Bayou Eats | TANK BURGER

ARTICLE BY STARLA GATSON
AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

Tank Burger brings big flavors and a fun atmosphere to Ruston’s Power and Water District. With creative burgers, colorful surroundings and a menu made for everyone, it’s quickly becoming a local favorite.

When Tank Burger first opened its doors in late August this year, it didn’t just bring a new burger joint to Ruston. It also breathed new life into an old, long-unused structure.

Tank Burger is settled into Suite 3 of 310 East Mississippi Avenue, which used to be the municipal water plant. The restaurant is part of the newly established Power and Water District, a development that includes apartment and commercial spaces. 

“We took a very dilapidated asset, something that was a drain on the resources for the city — one for upkeep, maintenance, and then the other challenges the site faced, and we’ve taken it and turned it into really one of the more special places to stop and visit,” property owner Michael Echols told KNOE back in June. 

Apparently, he’s not the only one who thinks this area is special. The gravel parking lot is full, mostly occupied by Tank Burger patrons. Though the restaurant hasn’t been open for very long, several of these visitors are on the way to earning Regular Customer Status, according to Karen Bennett, Tank Burger head chef.

“A lot of people I’m starting to see multiple times,” she says. She adds that, in the short time Tank Burger has been open to the public, she and her staff have been amazed by the support they’ve received from the Lincoln parish community. 

“I’ve worked and lived here for a long time,” Bennett, who formerly worked as an executive chef at Louisiana Tech University, says. “They’re very supportive here. Ruston’s small, but it’s a great little town. It’s been so good. Even the other restaurateurs have come in. We’re all very supportive of each other. We go to their places. They come to our place. Everybody’s happy.” 

Happy is also an accurate descriptor of the restaurant’s design and décor. Neutral hues are trendy in the interior design world. However, they aren’t part of Tank Burger’s color palette. Bright orange and blue booths line the walls. A large multicolored mural covers one wall while a bright, pipe-inspired art installation, both of which were designed by Joey Slaughter, hangs on another. The other walls lean into the space’s water themes, featuring paintings of blue waves and an image of Scuba Steve, the logo Tom Futtrell designed for Tank Burger. 

“The colorful, fun playfulness of Tank really stems from what [Michael and Christie Echols] wanted to give back to Ruston,” Bennett says before explaining that their only directive — make it fun and worthy of Ruston — influenced her as she developed the Tank Burger menu.

Bennett says she ultimately enjoyed the menu-setting process, noting, “It was a great creative experience for me.” However, she admits it wasn’t all fun and games. Coming up with the Tank Burger menu challenged Bennett to a major feat: finding a good gluten-free hamburger bun. Much like the Heirloom Restaurant and the Star Bar in The Hotel Monroe, Bennett is the culinary director of both, Tank Burger is fully gluten-free, making it an excellent choice for those with celiac disease, wheat allergies, or other gluten sensitivities. 

“I tasted a ton of gluten-free buns before I found one that was great,” Bennett says, adding, “I don’t want people to say, ‘This is good…for gluten-free.’ Nobody wants to spend 20 bucks on a burger and say that.”

Once she conquered that giant, Bennett says developing dishes became easy. First came Frank the Tank. The Frank the Tank Burger has an eight-ounce brisket short-rib patty, three ounces of smoked brisket, caramelized onions, smoked gouda cheese, iceberg lettuce, and a squirt of Tank Sauce. Named after Bennett’s husband, Frank, this is the executive chef’s favorite menu item, and it’s quickly becoming a bestseller, too.

The Man Overboard is another frequently ordered favorite. The burger itself is fairly simple: an Angus beef patty, charred onion smear, pickles, lettuce, tomato, a few strips of applewood smoked bacon, and Tank Sauce. The twist is that it comes to your table cut in half, both sides of the sandwich floated face down in a cast iron dish of melty, white cheddar fondue.

By the time the final menu was set, Bennett had created seven burger options for restaurant patrons to choose from. There’s even a vegetarian-friendly burger, The Nautilus, that boasts a grilled portobello patty, harissa yogurt, tomato jam, arugula, and provolone cheese. 

Though burgers are the stars of the show at Tank Burger, they aren’t alone on the menu. To appeal to a broader audience, Bennett made sure to diversify the restaurant’s offerings with other entrees, like pizza, chicken, salads, and po’boys.

“The Salvager Bowl is delicious,” Bennett declares. “What was really fun about this was taking something trendy, crispy rice is trendy right now, and recreating it. [The salad] has a crispy rice cake, roasted sweet potatoes, grilled mushrooms, fried Brussels [sprouts], and it has arugula and harissa yogurt all over it with some almonds. It’s crunchy, the pepperiness of the arugula is delicious, and there’s a little sweetness on the Brussels sprouts.”

Like The Nautilus, The Salvager Bowl was designed for Tank Burger’s vegetarian visitors. However, Bennett says anyone can enjoy it and make it their own by adding a protein: grilled chicken, grilled portobello, or blackened shrimp. Whether enjoyed as is or with an add-on, it’s “super filling and very good,” Bennett says.

Because Tank Burger is a family-friendly casual dining spot, Bennett kept children in mind as she developed the menu and included a Little Tankers 12 and under section for the younger crowd. Kids can enjoy Mini Tanks (mini cheeseburger sliders), Tank Tenders (chicken tenders), or The Little Melt (grilled cheese sandwich), all of which are served with a side of fries. 

Bennett is proud of her menu and of Tank Burger’s fun, inviting atmosphere. But she is proud of the people who helped her create both. The process of opening this restaurant has stretched all of them, she says.

“We all came together knowing that we probably didn’t know everything we needed to know about opening restaurants,” Bennett admits. “But to see us all develop [has been rewarding].” 

Bennett mentions her assistant, Kiara Henderson, as an example of how her team’s skills have had to develop with Tank Burger. 

“I hired Kiara when she was 17 as a catering worker,” the chef shares. “Now, she deals with all of our HR, invoicing, and billing, and she’s only 23.” 

At this moment, as Bennett is gesturing to her, Henderson isn’t doing any of those things. Instead, she’s got her smartphone camera positioned toward a bartender, filming a video of a cocktail being made for Tank Burger’s social media pages. Adding content creator to Henderson’s list of skills reinforces Bennett’s next statement: “We’ve worked together so long that we can go, ‘I don’t know, man, but I’ll figure it out.’ And we all do. That’s been great.” 

Bennett’s Tank Burger team also includes sous chef Jelarius Davis, general manager Matthew Wev, kitchen manager Tim Mims, approximately 10 back-of-house staff, and about 40 front-of-house staff. 

“It’s all worked out,” Bennett says of building the restaurant crew. “I always think the people you need will gravitate to you. If you put out good, you’re going to get good, you know?” 

Bennett and the Tank Burger team are determined to put out good through food and service, hoping that their efforts continue to draw the community in. Bennett, a self-proclaimed perfectionist, says she knows things may not always go off without a hitch. Still, she wants Tank Burger to be the best it can be for every customer.

“I want people to come and be part of the community here,” Bennett states. “That’s really what I want to happen, and [I want] Tank Burger to be a part of a thriving downtown.”