AJ Bombers

AJ Bombers
AJ Bombers is an independently owned and operated hamburger restaurant and bar located in the historical landmark Siloh building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded by Joe Sorge and his wife Angie in 2009. AJ Bombers became a Milwaukee icon in a relatively short period of time thanks to Sorge’s effective use of social media, leading to its signature catch phrase: “Where everybody knows your name—or at least, your Twitter name!”
Experience
Sara Conrad of OnMilwaukee.com described AJ Bombers as “more than just a meal” in her October 15, 2010 blog entry. The restaurant encourages patrons to leave “twitfitti,” by writing their twitter username on their chair, table, or the wall. Wait staff delivers peanuts to tables by loading them up onto steel bombs and sending them down tracks which hit a target above a table. Patrons are encouraged to fling shells on the floor.
Food Wars
On October 13, 2010 AJ Bombers was featured in the 17th Episode of the Travel Channel’s Food Wars. AJ Bombers squared off vs. Sobelman’s in a Cheeseburger War. AJ Bombers defeated Sobelman’s with their ¼ pound “Milwaukee Burger,” featuring double Wisconsin Colby Cheese, double Neuske’s bacon and Schlitz onions.
Social Media
AJ Bombers has enjoyed considerable media coverage for its innovative use of Social Media. This strategy began with Twitter and Facebook but moved on to Foursquare. The restaurant has allowed social media to directly influence their menu and atmosphere; the most famous example of this is the AJ Bomber’s Barrie Burger, created entirely at the suggestion of Kate Barrie, a regular customer at the restaurant. The Barrie Burger itself now has a social media following at @barrieburger.
Hubspot.com cites AJ Bombers as being one of the most popular destinations in Milwaukee for “tweet-ups” and networking. On February 28, 2010 patrons at AJ Bombers unlocked the “Swarm Badge” by visiting the restaurant during a planned event. The restaurant repeated this success on April 19, 2010 by sponsoring “I’m On A Boat Day.” This has resulted in AJ Bombers becoming the source for numerous social media case studies across the web.
Menu
The AJ Bombers menu features 8 varieties of hamburgers, including 3 vegetarian varieties. Patrons can also enjoy grilled cheese, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and a variety of sides. The Sweet Potato Fries and Gi-normous fries are mentioned often in reviews, as are the Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls and the handmade ice cream sandwiches. Patrons can also choose to have their burgers made with 100% grass fed organic beef.
Charity
AJ Bombers is known for being very active in the community. Some examples include their participation in the May 2, 2010 MS Walk and hosting the October 8, 2010 Benefit for the Pancreatic Action Network. During the M.S. Walk AJ Bombers introduced participants to Venmo, a social networking application that allows you to pay or receive money by using contacts in your phone book and text messaging them. They used this to raise additional money for MS research.
 
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