Vermont's Coveted Worthy Kitchen Will Open a Location in Brookline [Updated]

A burger spot that's gained a serious following at its two locations in Vermont now has plans to expand to the Boston area, according to Boston Restaurant Talk. The so-called Worth Group, or the crew behind Worthy Burger in Royalton and Worthy Kitchen in Woodstock, will bring that second concept to a space in Brookline Village, as Boston Magazine reported.

Worthy Burger started out in 2012, the work of Dave Brodrick (who founded The Blind Tiger in New York City), executive chef Jason Merrill, and their CFO Kurt Lessard. The trio moved on to open what they call the "farm diner," or Worthy Kitchen, in 2013, serving classics like poutine, wings, salads with locally sourced ingredients, and of course burgers and sandwiches.

True to the Worthy brand, the new Boston-area restaurant will feature a roundup of craft beers alongside the existing menu.

Worthy Kitchen will be taking over the space at 202 Washington St. near the Brookline Village MBTA stop. The space was previously slated to become Chris Cronin's Project 202, but that never materialized, and Cronin now works at Little Moss Restaurant in South Dartmouth, Mass.

The Worthy crew has hired a local chef who could potentially throw some personal touches into the menu. Their plans for the space, as Boston Magazine reported, include 72 seats inside with a mix of high-tops, standard tables, and communal seating, with the potential for an additional 40 seats on a roof deck.

Update, 4/12, 10:45 a.m.: Jason Merrill told Eater that the Worthy team had been looking to expand for a while, but not too seriously. He said some investors in Worthy who own the Brookline building had been wanting to get a restaurant in there for some time and asked them to get involved.

"This opportunity came up and we decided that it was a good move for us," Merrill said. The team has submitted all the necessary permitting, and once they get approval, they could start building out the space in the next couple weeks. Worthy Kitchen could open late summer or early fall, if all goes according to plan. The space is next to a 3-story historical brick building. "I think it'll make a nice backdrop for the rooftop bar," Merrill said.

The menu will be the same approachable comfort food found at Worthy Kitchen in Vermont and may feature some of the Worthy Burger items, tying the concepts together, Merrill said, paying homage to the original restaurant, which he calls the "mothership."

Update, 7/3: This planned expansion has fallen through, and the group has no current plans to try for another Boston-area location.