By Lee Hurley
A few months ago I started seeing something interesting on my Instagram feed. A middle aged guy with reading specs on his nose doing hamburger reviews. The clips were irreverent, honest and even educational and they began to go viral. Nothing like humor and truth to attract a crowd.
His handle is @the_fedneck TE which stands for Trey Echols Well Fed Redneck though he is neither overweight nor a redneck. I spent an hour talking with him then later joined him at Carliles BBQ to watch him work. His live reviews do not attract attention. It’s a cell phone and a bite or two of a burger and mostly he is not recognized. Echols is a born teacher as anyone who watches his reviews will quickly learn. He knows a lot about a lot especially finance and food but he also listens. One of his passions is Jones Valley Teaching Farm where he sits on the board and whose mission is to deliver food-based education through our schools. Just setting the table.
Give us some background?
I’m 52, I grew up in Mountain Brook went to Birmingham Southern wanting to be in finance. My experience all started in college. John Lacey, who’s still a close friend of mine today, was a young broker, just moved to town when I was in school working at Gus Mayer in the men’s department and John came in and bought a suit and I became his intern. I did anything but the actual finance work. I did odd jobs in addition to being a gopher. Like teaching several brokers how to use excel. I put one guy’s Azalea’s in his front yard. Stuff like that.
Did you take finance jobs out of college?
Absolutely. Graduated in ‘96 and that’s when all the bank headquarters were still here so I took a job at SouthTrust then NBC then at Merrill Lynch. Merrill was an early mover in offering commercial banking products and advice. So I went over there and loved it. I called on small and mid-sized businesses all over Alabama, Mississippi, and northwest Florida. With Merrill, we moved to Atlanta in 2006 then to a management job in Chicago. I was the idiot willing to move in 2008 when the whole world especially financial services was melting down. When I told my wife we had a chance to move to Chicago she was not entirely excited. Our youngest wasn’t even a year old. I picked her up at O’Hare, she had tears streaming down her face. Later we moved to Charlotte and I went to work for McColl Partners, which was founded by Hugh McColl, the retired CEO of Bank of America. He’s a total hero to me. Then they sold to Deloitte, and I was like, ‘Yeah, here we go again.’ I said to my family, ‘let’s go home.’ I didn’t realize how homesick I was for Birmingham. I missed the weird things, like the hot muggy summer nights. Back in Birmingham I went to work for Highland Associates an institutional investment consulting firm. Three guys started it, Bill Terry, Charlie Perry, and Bill Mills. It’s a real Birmingham success story. They identified a need in the late 80s that not-for-profit hospitals had for managing their balance sheets. By the time I got there the business was nearly 30 years old. So I came in and ran the company. And really one of my primary objectives was to find an exit plan for the two remaining founders which culminated with the sale of the business to Regions in 2019.
Today I’m working in real estate development firm we launched called Canvasback Capital. A wicked smart friend of mine has this vision for small bay flex industrial real estate, a compelling concept. He’s got a mechanical engineering degree from Vandy, and MBA from Michigan and a long list of impressive accomplishments in real estate. He needed someone to come in and help accelerate the growth plane for developing these properties. We just successfully raised the capital and closed on land in Wilmington, North Carolina, our first start.
Switching gears how did the burger thing come about?
Remember the ice and snow storms of 2013? I was mentoring a group of finance students at Birmingham Southern that night and we all got stuck on campus and they were like, ‘come down to Fraternity House.’ I gave them my credit card to go to the Chevron and said ‘buy as much beer as you can carry.’ That night I chronicled my experience in reliving college in a text chain we call “The Kenny”, (now 12 years running) with my Birmingham Southern buddies. It is the test ground for most of my wacky ideas and of course, home of my first burger review later on at Joyland. They really egged me on, and I am sucker for being egged on. Fast forward to the Georgia Ole Miss game in Oxford that year where I released my very first one on Instagram. My oldest son was at Ole Miss and I’d gone over for a banking symposium and I go to this popular burger joint called Handy Andy’s and I’m sitting at this four top doing a burger review. I guess the Instagram algorithms worked because my son walked into the fraternity house later that night and the guys are like, ‘Hey man, you know this guy doing a burger review at Handy Andy’s?’” The Sigma Nu’s at Ole Miss continue to be gas on the fire. We just had parents’ weekend and I reviewed the popular Oxford joint, Phillips Grocery, and gave it a 6.2. That was a controversy. So, while other parents there were greeted, “Hi Mr. and Mrs, So and So,” I’m getting, “What do you mean a 6.2 at Phillips!”
Why do you think people enjoy your burger reviews?
Well, first I think people love burgers. People of all stripes engage me on my burger philosophy. Second, it’s an independent and uncompromised view. They dang sure know I’m not in cahoots with the chef. They understand that there’s no way a restaurant owner would let me talk about their burger like that. Number three is, honesty. I got a comment from one guy who said, “Hey man, appreciate the honesty, keep it coming”. Finally, I have people who tell me they strictly like watching me crack up during them. It’s a bit slapstick most of the time. At some point during any given review the thought surfaces, “what in the hell am I doing barking on and on about this burger” and start cracking myself up.
When did the Chez Fon Fon burger review take place? Was that your highest rating for a burger?
I’d done several to get the schtick down right. It’s my favorite burger and consider Frank and Pardis friends, like all of us here in Birmingham do. This is the review that is my most viewed. It may be one of my worst, or most controversial rather. I had to draw out the distinction between Chez Fon Fon and the typical burger joint I like. That included describing “Ladies who Lunch” that frequent the fine establishment, who wear too much lipstick and have fancy leather purses draped over their chairs. That got a lot of old ladies mad. Then, I completely botched the cheese in calling it Gruyere instead of Comte. That got the “cheese nerds” all over me. Then the ultimate slight, which was to suggest they get the buns made by another bakery. Anyway, it kind of underscores the whole organic nature of the reviews. They are unscripted and usually done in one take on my iPhone.
The Fon Fon burger is my highest rated burger with a 9.8. I’ve only given out 3 “9’s” in the 40 or so to date.
What is a good rating?
I think anything over a 7.5 is a good burger. I reserve the 9’s for very special burgers. Usually it is something in the execution that separates the 9’s. The real gold standard against all ratings is the good old fashioned home burger. When you cook one at home, it is small batch and done just for you, your family and friends. The restaurants are trying to make as many as possible, so it’s difficult to match the homespun burg. So, that’s the thinking as I am noshing on a good burger.
What happens when you say something negative about a burger?
I say negative things about the burgers all the time but I want everyone to try for themselves and many do. This is just my opinion and I realize that people have their own tastes and preferences. Hopefully, even the negative stuff creates some intrigue for people to try. After all, I am usually going there in the first place because the restaurant already has a good reputation. The smart owners understand that and they will collaborate or repost the review. They are getting free advertising after all! Take Alpha Charlie’s, one I did recently. It is the coolest place and I dogged that burger and the menu. I loved it though. It overlooks the airport runway, you watch planes land and the names of the dishes are hilarious (“Bird Strike Chicken Salad” was my favorite”). Anyway, the owner reposted it and was grateful for our visit. I’ll go back. Generally speaking, the burger nits usually surface on execution things that can be fixed. I like to say that I am “coaching ‘em up”, with some degree of tongue and cheek. Things like cheap condiments, leaving the condiments in the hot sun, poor ingredients, etc. Then there are execution issues, like overcooking. Overall, the burger places I like to visit have their own personalities. And this is all just one opinion.
What causes you to not enjoy as burger as much? What brings a lower rating?
I have a few hangups that usually get me riled up. First is the beef quality. A good 5 oz+ burger with the right amount of fat content is noticeably better. Second comes bad bread. Third would be what I refer to as “cute crap”. That could be the wrong cheese, tomatoes, wrong lettuce, or some kind of exotic condiment. Talking specifically about the lettuce, Chef Biddy at Little Betty and I had a funny exchange about arugula. He really worked on a super fancy and interesting burger that had it on there. I think its funky and has the wrong texture for a burger and said it resembled monkey grass. By the same token, mesclun lettuces are too dainty for a burger. Essentially, it wilts and becomes stringy which definitely causes me not to like a burger. All that said, I love even bad burgers, so we are really drawing some fine lines here.
The tomato people are mad at you?
Yea we have fun with that. I rip every tomato right off my burger and it gets to the tomato lovers. Somebody asked me last weekend why I don’t just ask for the burger without it. I have answered that question a hundred times it feels like. However, it’s part of the schtick now. Here is my problem with tomatoes, they introduce three things to a burger that I don’t think it needs: mushy texture, moisture, and acidity. They can disrupt a good burger experience, but that’s me. I can certainly appreciate the tomato lovers out there, who find the aroma intoxicating when noshing.
Do french fries matter?
Hell yes they matter but the way I look at it is you don’t pick a restaurant just for its fries but you will pick a restaurant just for its burger. So I stick to the burger reviews. The best fries I have ever had, and I’ve had a bunch, are at River Café Sports Bar & Grill up in Adger. Mike has them hand-cut and double fried and salted to perfection. However, I also like to mix it up. I like the places with unusual sides, like collard greens. There is one spot, Dairy Creem in Alex City that offers a pork chop as a side. Van over at Bob Sykes told me his customers wanted an option of a dill pickle. That ordinarily is not unusual, but he offers up the biggest damn pickle money can buy.
How important is the bun?
Bun is the primary delivery vehicle for your beef. It has to stand up to the heat and moisture, all the way to the last bite. It needs to be additive to the flavor profile, but must not compete. Buns like pretzel and kaiser rolls are problematic for having tough texture and overwhelming flavor. Brioche is really tricky as commercially available buns generally don’t hold up to a well-appointed burger. The only guy I know that pulls it off is the genius Wil Drake at Hero, who produces a beautiful brioche bun for his.
I think sesame seeds are amazing with that crunch. So, the gold standard is the Martin’s Potato Bun. Great flavor and structure that neither compete with flavor nor fall apart during consumption. In any case, the bun needs to be toasted with butter to the right level and then have some heat. Adam Evans at Automatic Seafood told me that “some kind of magic happens when a burger is wrapped.” I think that heat transfer helps soften the bun perfectly.
I am kind of a traditionalist when it comes to shape, something George Motz, America’s foremost burger expert, does not agree with. He is fine with white sandwich bread. I don’t like the approach of using things like ciabatta rolls or English muffins. Burgers need round buns made of durable wheat (and potato).
Cheese? Any dos and don’ts there?
The gold standard for me is the Kraft Deli Deluxe American Cheese. This is different from the individually wrapped Kraft Singles. The Deli Deluxe slices are a little thicker and more substantive. If not that, I am fine with cheddar cheese. Cheese is generally going to help deliver a great texture experience and is not supposed to overpower the beef. I think you can get too cute and turn a burger into a beef flavored grilled cheese. I see people use Pimento Cheese, which falls into the cute category. Problem is that pimento cheese is rich and pungent and will overpower everything. Blue cheese has the same impact. I’ve had folks try to convince me that Brie is good, but ain’t buying it. So, I don’t think you overthink the cheese, just make sure you have enough, and it is good and melty. The guys at Alabama Stackers in Jasper do cheese better than anyone.
What about an egg on your burger?
I’m neutral. I think there is some romanticizing over a runny eggs, which I do not subscribe to. Other than crispy cooked bacon, I don’t like having one protein compete with another. Eggs don’t pack too big a punch on that front.
Where is all this going? Is this a for fun thing or do you take it further?
I am not really sure. It gets exciting to think about “doing something” with it, but it has truly been pure joy in its current wacky form. Social media gets a bad rap, as it should in many cases, but this has really been fun. I’ve met interesting people, some of whom have gone with me to be the videographer. I’ve learned a few things along the way. Then, the small business aspect of it has returned me to some of my roots in banking & finance.
It hit me while I was standing in line at Tony’s in Pelham. The husband and wife team have been doing burgers and dogs for 23 years together. Lines of people gather out the door each day. You have professionals, police, firemen, nurses, and people of all stripes in that line. They get up and feed people together, every day, even if they had a spat on the way to work It sort of hit me then and there that this is the real America. This kind of melting pot of burger consumption, hard work and zero pretentiousness. I think there is a story somewhere worth telling, because we could use a lot more of it.
So, you kind of peel away from the sensational headlines, and a story like Tony’s is a reminder of what this country is really made of. So, if I could snap my fingers and morph this into something, I would tell these stories in addition to binging on burgers. For now, I will settle for some slapstick jackassery while hunting for the perfect burger.
