Hubcap Grill

What Hubcap Grill does

Hubcap Grill is a Houston, Texas-based specialty burger restaurant chain founded in 2008 by Ricky Craig. The company operates a single-concept "Funky Hometown Burger Bar" built on hand-formed patties of fresh, never-frozen beef chuck, custom toasted rolls, and signature twice-fried hand-cut fries, augmented by a rotating slate of regional and pop-culture-inspired specialty burgers (Hubcap Decker, NOLA Muffaletta Burger, Texas BBQ Burger, Hatch Green Chili Burger, Corn Chip Burger). The menu extends to craft fries, old-fashioned sodas, chicken sandwiches, salads, and a rotating selection of local Houston craft beers (St. Arnolds, Karbach, 8th Wonder, Spindletap). There is no proprietary technology platform — the product is the food itself, prepared to order in a traditional casual-dining operating model.

The business earns revenue primarily through direct restaurant food and beverage sales at dine-in and takeout counters, with an additional growth lever via franchising. Hubcap Grill operates company-owned and franchise locations across the Houston metropolitan area (Downtown, Heights, Bay Area), Galveston, Pearland, and Santa Fe, plus secured airport concession sites at Bush IAH Terminal A (since 2017) and Hobby Airport (since 2023). The franchise program targets Texas and Louisiana with a $150K-$500K unit investment and a disclosed $1 million Average Unit Volume. Customer acquisition runs through organic social (Facebook, Instagram), earned media (Houston Chronicle, Food Network), the Lug Nut Club email loyalty program, and the company website built and powered by third-party vendor Rhapsody Solutions. The customer base is exclusively individual consumers — casual diners, burger enthusiasts, and airport travelers — with no B2B or enterprise segment. Ownership remains private and founder-controlled, with Ricky Craig and co-owner David Mosberg (a 25-year business administration veteran) leading the company from the Houston headquarters.

Name

Hubcap Grill

Legal name

Hubcap Grill

Website

https://hubcapgrill.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hubcap Grill is a Houston-based specialty burger restaurant chain founded in 2008, operating company-owned and franchise locations across Texas with active franchise expansion into Louisiana. It serves casual diners and airport travelers with hand-crafted burgers, twice-fried fries, craft beer, and a regional Texas-inspired menu.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Burger Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

akta.pro primary industry

Burger Fast Casual (THAFABAA)

Keywords

• Specialty burger restaurant
• Casual dining chain
• Burger franchise opportunity
• Restaurant loyalty program
• Craft beer selection

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food and Beverage Sales: Direct revenue from selling hand-crafted burgers, fries, sodas, and other food items to dine-in and takeout customers at restaurant locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hubcap Grill sells specialty hand-crafted burgers made from fresh, never-frozen beef chuck on custom toasted buns, accompanied by twice-fried hand-cut fries, chicken sandwiches, salads, old-fashioned sodas, and local Houston craft beer at restaurant locations. The company also operates the Lug Nut Club email loyalty program and sells franchise opportunities for new restaurant owners across Texas and Louisiana.

Product overview

Hubcap Grill is a Funky Hometown Burger Bar offering a unified restaurant concept centered on specialty hand-crafted burgers made with fresh, never-frozen beef and hand-cut fries cooked to order. The product portfolio consists of signature Hand-Crafted Burgers (including specialty creations like the Hubcap Decker, Philly Cheesesteak Burger, Texas BBQ Burger, and Corn Chip Burger), Craft Fries (offered in multiple styles), Old Fashioned Sodas, Chicken & Sandwiches, Salads, and Craft Beer from local Houston breweries. The company also operates the Lug Nut Club, a loyalty/email club program. Additionally, Hubcap Grill offers franchise opportunities for restaurant ownership across Texas and Louisiana, with comprehensive training and marketing support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hand-Crafted Burgers Signature specialty burgers made with fresh, never-frozen beef chuck patties cooked to order on custom toasted buns. Menu includes signature creations such as the Hubcap Decker, Philly Cheesesteak Burger, Texas BBQ Burger, Sticky Monkey Burger, Corn Chip Burger, NOLA Muffaletta Burger, and Hatch Green Chili Burger, plus traditional options including Single, Double, Triple cheeseburger, Bacon Cheeseburger, Jalapeno Cheeseburger, Guacamole Swiss, Mushroom Swiss, and Chili Cheeseburger. Sold to dine-in and takeout customers at Hubcap Grill restaurant locations.
• Craft Fries Fresh-cut potatoes fried twice and offered in multiple styles including Buffalo Fries, Country Fries, Texas Fries, Greek Fries, Stinky Fries, Bacon Cheese Fries, Hell Fries, and Philly Fries with hubcap sauce and Swiss cheese. Served as a side to burgers at Hubcap Grill restaurant locations.
• Old Fashioned Sodas Selection of classic fountain sodas in various flavors including Root Beer, Vanilla Cream, Lemonade, Pineapple, Strawberry, Orange, and Grape, served at Hubcap Grill restaurant locations.
• Chicken and Sandwiches Non-burger menu items including Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Mushroom N Swiss Chicken, Greek Sandwich, Chicken Tender Basket, Guacamole N Swiss Sandwich, NOLA Muffaletta Chicken, and Bacon N Swiss Chicken. Sold to dine-in and takeout customers as alternatives to the burger lineup.
• Salads Fresh salads with options to upgrade with grilled chicken or a Hubcap beef patty. Offerings include the Hubcap Wedge and Greek Wedge served at Hubcap Grill restaurant locations.
• Craft Beer Local craft beer selection featuring Houston-area breweries including St. Arnold's, Karbach Brewing Co, 8th Wonder Brewery, and Spindletap Brewery. Availability varies by Hubcap Grill location.
• Lug Nut Club Email club loyalty program offering promotional deals and rewards to members who join by providing email, phone, name, date, and Hubcap Grill location preference. Available across all Hubcap Grill restaurant locations.
• Hubcap Grill Franchise Franchise program offering ownership opportunities for Hubcap Grill burger restaurants with professional marketing, training, and operational support. Investment range is $150,000 to $500,000 with an average unit volume of $1 million, available across Texas and Louisiana.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average Unit Volume of $1 Million per franchise location

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• St. ArnoldsminorOthersLocal craft brewery featured at Hubcap Grill locations. Hubcap proudly serves St. Arnolds beer as part of their craft beer selection.
• Karbach Brewing CominorOthersLocal Houston craft brewery featured at Hubcap Grill locations as part of their beer selection.
• 8th Wonder BreweryminorOthersLocal craft brewery featured at Hubcap Grill locations.
• Spindletap BreweryminorOthersLocal craft brewery featured at Hubcap Grill locations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Shake Shack: Public premium burger chain with airport and high-traffic urban locations, fresh-never-frozen beef, and craft beer pairings. Comparable on product positioning and airport presence, though at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Whataburger: Iconic Texas-headquartered burger chain with deep regional roots and a much larger footprint. Comparable as a Texas-focused burger brand, though Whataburger operates at substantially greater scale and broader menu scope.
• Steak 'n Shake: Long-running American burger and milkshake chain with franchised units and a value-oriented limited-service model. Comparable as an established burger franchise operator, though positioned more toward value than Hubcap's premium craft positioning.
• Five Guys: National premium burger franchise with simple menu, fresh-cooked-to-order beef, and hand-cut fries. Comparable on cook-to-order premium burger positioning and franchised growth, though with significantly broader geographic penetration.

Direct peers

• Bobby's Burger Palace: Chef-driven burger concept from Bobby Flay featuring premium beef and creative toppings. Comparable on the chef-led, creative-toppings premium burger positioning, though it operates as a smaller direct-owned footprint rather than a franchise system.
• Hopdoddy Burger Bar: Austin-born premium burger chain built on fresh, never-frozen beef, hand-cut fries, and creative regional toppings. Closest direct competitor to Hubcap's hand-crafted, Texas-inspired burger concept and franchise model.
• Fuddruckers: Heritage better-burger chain with full-service dining rooms and cook-to-order beef. Comparable on the made-to-order premium burger positioning, though it operates at an older, more established franchise scale.
• BurgerFi: Florida-based better-burger franchise competing on natural Angus beef, creative toppings, and eco-friendly branding. Comparable as a smaller-scale, growth-oriented premium burger franchise targeting similar better-burger customer segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hubcapgrill
• Instagraminstagram.com/hubcapgrill_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hubcap-grill

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hubcap Grill