Eating healthy in college can be difficult, but with some new restaurants, people can eat well and still feel good about it.
BurgerFi, an all-natural burger restaurant, plans to open July 15 across from CVS in the Heart of Auburn shopping center.
The name BurgerFi refers to "Burgerfication of the Nation."
"The burgerfication has to do with bringing a higher quality to the fast casual burger industry," said Robert Hines, kitchen manager of BurgerFi.
The Florida-based restaurant chain intends to provide high-quality burgers in a sustainable environment.
The restaurant strives to be as sustainable as possible by using chairs made of recycled wood and installing large fans that use 66 percent less electricity.
"We are going to use a paper-free accelerator for hand drying [in the bathrooms]," Hines said. "Everything that we are trying to do has an environment-friendly philosophy behind it."
The fast, casual restaurant strives to provide a "better burger," by using all-natural Angus beef free of chemicals, antibiotics and hormones.
According to Christy Bratcher, associate professor of meat sciences, meat is all-natural when "there are no hormones added, meaning no synthetic hormones are given to the animal throughout its life time."
Auburn's newest burger restaurant will offer several burgers, including classic hamburgers, veggie quinoa burgers and breakfast burgers.
"If you put a fried egg on a great grass-fed beef patty with onions and hash browns, it's going to be good," Hines said.
The hand-cut french fries come in three sizes with five different seasoning options.
The menu also offers custards, called concretes, which are made with all-natural ingredients in the restaurant.
BurgerFi will offer craft beers and a wine selection. Hines said he is excited to offer wine specials.
"We're not going to unveil them yet, but we have a couple that are going to be phenomenal," Hines said.
The grand opening will feature a friends and family night including professional basketball player Mike Miller and coach Bruce Pearl.
Located in the same shopping center, Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint opened in March, offering pizzas, panini sandwiches and salads.
The make-your-own style restaurant offers a variety of toppings including hormone-free chicken, Angus steak and fresh vegetables from Birmingham ordered biweekly.
Almost all the food is made from scratch and is as minimally processed as possible.
"We hand cut all of our vegetables, salads, and meats, and we make all of our salad dressings, pizza sauce, and dough fresh each morning," said owner Michael DiChiara.
Uncle Maddio's offers gluten-free options.
"We have gluten free pizza crust, sauce, meats, and many other toppings that people can mix and match to keep it new each time they come in," DiChiara said. "We have several people around town that have severe Celiac diseases and they rave about the gluten free options."
Being able to build your own meal allows for a wider range of options, making eating healthy easier.
"It cost more in food price and labor, but we feel the freshness of our ingredients is worth it and makes all the difference," DiChiara said.
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