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[title]One of the most significant names when talking about burgers in Argentina is Alejandro Roig, who went from running a YouTube channel — Burger Kid — dedicated to showcasing this product, to owning one of the most successful burger restaurants, known as Kiddo. Like many in this industry, the pandemic was a turning point for advancing his project, which now has a location in Miami, United States, and a recently opened branch in Palermo Soho.
How did Burger Kid start?
The flavor, the experience, the aroma, the shape, the colors, and the texture of a burger are the attributes that captivated Alejandro Roig since he was a child. His love for this food led him to start his own YouTube channel in 2015, under the pseudonym “Burger Kid,” but he never imagined he would become one of the leading figures in burger culture nationwide. Not only because of the success he achieved with Kiddo, located in Las Cañitas, but also because of his extensive background, study, and promotion of a product historically disparaged for being fast food.
Alejandro worked in IT, banking, and even as a musician in theatrical productions. However, his connection to the YouTube world began while he was working as a waiter in a bar in 2013. After long shifts that ended at 5 or 6 a.m., he watched videos of people eating in their cars and reviewing fast-food chain products. “It caught my attention because I’ve always been really interested in junk food, and I went crazy watching this,” he told Time Out Buenos Aires.
He dared to create his own channel — the first of its kind in the country — and at the start, his fight was against the “Argentine” beef patty that included egg, mustard, garlic, and parsley. “When I found out the burger didn’t have any of that, I was desperate to share it,” he said about the videos he watched. Actually, according to Alejandro, the beef patty needs nothing more than salt and pepper. Then came countless decisions that led to different results: how to cook it (grilled, smashed, etc.), the quality of the ingredients, and the toppings (sauces, cheeses, vegetables, etc.) added to the sandwich.
At first, the goal of the channel was to find places that made this product well. “Then, this one I like more, this one I like less, the bun failed, whatever, but at least they didn’t season the meat, which was the very first step to finding a good burger,” he continued.
Over time, his content expanded. Besides experimenting, reviewing, recommending, and promoting with an authentic and irreverent rhetoric, he began showing his travels, interviewing, and meeting the creators behind each product. “It made me laugh a little to take seriously a food that is usually underestimated or taken lightly by many, but which for me was and is superior,” he explained.
The Legacy of Burger Kid and His Contribution to the Rise of Burger Joints in Buenos Aires
His audiovisual contribution helped fuel the big wave of burger joints in Buenos Aires and encouraged fans to make their own homemade versions and experiment with the variety of options available. Today, ten years after his first video, his influence can be seen in young TikTokers visiting burger places and sharing their opinions, influencers filming themselves eating in their cars, or YouTubers showing their own homemade takes on iconic burgers.
Ten years after his first video, his influence can be seen in TikTokers, influencers, and YouTubers
“Obviously, I liked eating burgers, it’s my favorite food. I liked talking about it. I liked filming myself and going home to edit it. At first, I realized I filmed poorly, people didn’t understand what I wanted to say or I didn’t say anything interesting. So many early video attempts never saw the light because they didn’t even reach 2 minutes of content,” he said with a laugh and then added, “When I had everything edited and uploaded it, 20 or 30 people watched it. I was very consistent. Those 20 later became 100, 200, or 1000.”
Burger Kid gathered over 160,000 subscribers over ten years and became an authoritative voice on the subject. His world expanded even further when he dedicated videos to classics like Buenos Aires-style pizza and cult hot dogs.
One of the highlights of his audiovisual career was the documentary series “Hamburgueseros,” where he visited iconic burger joints in the United States alongside other experts like Santiago Candegabe (Sandals Burger), Rodo Cámara (The Food Truck Store), and filmmaker Agustin Franzoni.
The Story of Kiddo: How This Cult Burger Joint Emerged
In all this context, his followers asked him to open his own burger joint and even offered him the opportunity, but Alejandro never considered it out of great respect for his favorite food. The COVID-19 lockdown and the success of his channel were the turning points to take the step to open his own place and stop working for others. In a notebook, he wrote down all the ideas he had in mind to create a new concept in Buenos Aires: name, menu, designs, logo, etc. Together with Pablo Pons, owner of the Pons burger joint, they brought all their knowledge to life in Kiddo.
The COVID-19 lockdown and the success of his channel were turning points to open his own place and stop working for others
In his search, he wanted a smaller burger by the standards that existed in Buenos Aires at the time, which created a trend among the competition. Also, “a burger that doesn’t leave you feeling stuffed, that respects proportions, that has balance between the bun, the meat, and the toppings. With its right level of greasiness, but made fresh daily,” he said.
Finally, despite nervousness about the grand opening, the public fell in love with the menu composed of the Melvin, the Park, and the Cheeseburger, and their fries with a distinctive seasoning. Kiddo offers a new concept for burger joints, as orders are delivered in bags—designed to be eaten standing at the street or bar counter or taken home. The service is fast, with only 2 to 3 minutes passing from order to delivery.
Like every decision Alejandro made, the take-away format was inspired by the United States. “In New York, I was always struck by these tiny places that focus on selling a great product. They give it to you, and you eat it wherever you want,” he said. In Buenos Aires, this was common with some important pizzerias and hot dog places, and after Kiddo implemented it, new burger joints copied their successful format.
This year, Alejandro and his partners opened a location in Miami and in June launched a bigger branch in Palermo Soho. “That people like it and choose us again makes me very happy. Having someone enjoy my burger is hard to describe, but it makes me very glad,” he concluded. What started as a hobby out of love for fast food has materialized into one of the busiest burger joints by volume per month. And in every burger, Alejandro shares his authenticity, judgment, experience, but above all, his passion.
Where: Arévalo 2882.