Skinny Louie is bringing its paper-thin smash burgers to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, with the Miami-born chain confirming plans to open at 107A East Commercial Boulevard. No opening date has been announced yet, but the beachfront address puts the burger joint in one of Broward County's busiest pedestrian corridors.
The brand specializes in smash burgers made with 100% Black Angus beef, cooked on a griddle until the edges turn crispy and caramelized, according to WhatNow. The signature cheeseburger comes loaded with double American cheese, Louie sauce, grilled onions, and pickles, and the broader menu covers classic burgers, applewood bacon burgers, fries, and milkshakes. Skinny Louie has listed the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea location as coming soon on its website, and the storefront will mark another Broward County outpost for the chain, joining existing South Florida locations in Miami Beach, North Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Coconut Grove.
A Lease Years in the Making
The Lauderdale-by-the-Sea deal was announced by Cohen Commercial Realty, which said Skinny Louie signed the lease for the Commercial Boulevard space. Town records show the site has a history of restaurant activity: a conditional use permit for a new Mid-Century Modern style sign at 107 East Commercial Boulevard was filed under the business name Burger Vibez back in October 2025, according to municipal filings from the Town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. It's unclear how that earlier tenant activity relates to Skinny Louie's arrival, but the address has clearly been in play for a restaurant concept for close to a year.
Skinny Louie opened its first restaurant in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, founded in November 2023 by Argentinian hospitality entrepreneurs Gonzalo Rubino and Matias Palloni, who had previously launched the restaurant brand Sushi Mas together, per Voyage MIA Magazine. The founders built the concept after spotting a gap in Wynwood for fast-casual smash burger spots, and the brand has since leaned on a corporate-owned operating structure rather than franchising, sticking to a tight menu of three classic smash burgers, hand-cut fries, and milkshakes to keep quality consistent across stores, according to comments Rubino made on The Big Dawgs Podcast.
Festival Wins Fueled the Growth
Skinny Louie's rise got a major boost from culinary competitions. The chain won the Very Best Burger Judges Award at both the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and the New York City Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash competitions in 2025, per Miami New Times. That award-winning creation, known as the Very Best Burger or Wagyu Louie, features double smash patties topped with melted smoked gouda cheese, truffle aioli, and pickled jalapeño relish on a brioche bun — a dish originally built for festival competition before becoming a popular off-menu request, according to Broward Palm Beach New Times.
The accolades appear to have accelerated the chain's footprint well beyond South Florida. Rubino reported in July that Skinny Louie operated roughly 10 locations across South Florida and New York and was aiming to reach 16 operating units by the end of 2026, a jump from a single location just two years earlier. The company's New York push began in NoMad in 2025 before expanding to the West Village in March, the Upper East Side in May, and Park Slope this month, per Patch.
Broward County's Expanding Footprint
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is just one piece of a broader Broward County build-out for Skinny Louie. Skinny Louie Sizzles Into Fort Lauderdale covered the chain's plans for a 1,600-square-foot lease at 401 East Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale, part of the same regional push that also includes a site at Dania Pointe in Dania Beach. Job listings posted in August indicate the chain has already started local recruitment for the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea storefront, setting hourly wages from $14 for kitchen and crew members up to $20 for shift supervisors, with open roles covering day, night, and overnight shifts.
No specific timeline has been announced for when the Commercial Boulevard location will begin serving customers. For now, the beachfront storefront remains listed as coming soon, leaving locals to watch for hiring updates and permitting activity as the chain works toward its 16-location goal by year's end.
