A new burger joint in North Augusta brings a little bit of everything to the table.
Beefed Up’s hardy selection ranges from grilled hot dogs to Italian sausage, fried mushrooms to mozzarella sticks. But the menu is anchored by old-fashioned hamburgers prepared fresh and to order.
Owner Matthew Papaianni has worked in restaurants since he was 16, from Chick-fil-A to Five Guys to Cookout. When he decided to open his own eatery, he had plenty of experience to draw from to develop his own unique approach to slinging hearty comfort cuisine.
“I kind of took inspiration from everywhere I worked, and put it into this business, into our product,” said Papaianni, noting that he learned from Chick-fil-A how to provide robust and friendly customer service, and efficiency from Cookout, to name two examples. “I tried to take the best of everything to create one awesome thing.”
While Beefed Up’s brick-and-mortar location opened in mid-November, the concept has been around since July of 2020, when Papaianni launched the Beefed Up Food Truck—which is still part of the restaurant’s brand, offering catering services in Augusta, Aiken and even Edgefield.
The 31-year-old entrepreneur intends to keep the business in the family. As it started from a food truck, he hopes to grow it further and expand to locations in Augusta and throughout the CSRA.
While the classic burger and fries combo is the shop’s staple, a customer favorite is a sandwich called the Chopped Cheese, what Syracuse, N.Y. native Papaianni describes as New York’s take on the Philly cheesesteak.
He also aims to bring homemade lasagna to the menu early in the new year, from a generation-spanning family recipe.
“[The lasagna] is what I’ve always felt like would be our number one thing. I love my mom’s lasagna,” he said. “We’ve been working on the logistics of bringing that on board, doing a little testing. After the first of the year, we plan on having that available all the time.”
Beefed Up Food Truck is located at 1696 Knox Ave. in North Augusta.
Skyler Andrews is a reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
