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With a burger concept that flees from the gourmet to offer a simple and timeless product, the Basque foodtech start-up Mono arrives in Madrid in the middle of the smash burgers boom. Currently, in the capital there is a wide range of very strong brands, where Mono arrives to make a niche for itself. “Madrid is a very strategic opening in terms of positioning and branding. We hope it will serve as a springboard for the following openings that will take place in the next twelve months, with a total of eight planned in 2024, and we believe in a hybrid concept of physical restaurant, take away and delivery, but without consumption on the premises,” explained Isaac Álvarez, Mono’s CEO and co-founder.
The entrepreneur has advanced that the “opportunity” of Madrid arose and they decided to disembark in the capital, where there are already references such as Five Guys, Vicio or Goiko, among others. “It is true that we were a little reluctant because of the beastly competition in Madrid, because we know that they do it well. If we want to aim to be a brand with a minimum reputation that aims high, we have to fight in the best places and undoubtedly Madrid and Barcelona are,” he said.
In this way, Mono will continue to grow in 2024 where it has projected eight openings in the national market in hybrid format with strategic location, which will be located throughout the national territory. The company started in Bilbao this year, and has served to “validate the model”, positioning them in that region, especially after having generated repercussions by being present at the BBK Live music festival, with the opening of a pop up. A formula that will be repeated next year in similar contexts. “They will be closely linked to music, because in the end music moves us at Mono and they will probably be at music festivals,” he said.
This is what Mono’s hamburgers are like
This new brand of hamburgers bets on a different concept of food, using a technique inspired by the New York 50’s where burgers were served without frills. Here they serve a simple and timeless product, with the right and necessary ingredients, where sublimity is sought in every bite. Currently on the menu they have hamburger options (one of them gluten-free and another for children), among which the Original Mono or the Truffled (with truffled mayo) stand out, with a price between 11 and 12.5 €, which you can convert into a combo.
“We believe we have a product, a brand and strong branding to be able to do so. We want everyone to be able to live the experience of consuming Mono, because in the end what we are selling is an experience based on a good product,” said Álvarez.