While burgers may be popular Fourth of July picnic items, they are a mainstay year-round at Kevin Brown’s Burgers in Ooltewah.

“I would put our burger up against anybody’s,” said owner and cook Kevin Brown, adding that he will be enjoying his own burger this Independence Day as he takes off for the first time in years.

Burgers are in Brown’s blood. His father started the Armando’s local chain, and his mother and her mother owned and operated a meat-and-three restaurant in Nashville.

“He had it on both sides of the family,” said his wife, Jessica.

The two met when she took her very first job, at Armando’s on Highway 58. Striking out on their own in 2001, the Harrison residents first operated a 20-by-20-foot carryout stand on the same corner of Mahan Gap Road where the restaurant is now located.

“We’ve really come a long way from when we were just a four seater with a little kitchen,” said Kevin Brown, adding that they will soon add an outdoor seating area and plan to expand the indoor dining room as well.

Just as the restaurant’s customer base has remained unflinching, so has Kevin Brown’s dedication to his product.

“We still do some old-fashioned stuff,” he said, noting that he cooks and cuts all the roast beef, ham and brisket himself using family methods. “We hand-ball our meats the way the originals used to do. That’s something most people don’t take the time to do.”

Kevin Brown’s recipes are a mixture of family originals, including the original Armando’s burger, and new stuff, he said.

“When local stuff comes in we buy all we can,” he said, adding that he has shopped around to find the best meat possible. “When you start with something good it’s going to be good.”

He grew up on the steak cheeseburger and it remains the number one selling item to this day, with its smoky steak sauce, he said. He said he’s been considering expanding the burger selection to also include non-traditional recipes.

Jessica Brown said she prefers the deluxe roast beef, with grilled onions, melted Swiss and mayonnaise on a wheat hoagie. And Kevin Brown said he likes “to blow people’s minds with the B.L.T.”

“Everything’s good,” he said. “I don’t think we have a bad thing on the menu,” which he described as “just American food.”

The couple said they would like to begin bringing their food to more catered events. However, they also pledged their commitment to the community and their customer base.

“We’ve gotten to meet and get to know some really good people,” Kevin Brown said. “We’re trying to make it here. We’re going to be here for a while, as long as we can.”