In November of 2023, a burger joint set up shop in a tiny kitchen corner inside the Hard Hat lounge. Their burgers quickly left a mark, capturing workers on the Las Vegas Strip and downtown area. In August of 2024, "Las Vegas Weekly" called them "the best smashburger in town" and Eater listed the smashburger a must try destination for travelers. The staff which began with 2 cooks has since grown to a team of 14 — but success wasn't overnight, not for Bobby Meader, owner and operator of Stay Tuned burgers.
For two years while living in L.A. Bobby went to every burger joint, he possibly could. He took notes comparing prepackaged meat versus meat you grind yourself. He experimented over and over, perfecting his formula, obsessing over measurements. He obsessed with perfecting the sauce then pickle brine. With his savings, Bobby gave away thousands feeding restaurant crews. He knew all along it would lead to where he is today. The universe paid Bobby back for his generosity and dedication, making restaurant workers throughout Las Vegas his most loyal customers. Bobby says being a Vegas native “helped kickstart the ability to even have anyone show up in my backyard,” where he sold burgers once via Instagram through direct messaging. Community plays a major role in Bobby’s success, as friends and locals share and repost his burgers, they spark buzz online reaching people near and far.
“You take a loss in the beginning, but I’m telling you it pays in the long Run”
Before his established venture inside the Hard Hat lounge, Bobby earned a spot inside Vegas Test Kitchen, where chefs test new concepts in hope of building their own business someday. Meanwhile, Bobby did pop ups at First Friday, local breweries, backyards and Hard Hats patio on Monday nights. It's not about Bobbys secret recipe, it’s what Bobby did with his secret recipe. Bobby Meader has pioneered a smashburger trend in the heart of Las Vegas. His success has inspired imitators, but while they seek to replicate quickly, Stay Tuned took years of dedication and refinement. Bobby is a testament to human capability, the power within to take initiative and strive to do better. "It could be a business that's existed 1 million years like landscaping or housekeeping, but if you can do it faster, cheaper, or with better customer service or more efficiently than you will succeed in that" says Bobby. Knowledge is necessary in any industry or passion you pursue; it allows people to be the best at whatever it is we do. Bobby's experience highlights that knowledge extends beyond classrooms. For him real life experiences provided wisdom. He called it a “shitshow” at first then reminds us through struggles is how we learn.
Bobby dropped out of college after not learning much the first two years, but his curiosity for business lingered. He mastered necessary skills working the field, managing a touring band for 5 years across the U.S. and running a restaurant in the arts District. He would take on as many tasks as he could with the intention to learn as much as he could, to prepare for his own journey. Bobby credits his brother Richie, a huge casino executive with a double master's in general business and finance, for being a source of knowledge and support. Bobby says his brother taught him "receiving in the moment guidance for the business you’re running teaches you grit and tenacity". Knowledge can be found in people, in relationships and experience. Times are different now and people are learning differently. With the power of the internet and YouTube, there is almost nothing we can’t learn.
“Having a network of people to call for help and watching Warren Buffett videos on YouTube, then doing the work seems to have been my best method”
From backyard burgers to burger legend, Bobby demonstrates grit and tenacity prevail, the internet is a powerful resource, and although we need each other to get to where we want, we must do the work ourselves. And when we thought our friends at Stay Tuned couldn’t get busier, they have gone viral on TikTok with “there’s a burger”. It must be true, that the fruits of our labor someday blossom.
“You learn as you go, and you don’t accept failure, even when I would fail, I would always come back stronger the next time” - Bobby
Meader