Gold Burger Diner ready for service on the Square

Burgers, boozy milkshakes, all-day breakfast and a jukebox that plays old tunes are now on the Square.

Gold Burger Diner could open as early as next week on Seventh Street in the building that housed Gold’s Department store from 1936 to 1996. Cody Hirt — Georgetown ISD board member and the restaurateur behind Golden Rule, River Ranch and Provisions and Mesquite Creek — said he saw a need for a place that invited high school kids and families with affordable menu prices. He said the setup will be welcome for the older, wiser members of the community as well. 

“Georgetown has a little bit of an older community and that older community experienced a lot of their lives in diners growing up,” Mr. Hirt said. “This place will hopefully be nostalgic to them, a place where they can come and share some of their old stories with the younger generation.” 

Gold Burger draws its name from the old department store. 

“We’ve heard some really cool stories from people whose parents took them here [to the store] for back to school clothes and couldn’t afford it,” he said. “[Harry Gold] would make sure to send them on their way with clothes. He was just a great community guy and we really want to pay homage to someone who was such an amazing part of the community.” 

Mr. Hirt and his investors figured that there was no better location for the diner on the Square. 

“We’re trying to make this a family’s fourth home,” Investor Tommy McCormick said. “First home is your home, second home is work, third home is church, their fourth home will hopefully be Gold Burger Diner.” 

Mr. McCormick said that the burgers at Golden Rule restaurant on the corner of Seventh and Church streets have sold well, indicating the need for a casual burger spot like Gold Burger Diner. 

“Golden Rule, people want to bring their kids there but it’s a bit of a date night spot,” he said. “Here it’s more— ‘hey, after football practice let’s grab a burger.’"

Elijah Ille, from the kitchen at Golden Rule, is now moving to be the chef at Gold Burger Diner. Menu offerings include breakfast items like pancakes and lunch staples like a club sandwich, fried chicken and a patty melt. In the future, the restaurant plans to have blue plate specials like meat loaf or liver and onions. 

When designing the space, Creative Director M. Brady Clark went for a retro feel by wallpapering the front booth with a black-and-white image of the Gold’s Department store. He also went on eBay and tracked down an old jukebox. He found one in a distant town that weighed a whopping 400 pounds. Up for a hefty challenge, he and one other person made the journey to the apartment complex. He figured that he found exactly what he was looking for when he arrived at the apartment to find a woman in her 70s inside, who was smoking a cigarette and chatting up a friend. 

“The jukebox works. You get two songs for a quarter,” Mr. Clark said. He aimed to craft an inviting atmosphere by opting for both cushy booths that welcome groups and barstools that make room for lone diners. He felt that including a counter seating area was crucial to the experience of eating at a diner. “Sitting next to your best friend or sitting next to a complete stranger you can always have great conversations sitting shoulder to shoulder,” Mr. Clark explained. In an effort to bring in high school aged kids, they have hired a younger staff, in the hopes that they will invite their friends to come visit them at work. The group is also planning theme nights, such as a letterman’s jacket night, when those in a letterman’s jacket would get a discount.