Serving Burgers & Community: Restaurant Gives Back with Every Meal

“Community Burger is a way to offer a true sense of community, a place to gather, and celebrate, and a way to give back to those in need,” explains Todd, who is also the owner of Branchwater in downtown Canton.

Todd said he chose The Mill on Etowah for his new venture because it has become the place to be and enhances the entire downtown area. “I live in Canton, and I have watched the city grow for over eighteen years now. The Mill gives us all a place to remember the past and celebrate the future. Canton offers a center of history and a sense of being a part of something amazing.”

The concept was driven by wanting to do something for the community that he lives in and to make a difference. “The burger concept is something I have wanted to do for many years. Casual, chef driven, and great for families,” Todd offers.

Diners can find an intriguing menu of chef-inspired burgers such as the community burger, smothered with roasted onions, smoked gouda cheese, and horseradish sour cream, and topped with the house signature sauce, or the Southern cheeseburger, which features thick-cut bacon and pimento cheese among other traditional toppings like lettuce and tomato.

Along with regular offerings like the cheddar cheese burger, those looking for more exotic fare can dig into a brunch burger finished off with baby arugula, a farm-fresh egg over easy, sharp cheddar cheese, crispy onion hay, and signature sauce.

The restaurant’s “not so traditional” burgers include the Southern chicken served fried, grilled, or blackened with chopped slaw and a pickle. ANother popular choice is the house-made seared ahi tuna burger with pickled ginger and sriracha-honey slaw.

Sides such as the house-made tater tots, mac and cheese, and chipotle-ranch brussels sprouts are already building a fan base. Popular starters including the jalapeno poppers stuffed with grilled chicken, bacon, and cheddar cheese, and the chef’s crispy applewood smoked back and cheesy deviled eggs are sure to please the crowd.

No burger restaurant would be complete without a variety of shakes, and Community Burger serves up regular milk shakes in enticing flavors such as cookies and cream, peaches and cream, or white chocolate strawberry swirl.

Adult milkshakes are also on the menu, with fun flavors such as vanilla chocolate toffee crunch made with Ballotin chocolate whiskey and vodka.

But what truly sets Community Burger apart is that it is about serving those who serve others. The My Community Matters program gives to three local organizations with every order.

Customers receive a wooden nickel with each order, and that nickel is your vote for your charity of choice. The best part is that all three charities benefit. Based on your votes, Community Burger will divide the pot by percentage so that every charity featured that month is supported.

To kick off the program, the staff picked the first three recipients, Never Alone, Goshen Valley Foundation, and Cherokee County First Responders. They remained the designated recipients through all of 2022.After that, diners can nominate a favorite cause to be considered for the next round. Once selected, the restaurant will announce each quarter’s chosen organizations on its social media pages, so be sure to follow.

This article was featured in the Historic Canton magazine. Read more.