April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman Rumored to Be Opening a Burger Restaurant in Pod 51

A rumor is floating around that star duo April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman are opening a burger restaurant in the Pod 51 hotel. The pair already have Salvation Taco in the other Pod hotel on 38th Street, so the partnership would make sense. And a burger restaurant would make even more sense than that taqueria, because, as we know from the excellent specimens found at the Spotted Pig and the Breslin, Bloomfield knows her way around a burger. Zagat reports the rumor is from a "reliable source," and says if it's true, the restaurant would be open by summer.

Until recently, Pod 51 has been home to a different burger restaurant, Pop @ Pod, which was an offshoot of the now-defunct chainlet Pop Burger. But that place is now closed. A concierge at the hotel tells Eater that the burger restaurant will reopen soon under a new chef, but was unclear on any details beyond that. Eater has reached out to both hotel management and to Friedman and Bloomfield for more details. Stay tuned.