Owned by Tommy Marquez and Ernie Rodriguez, Badd Burgers was born from their extensive background in the food industry and a desire to feed people well.<\/p>\n
Badd Burgers, according to Marquez, is the world\u2019s only restaurant with a fully-mirrored plant-based menu, meaning every burger has an identical vegan \u2018twin\u2019 made with Impossible<\/a> plant-based beef.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone told me that it wouldn\u2019t be possible to do this concept, but I\u2019m like, I don\u2019t know, man. We\u2019re literally selling 50% of our food to vegans,\u201d Marquez said.<\/p>\n Badd Burgers launched in Austin last year with the slogan: \u2018fuel evil taste chaos.\u2019<\/p>\n Marquez, a Fresno native who has been working in the food industry since he was 18 years old, said the first pop-up in Texas was so successful they completely sold out of food within two hours.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, oh man, I think I struck gold on this thing,\u201d Marquez said.<\/p>\n After Badd Burger\u2019s brief stint in Texas, Marquez decided he wanted to move the company home to Fresno.<\/p>\n Badd Burgers had their first pop-up in Fresno at Strummers this June, and it was successful. The eatery opened permanently in the bar\u2019s kitchen in early July.<\/p>\n In the month Badd Burgers has been open, Marquez says the community response has been \u201cgreat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been very positive,\u201d Marquez said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had the goth community support us because we\u2019re a gothic brand. We\u2019ve had the vegans and plant-based, you know, diet people like coming here. They\u2019re our first customers of the day every day.\u201d<\/p>\n Marquez grew up with close friends who were vegan and watched them have to settle for the sparse options on menus. When he was creating the concept for Badd Burgers, these memories stuck with him.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to feed everybody, I know how it feels to have a vegan friend that just eats like beans,\u201d Marquez said.<\/p>\n All burger sauces and seasonings, like \u201cBadd Blood\u201d spicy ketchup and \u201cThe Worst\u201d sweet and spicy seasoning are made in-house and are vegan-friendly.<\/p>\n To Marquez, it is also important that the beef used at Badd Burgers is never frozen, and that separate equipment, gloves and workspaces are used to prepare the plant-based burgers to avoid cross-contamination.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to have good quality stuff, if I\u2019m touching it and making it, it\u2019s like a reputation for your brand. It\u2019s reputation as a cook or chef,\u201d Marquez said.<\/p>\n One of Badd Burger\u2019s top sellers, the Heathen, boasts double beef patties, American and havarti cheese, Marquez\u2019s special \u201cBadd Sauce\u201d and pickles.<\/p>\n Marquez\u2019s favorite burger on the menu is inspired by the fictional \u201cKrabby Patty\u201d from the SpongeBob cartoons. The Baddy Patty has arugula, heirloom tomatoes, pickled mustard, and Badd Burger\u2019s signature ketchup.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people ask me what\u2019s your best. I\u2019m like, they\u2019re all the best. They\u2019re all what\u2019s your favorite? I was like that one,\u201d Marquez said about The Baddy Patty burger.<\/p>\n Aside from being a chef, Marquez has been a musician since he was 14. He played his first show inside the bar when Stummers was still Starline.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really important for us to be here,\u201d Marquez said.<\/p>\n As for what\u2019s next for Badd Burgers?<\/p>\n Marquez plans to expand the brands reach by hosting pop-ups in cities including Los Angeles and Visalia, and eventually dreams of becoming a ghost kitchen across the state.<\/p>\n A ghost kitchen is typically a commercial kitchen that businesses can rent for the purpose of making food to then be delivered by food delivery services like Grubhub and UberEats.<\/p>\n But the ultimate plan?<\/p>\n To stay in Stummers permanently.<\/p>\n \u201cI want this to be Badd Burgers HQ,\u201d Marquez said.<\/p>\n Badd Burgers is open Tuesday to Saturday from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. inside Strummers at 833 E. Fern Ave.<\/p>\n This story was originally published August 4, 2026 at 12:05 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FRS_EPZ_BADDBURGERS_02.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_BADDBURGERS_02.JPG\\"")
The Baddy Patty, two seasoned burger patties with Havarti cheese, baby arugula, Badd Blood ketchup, The Gold pickled mustard, pickled red onions and an heirloom tomato slice is offered by Tommy Marquez at Badd Burgers, located in Strummers in the Tower District. Photographed Thursday, July 30, 2026 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n![\"Pickled](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FRS_EPZ_BADDBURGERS_04.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_BADDBURGERS_04.JPG\\"")
Pickled mustard is added over an heirloom tomato slice as Tommy Marquez creates a new burge rorder at Badd Burgers, located in Strummers in the Tower District . Photographed Thursday, July 30, 2026 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com ![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FRS_EPZ_BADDBURGERS_03.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_BADDBURGERS_03.JPG\\"")
The vegan version of the Baddy Patty, offered by Tommy Marquez at Badd Burgers, located in Strummers in the Tower District Thursday. Photographed Thursday, July 30, 2026 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com ![\"Tommy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FRS_EPZ_BADDBURGERS_06.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_BADDBURGERS_06.JPG\\"")
Tommy Marquez adds pickled red onion to a burger at Badd Burgers, located in Strummers in the Tower District. Photographed Thursday, July 30, 2026 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n
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