Harmony slider burger reappears
With the blessings of the Marks family, creators of the 1930 Harmony Lunch landmark restaurant in Uptown Waterloo and its famous pork sliders and fried onions, Jack’s Family Restaurant has announced that they will start serving an original-recipe burger May 5.
“While you can get the raw burger mix based on the original Marks’ recipe at Stemmler’s in Heidelberg, we will be the only place you can get the original recipe cooked and served to you as a burger,” according to Saddy Kulafi, co-owner of Jack’s located on Benjamin Road, Waterloo.
Kulafi says Jack’s is “honoured” at the chance to continue, after a short interruption, a 90-year legacy that Harry Marks began. “We are humbled that the Marks family and the Stemmler family felt that Jack’s was the best family restaurant to carry on this Waterloo Region tradition. We, as a family business ourselves, do not take that responsibility lightly.”
Was there any sense of timeliness to the announcement? Kulafi says indeed. “We thought now, in the midst of a third wave of a seemingly never-ending pandemic, people need a feel good story.”
Kulafi adds that two things make people feel good: “Nostalgia and comfort food, and The Original Harmony Burger combines both perfectly.”
He says the Marks family, including Bruce (Harry’s son) before he passed away, visited Jack’s. “He showed us exactly how he made it for years, smashed on a flat-top grill and smothered in fried onions. He and his daughter Cheryl gave us their stamp of approval,” Kulafi says.
Jack’s will fry up the Original Harmony Burger as five-ounces of ground pork made with the original 90-year-old, secret recipe. “Of course, it will be smothered in fried onions,” Kulafi adds.
With fries or coleslaw, the burger is $11.99 (add cheese for $1.29; sweet potato fries with Sriracha mayo for $14.99).
Kulafi says he’s looking forward to having the historic burger on the Jack’s menu.
“We are excited about launching this burger. It’s been hard to keep the planning a secret, and we can’t wait to start cooking it and serving it to the community.”
[Photos/Saddy Kulafi]
Steve Schlueter
I’m absolutely ecstatic about the Hammony lunch original recipe pork burger with a lot of fried onions on them being served at Jacks Family Restaurant. My Family have been going to & EATING those burgers since 1930 right up to the last day in 2016 when the Hammony Lunch closed it’s doors. From my grandparents to my father to me & my Son. I myself eat those burgers for over 50 years at the Hammony Lunch. I still get the meat at Stemmler meats in Heidelberg and make them at home. But I’m looking forward to seating down and eating at lest 2 of those pork burgers and fries hopefully in the near future. I hope you do a TWO BURGER DEAL ALSO.