The latest generation wars TikTok trend clowns on the concept of a "millennial burger joint," complete with overpriced sides and cringe decor. Zoomers are filming their local restaurants full of reclaimed wood and the least comfortable chairs imaginable, with menus advertising burgers topped with too many trendy ingredients and sauce options that cost a dollar extra.
Others film fake interviews of the "two guys with a dream," who own all these restaurants and try to seem cool with casual swearing and bragging about their $8 IPAs. Thankfully, this tasty new meme is free.
What is a millennial burger joint?
The quintessential millennial burger place called something like The Purple Goat rejects comfort with distressed wood tables, metal barstools guaranteed to leave your butt numb, exposed pipes overhead, little hanging lights, and chalkboard signs for their overpriced beer.
Every burger or "sandwich" is on a brioche bun, costs $10 too much, and is likely piled high with ingredients. There are always truffle fries. Menu sections call their items "handhelds" and "shareables" with $15 desserts under "sweet treats."
These types of restaurants exploded in the 2010s when a few lucky millennials got some money, and now Generation Z is destroying them on TikTok.
'We're just 2 guys with a crazy idea'
Some of the best millennial burger joint videos are mock interviews or advertisements featuring the insufferable owners. These are almost always two guys who had a "crazy idea" along with every other bearded dude who still calls himself a "foodie."
"Hey there millennials in a medium-sized city just outside of a large metropolitan area," says the character J.D. Drew in a video by @user2521208780374. "I'm the founder of Twisted Tavern Burgers, a one-of-a-kind burger experience. Twisted Tavern Burgers started with two guys and a dream."
"When you order one of our signature $18 damn good burgers off the chalkboard menu, you're getting a fresh, never frozen beef patty on a brioche bun with all the fixings! Don't forget to add truffle fries, and everything goes great with our signature in-house b*tchin' damn good zesty sauce. We cuss, so you know we're serious. All sides sold separately."
Millennial burger joint meme origins and spread
One of the earliest viral TikTok videos using the phrase "millennial burger restaurant" is by @joebro909, posted on Feb. 21, 2025. This user puts on a skit from the perspective of someone who just wants a regular burger, but the waiter forces him to order the "F*ck Me Sideways" and charges him $5 for cheese and another $5 for a drop of sauce.
Like many from the trend, this video uses Kyle Gordon's song "We Will Never Die," a parody of "We Are Young" by Fun. Joey gained nearly a million views and inspired others to add to the meme. User @conto444 got 4.9 million views with a tour of their local "Two best buds from college with a 'crazy' dream ahh restaurant," posted on Feb. 25.
Word of the trend later spread to Reddit, including both the r/GenZ and r/Millennials subs. Meanwhile, r/starterpacks made a pack specially for the "millennial burger place" with all the fixings.
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