Seventeen years of Brodburger magic (and yes, you still have to queue)
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Are you even Canberran if you don’t Brod?
It’s been 17 years since husband-and-wife team Joelle and Sascha Brodbeck opened a tiny van at Bowen Park in Kingston.
Their aim was to serve the juiciest and tastiest burgers to passers-by. But pretty quickly, word of these magical burgers spread, and suddenly everyone was parking on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin and excitedly queueing for a Brod. Unfortunately, the National Capital Authority and ACT Government had other ideas. They deemed the little red caravan could not park or serve there.
Furore ensured, and Brodbecks found themselves with a vocal support base. The Government had to listen, drop its red tape and help the hard-working couple find a permanent home at the Canberra glassworks. They won the right to keep feeding Brod-aholics.
Since those rather fraught early years, Brodburger has spread its wings, introducing the Brod Dog hotdog, and in 2017 it settled in with Capital Brewing Co. in Fyshwick. By 2019 it found another spot in Woden and in 2024, Brod also moved into South.Point in Tuggeranong. Kingston meanwhile, still draws a queue for burgers and crispy shoestring fries.
Brodburger at Capital Brewing. a perfect pairing. Photo by Ben Calvert.
Which basically means Brods have conquered Canberra (and yes, we hear whispers the couple are considering an inner-north outlet…)
Joelle still gets emotional when she considers the loyalty and love that has flowed from the city into her and Sascha’s mastery of the burger.
Brodburger in Woden. Photo Ben Calvert.
“We were so young when we started out and we put everything into it. And it was pretty disheartening when the Government shut us down. But then everyone got behind us and kept us going. Canberrans gave us the passion to keep doing what we do.”
Which is to prep, cook and wrap up enormous signature burgers which require two hands and steady commitment to finish (or you can opt for a “Baby Brod” which is slightly smaller…)
Now the pair have a legion of staff to help them, but following the original business plan, they still make all their sauces – notably their insanely delicious garlicky aioli in house, and the Brods are still based on the original recipes.
It takes commitment to get through a Brod… Phot by Ashley St George
The Classic Brodburger remains their biggest seller, slamming 200 grams of flame-grilled beef patty on top of lettuce, tomato, Spanish onion, homemade aioli and tomato relish.
And while peak periods still often require a line-up, you can order online to avoid the inevitable queues.
Thinking back over 17 years of successful business in a city which notoriously moves onto the next shiny food thing, Joelle says she misses her original tiny caravan, where Sascha would hand-blend buckets of aioli and they were slammed every evening to get through their orders.
Happy 17th birthday to Brodburger and everything they stand for (12 layers of burgery goodness in the Deluxe, for instance). Photo Ashley St George
“I really miss those days because they gave us a chance to talk to everyone when they came. We would have relationships with so many of our early customers and some people have become our friends over the years.
“What I know is that we would never have reached where we are today if we hadn’t poured our heart and soul into cooking our burgers from that tiny van and if we hadn’t had such loyal customers support us and back us. We want to tell Canberra thank you.”
