By: Lucian Florea, Owner and CEO of FRY
When I take a bite of a smash burger, I want the whole thing to come together: a juicy patty with a browned crust from the hot steel, creamy cheddar, sauce, and a soft bun. Each part should have its own character, but nothing should overpower the rest. That balance is what we work toward at Fryday.
We now serve our guests across 31 restaurants, across Romania and Moldova. At that scale, choices that might seem small become part of the experience every day. Our guests expect the burger they love to taste familiar wherever they order it. Our teams need ingredients they can count on.
Choosing Martin’s means importing it from the United States, across an ocean. It wasn’t the simplest option, but it was a deliberate one. Bringing them across an ocean only made sense if they added something important to the food we serve.
A smash burger gets most of its flavor from the patty’s contact with the hot steel. As it cooks, the Maillard effect creates a deep, savory flavor and a browned crust. Then comes the creamy cheddar and sauce. The bun needs to complement those flavors without competing with them.
Martin’s Potato Rolls do just that. The gentle sweetness meets the savory richness of the patty in a way that feels natural. For me, that’s the right kind of bun: one you can taste and enjoy, but that never distracts from what’s inside.
The texture matters just as much. Martin’s texture is soft and pillowy, so it gives way easily when you bite into the burger. That softness makes the sandwich feel comforting, and it lets the patty and toppings take center stage. The bun also has enough substance to handle a generous burger. It absorbs some of the juices and sauce, so those flavors become part of the bite instead of ending up on the wrapper.
That’s the experience we want for our guests: a burger that feels satisfying and easy to eat, with the patty, cheddar, sauce, and bun working together. When the balance is right, you don’t have to think about how the sandwich is assembled. You just enjoy it.
For a restaurant group with 31 locations, consistency is part of hospitality. Our guests should be able to order a favorite and know what they’re getting. That doesn’t mean making food feel routine. It means taking care of the details so the experience feels dependable, whether someone is visiting us for the first time or coming back for their usual order.
The bun is one of those details. It affects the flavor, the texture, and how the burger eats. Martin’s gives us that confidence, so we can focus on preparing the burger well and welcoming the people who come through our doors.
As Fryday has grown, I’ve learned that the guest experience depends on hundreds of decisions coming together. Some are visible; others happen behind the scenes. The bun is both.
That’s what makes Martin’s the right choice for us. We made the decision because we believed it would help us serve the kind of burger our guests come back for—and, after choosing to bring it all the way from the United States, we’re glad it’s part of Fryday.
