In just three days since its grand opening July 6, Bullseye Burgers family restaurant had nearly run out of stock as interest in Crawfordsville’s newest burger joint soared.
“We have gone through, in three days, 200 pounds of beef and 1,000 buns. I wasn’t expecting that,” owner Craig Carrell said. “I had a large truck come in last week and another come in on Monday, and I was like ‘I hope I don’t have too much food.’ But it was the complete opposite.”
The restaurant is the latest to set up shop in the former Kroger Plaza on the city’s northeast side. Located in the former Eastside Bar & Grill, Carrell said he received overwhelming support for the business from family, the community and members of First Community Church in Lebanon, where he serves as full-time pastor.
Carrell, a Browns Valley native, married high school sweetheart Lagora Carrell of New Market in 2010. They now reside in Russellville with their two daughters.
After high school, Carrell spent five years working as general manager of the northside McDonald’s in Crawfordsville. It was during that time, learning from owners Bob and Paul Jedele, that he found a passion for the restaurant industry that ultimately led to the opening of Bullseye Burgers.
“I’ve learned a lot from them that I’m trying to incorporate here,” Carrell said. “They’ve been great influences on how to run the business side of things.”
In 2013, Carrell left McDonald’s to become a pastor and began running his local branch of the Helping Hands Chauffeur service. But when coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns swept the country earlier this year, Carrell stepped away from Helping Hands, returned to McDonald’s and quickly decided he wanted to start his own business.
“I remembered how much I enjoyed the restaurant industry, so my wife and I started talking and I thought, ‘I want to give this restaurant ownership an opportunity. I know it’s going to be hard and there’s a lot of great competitors here in town,’” he said. “But I feel that Crawfordsville does a great job of supporting local businesses. So I talked to my wife and we said, ‘Let’s do this.’”
The business immediately received help from Carrell’s parents Henry Carrell and Jeannie Thompson, and others in the community.
His father serves has head maintenance supervisor at the Montgomery County Jail, and provided shelving and other physical needs for the restaurant. His mother took on painting and cleaning needs, and each show continued support in daily affairs now that the business is up and running.
“They have helped tremendously,” Carrell said, noting the poor interior conditions after the building was used as a bar for several years. “We had holes, the ceilings were yellow, holes in the walls (and) nasty carpet on the floor.”
But now, following two and a half months of intense cleaning and retrofitting, the family-oriented restaurant shows no signs of abuse. Instead, ample seating, sunshine and a friendly atmosphere have transformed the building’s interior.
Inside Bullseye Burgers patrons can now order thin-pressed Angus beef (never frozen) hamburgers, crispy fries and hand-dipped ice cream and milkshakes.
The restaurant even provides a test of culinary strength in the form of the Archer Challenge. Willing participants can take on a 10-pattie burger complete with fries and a drink, and if they are able to complete the challenge within 15 minutes, they receive a Bullseye Burgers T-shirt and a spot on Carrell’s Wall of Fame.
“I’ve had three people attempt it and two have completed it,” Carrell said. “At first it was a 30-minute challenge, but the first two people did it in 13 minutes. I’m like, ‘We have to do 15 minutes or we’re going to give away a lot of shirts.’”
Asked why he chose the former Kroger Plaza location, Carrell said the area was in need of more options for lunch and dinner.
“I’ve had a lot of people question: Why would you go on the east side of town? Nobody goes to the east side,” Carrell explained. “That side of town needs something. It needs more options. I really think we could hit some of the factories over here and when you think about it, most of the apartments are on the east side of town. So I thought we’d take gamble and come over here.
“So far, in three days — and I know things can change — but so far it’s been very welcoming.”
On Wednesday, July 8, Carrell and his 10 employees filled 197 orders in a 10-hour period.
“I’m very happy about that,” he said. “I didn’t think we’d hit 100 orders in a day.”
The Bullseye Burgers restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is closed Sundays.
“My biggest goal here is to serve hot, quality and fresh food that people are proud of,” Carrell said. “I want to be clean and I want it to be a family atmosphere. I’ve told my employees, ‘We are now a family and we are a family with our guests. And I pray that we all take care of each other.’”
For more information or to get a taste, stop in the restaurant at 1450 Darlington Ave. More information can also be found on the Bullseye Burgers Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Bullseye-Burgers.
