts Group owner Teddy Sourias. "We were forced to shut our doors at the start of the pandemic and our side of Rittenhouse Square remained dark for nearly a year with all the restaurants and bars around us being closed. I am so proud of my team for pulling together and keeping our other restaurants alive the best they can. With a small but amble group, they kept fighting to keep our properties going while at the same time they helped me reconcept one of my personal favorite properties. Back in 2016, we poured our heart and soul into turning 1500 Locust Street from a grocery and marketplace into a stylish and colorful restaurant and bar. We weren't letting this amazing space go without a fight, pandemic or not. We are so glad to be back and present a new fun and lighter concept that takes into account the lessons we learned from the pandemic and rolls them into all we know about the new direction for restaurants as we enter the new normal. Blume Burger's menu is playful and fun - with less serious fare but very serious taste and execution. Look for your comfort food classics, big well-made burgers, boozy shakes, fries and tots, and wood-fired pizza. We will be evolving and adding to the menu, expanding our days of operation, and adding more seating as we head into Memorial Day Weekend. We can't wait to share Blume Burger with the world. Come hungry, there's a burger, boozy shake and fries waiting for you!"

Craft Concepts Group, who is known for BRU Craft & Wurst, Uptown Beer Garden, Tradesman's, Tinsel, Nightmare Before Tinsel, Finn McCool's Ale House, Kontrol and U-Bahn, will debut Blume Burger this Friday, May 21st at 4:00pm. The stylish and colorful restaurant space that was named "Most Instagrammable Restaurant in Philly" will return with the giant butterfly mural on the outside, a lush green plant filled ceiling, big beer garden letters spelling out Blume high above, 88 colored glass panels, and a matching plant-filled teal colored streetery that will stop pedestrians in their tracks. During the pandemic, Sourias kept some of the Blume original design elements, but did start the long process of evolving the space to becoming more warm, inviting and casual.

"We are back with some of the things that made Blume so famous, but we are already evolving the decor to make Blume less about the bar scene and more about being a well-rounded neighborhood eatery with great burgers, amazing drinks and approachable vibes," said Sourias. "In the coming months, look for some new Instagram and TikTok worthy elements to start to pop-up like a new mural, new interior art, a layout change and surprise details. Our goal is to get our staff back, the kitchen up and running, perfect our new concept in the kitchen, expand with delivery services, and then focus on the next enhancements of our space. We are in it for the long-haul and we are taking our time to do it right - but also making sure that we have a great process and environment for our staff along the way."

Sourias added, " Blume Burger is ready and waiting with a comfortable and inviting feel that is perfect for a girls night out, burgers in the neighborhood, a drink after the office, catching the big game, or the perfect date night. Come ready to feed your hunger and your phone."

For seating, look for 35 tables with over 80 seats to start - in the main dining room, at the bar, on the sidewalk and in the brand-new teal-colored streetery. For launch, seats are socially distanced with some tables coming off line to ensure that customers feel safe and comfortable. The 2,400 square feet space will see socially distanced bar seating launch this weekend, and patrons can look for expanded seating options after June 11th. Blume is now also accepting private party and small group requests for later in June and beyond - per city and state local health guidelines and regulations. The entire outdoor streetery will also become available for events and larger group dinners.

From the kitchen, look for an entirely brand-new menu of delicious options that take inspiration from classic diners and drive-ins, soda shops, ice cream parlors and classic burger joints. Chef and his team were tasked by Sourias to have fun in the kitchen, love what you do and do it right. The end result is a tight menu of sharables, pizza, burgers, sides and sweet stuff.

Menu highlights include the carry-over top seller from Blume in the Avocado Sundae that is both delicious and is perfect for the gram with everything spice, creme fraiche, cherry tomato and balsamic reduction. Other shareables include Truffle Tots, Watermelon Salad and Smoked Mozzarella. For wood-fired pizza, look for Margarita, Pistachio, Spicy Pepperoni, Buffalo Chicken and Truffle. For burgers, Chef is firing up the Smash Burger, Pizza Burger, Truffy Burger, The Gabagool, The Impossible and The Fried Chick (fried buttermilk chicken thigh and smoked pickle with herby ranch on a brioche). Sides include sweet potato fries, tater tots, garden salad and caesar salad. Sweet stuff for the perfect ending to the meal includes churro chips inspired by Sueno, Milkshakes and Boozy Shakes.

For Blume Burger's menu, Sourias said, "We designed the food program to feature comforting and familiar burgers, pizzas and dishes that leave you feeling full and happy. One special thing about this menu is that we are offering our most affordable food options ever - as we know this is a tough time and we really want to be that spot to visit two, three and four times a week. We want to price for the neighborhood, for the student returning to Philly, for the construction workers, for the hospital workers that protected us, and for our industry friends who need a good solid meal at a great price point. We also designed the menu and price point to cater to the new emerging class of twenty-something foodies that found themselves hitting up the restaurants during the pandemic instead of the club. We are seeing a shift in trends with younger diners wanting to up their food game, and with older diners getting more tech savvy and utilizing delivery apps, online ordering and contactless menus."

Sourias added, "Menu offerings were also designed to travel well and cater to the growing take-out and delivery business. Blume Burger may be our most successful restaurant ever in terms of take-out and delivery. The interest is already great and we are ready to launch on Uber Eats and Grubhub out of the gate. The pandemic changed a lot of diners' behaviors and we are listening, learning and adapting to what people want from their neighborhood restaurant."

For the beverage program, look for a full menu of craft cocktails, boozy shakes, draft beer, canned beer, cider, seltzer, and wine by the glass - with more selections to be added after opening phase. The centerpiece of the menu is the brand-new boozy shakes - featuring Blume Berry, Pina Colada, Bourbon Peach Cobbler, Red Velvet and a shake of the week. For cocktails, look a menu of well-balanced offerings that feature unique ingredients, familiar flavors, unexpected pairings and more.

Craft Cocktails will include: Bomb Atomically (earl grey infused tanqueray | honey lavender | lemon | vegan egg white), Let Us Saturday (don julio blanco | grapefruit | hops), Aloha Comrade (tito’s vodka | caramelized pineapple basil | ginger beer), Get the Time (bulleit rye | aperol apricot lofi dry vermouth | peach bitter), Card Carrying Ambassador (maker’s mark | brown sugar | blackberry mint | lemon), and Island Life (coconut rum | lime | watermelon watermelon red bull). For draft beers, look for classics, funky and wild, gold and blonde, cider and dark and roasty selections. Wine by the glass features include La Patience Chardonnay, La Patience Red and La Patience Rose.

For jobs created, Blume Burger and Craft Concepts will bring back 10 full-time positions and 12 part-time positions, with up to 10 more full-time and 8 more part-time down the road.

For reservations and more information about the new Blume Burger, visit Open Table or call (267) 761-5582. For more about Blume, visit @BlumePhilly on Instagram.

BLUME BURGER TEAM

Owner of Craft Concepts Group - Teddy Sourias
General Manager – Rob Kline
Private Events - Hank Henson
Interior Design – Anne White
Brand Identity - CCG Team
Custom Artwork – Anne White
Cocktail Design – Rob Kline
PR, Marketing and Social Media - Kory Aversa of Aversa PR

ABOUT CRAFT CONCEPTS GROUP

Craft Concepts Group is presented by Teddy Sourias and partners, and includes BRU Craft & Wurst, U-Bahn, Finn McCool’s Ale House, Uptown Beer Garden, Tradesman’s, Kontrol, Tinsel Christmas pop-up bar, Secret Soirée semi-monthly events, Craft Concepts New Year’s Eve, CCG Catering, Blume and several yet-to-be-announced new concepts. The collection of CCG restaurants, bars, beer gardens and pop-up concepts focus on showcasing and being a driver in the elevation of Philadelphia’s thriving craft beer scene. CCG works to also diversify craft beer and cider tastes by exposure to local, regional and national quality craft companies. CCG concepts are proud to pour one of the region’s most diverse craft lists that includes a wide selection of ciders and sours, rare and hard-to-find ales and IPAs, as well as exclusive beers and ciders made exclusively for CCG. When in full operation, CCG concepts are pouring on over 120 taps - with dozens more to come! Craft Concepts Group concepts are proud members of Philly Loves Beer and collectively host dozens of annual events for Philly Beer Week.