I grew up on a wheat and cattle farm in Blackwell, Oklahoma. I have degrees in political science and European history, but my passion has always been food. I have been in the restaurant business for 33 years. My partner and I have owned Bella’s Italian Café in south Tampa since 1986 and started Square 1 Burgers & Bar in 2008. I love cooking; I create the recipes and determine the menu for both restaurants. I also do the interior design for Square 1.
I am a hands-on owner.
Square 1 was created with the goal of rising above the standard fast-food “burger joint” by focusing on serving the highest-quality food while providing a welcoming, engaging environment where customers want to spend time with family and friends. We are a full-service restaurant that just happens to serve hamburgers.
We began our journey toward that goal by sourcing the best proteins we could find:
100% All-Natural Meyer’s Red Angus Humanely raised in Montana on a completely vegetarian diet; hormone and antibiotic free, certified organic. Cattle must be given shelter and sufficient space to engage in natural behaviors. All maintenance is done by horse and wagon so the cattle never hear a truck or machinery. Meyer’s Red Angus has less water content than any other Angus we tested. What this means to the diner is that more beef ends up on the bun rather than cooking ‘out’ on the grill.
As the price of Meyer’s Red Angus has risen over 400% in the last 6 years we have tested numerous alternate sources of beef, but in blind taste tests I can always tell the difference. As a result, we have continued to feature the Red Angus. We constantly strive to increase efficiency in all areas of our operations so we don’t have to switch to a lesser-quality product and our menu prices don’t rise along with the cost of beef.
Kobe Beef American-raised in the ‘Kobe’ tradition. This means that the wagyu beef (pronounced wah-G’YU) is fed rich grasses and grains, and beer, and massaged daily. Their movement is limited in order to retain a high level of fat, which results in a highly marbled beef (in Japan it is known as the “white” beef). Because of its feeding and breeding practices it is extremely expensive.
Buffalo A very lean red meat with a high protein content. Less calories than Red Angus, Kobe, Chicken, or Turkey.
Turkey Locally ground for Square 1 to our specifications. Sixty percent white meat; forty percent dark. No added fat. (Most turkey burgers claim to be all white meat—and they are—but they generally add thirty to forty percent turkey fat!)
Chicken Also custom ground for us locally. Seventy percent light meat; thirty percent dark. Juicy and very tender.
Lamb Naturally raised by expert farmers utilizing breeds recognized for the quality of their meat. Our lamb has a subtle but distinctive flavor. Lamb is a healthy addition to a well-balanced diet as an excellent source of readily absorbed iron, zinc, and B vitamins which aid in the uptake of vitamins and minerals from other foods.
Salmon Classified as an oily fish, salmon is considered to be healthy due to the fish’s high protein, high omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content. Salmon is also a source of cholesterol, with a range of 23–214mg/100g (depending on the species).
1/2lb. Red Angus Hot Dog Truly the BEST hot dog you will ever eat. We split the hot dog and grill it.
Portobello A very large mushroom cap marinated in an Italian-style balsamic marinade. Vegan.
Vegan A soy and protein burger. Hand made in house. Contains black beans, sun-dried tomatoes, textured vegetable protein, brown rice, egg substitute, roasted corn, cayenne pepper.
You can tell just from our protein list that we have taken great care to curate a diverse menu of exceptional quality. That unrelenting focus on quality is what has made us successful. Yes, it is more expensive but you get what you pay for! I have always sought out the best ingredients at Bella’s as well. When we first opened in 1986, no produce company sold tomatoes that had not been refrigerated. It took months to convince a supplier to sell us tomatoes that had not been in a cooler, but I persevered because I won’t accept anything but the best. Twenty-eight years in business is a testimony to that guiding principle—and that philosophy extends to every aspect of our operations.
In that light I’m sure you can understand that I would never allow a practice in my restaurant that was not well considered and properly managed. With that in mind I would like to clear up some common misconceptions about the doggie dining concept:
1. Doggie dining is allowed in cities and states all over our country (and the rest of the world); we are not breaking new ground in this regard.
2. All of our locations—from Ft. Myers up through Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Tampa and Brandon—have an outdoor patio where guests are allowed to bring their dogs if they choose. We haven’t designated our Pinellas Plaza location as a ‘test’ site for a new idea; this is what we do at every Square 1 Burgers & Bar. It has become very popular at all of our stores and we have found it to be an overwhelmingly positive aspect of the guest experience.
3. We do not serve dog food in our restaurants. In August of 2013 we introduced ‘Jingo’s Menu’ specifically for our dog guests. We only serve them our people-quality chicken burger, with steamed broccoli, in stainless steel dog bowls. Both are cooked to the same standards of our two-legged guests. There is no ‘cross-contamination’ with people food because there is only high-quality people food in our kitchen.
4. With the exception of service animals, dogs are only allowed outside on the patio. At The Villages our patio area only contains a little more than 15% of our available table seating.
5. Dogs are not allowed on the tables or chairs at any of our locations.
Our Doggie Dining rules are posted on our patios and delineate the other guidelines we expect our staff to follow. They are taken from the 2013 Florida Statutes Title XXXIII, Chapter 509, Part 1, Section 509.233.
Again, I thank you for sharing your concerns. I sincerely hope you will consider visiting us again in the future.
Joanie Corneil is CEO/founder of Square 1 Burgers & Bar.