Chuck’s isn’t out to reinvent the burger – it just does it better. No frills, no foam, no tweezered bits ’n’ bobs. Just smashed patties, crisp edges, and buns that hold tight. First launched in Milan by Rhode Island-born Chuck George, what started as a stateside-style griddle joint took root in Italy and spread fast, with outposts now in Paris, Rome and Madrid, alongside pop-ups and collaborations in London.

Drawing on his Filipino-American heritage, a playful instinct for sharp detail and sharper flavour sees Chuck spin fresh fusions on classics, while at the heart of it all stands the Chuck’s smashburger. No mods. No nonsense. A single patty, melted cheddar, sharp pickles, white onion and a hit of house special sauce, all stacked on a Martin’s potato roll. That’s the move.

Alongside his love of great food, Chuck also loves great stuff – boasting an impressive collection of antiques, trinkets, art, motors and design classics that inspire Chuck’s. Below, he shares some of his gems.

Ford F-250 c. 1968

“I picked her up back in 2013 whilst scouring Craigslist in Los Angeles for a handy set of wheels to get back and forth from home at the time in Las Flores Canyon. She was sitting in a garage off a dusty road up in the Antelope Valley and the patina on the body was, as the saying goes, ‘a diamond in the rough’. 

I’ve always been enthusiastic about aircraft nose art from the 1940s and this was the first time I commissioned a decorative painting, which you now find across every project I’ve opened. Nostalgically, “Him” and “Her” were drawn on the driver and passenger side by Los Angeles painter Garrett Wasserman.”  

Horton Rickmansworth Globe liquid soap dispensers c. 1920 

“I came across a few examples of these over the years throughout the UK. When I began to source for the restaurant in Madrid, I knew they were a must-have for the bathrooms. While they proved to be pretty elusive, I was able to locate a pair from an antiques bathroom dealer in Norwich. 

Objects like these are the quintessential example of form and function. There are things you shouldn’t be cheap about, and soap dispensers are one of them. “

Keith Haring for Emporium Capwell c. 1985

“I was spending a weekend in Nice shortly after Hotel Amour opened there and in the centre of town there happens to be a pretty wonderful antique market, Cours Saleya at Marché Aux Fleurs. 

While the selections of ancient French cutlery and Vallauris ceramics were in abundance, stalls of a different colour were not. It was at one of these, laid across an Afghan rug, that I found this print Keith Haring had made for the San Francisco department store, Emporium Capwell, in the 80s. It offers up a sense of togetherness, a sort of “we’re all in it together” trope. A feeling I hope my restaurants evoke. “

Lucien Smith, Massive blow jobs for Melmulle, 2013 

“Aluminium trays, moulding paste and enamel on gessoed canvas. I’m a huge fan of Lucien’s pie artworks. They’re nostalgic – as in, that time I dropped the cream pie on the floor at my Grandmother Mary’s house in 1996. It was Thanksgiving. No one was thankful.

Sourcing artwork for a restaurant is entirely specific, and pie is quintessentially American and a reflection of the menu as a whole. I sourced this from some folks in the Hamptons of all places (go figure) and was fortunate enough to have Lucien himself do the authentication. A win-win.” 

J. Wellington Wimpy, c. 1992

“As my cheeseburger shop can attest, I’ve got a thing for hamburgers, specifically cheeseburgers – not unlike Wimpy, the beloved Popeye’s character who shares the same affinity I have. 

I was at a vintage market in Milan when I happened to find this figurine. It even came with a book, entitled Poldo, as he is known in Italy. I think the inspiration can be easily found at Chuck’s – it’s a burger shop after all.”  

Veark RS-M40 magnetic rack 

“I’m a total sucker for organisation and cleanliness. Veark creates products emphasising functionality but also great design. While seemingly minimal, this rack transforms into a storage space as well. 

I use them across our restaurants, particularly in Madrid where we have a chef’s counter, and also at my home.”

African carved colonial figures, Ivory Coast 

“I began falling in love with African art from a very young age. Growing up in Virginia, you are exposed to numerous forms given the historical context of its place in history – be it through cultural centres or the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), which has one of the most comprehensive collections in the United States. 

This small collection has been sourced across a number of trips to London from an antique dealer in Notting Hill specialising in African artefacts. While the vibrant colours draw you in, it is their form of protest against colonisation that depicts their true meaning. 

While they don’t influence much by way of design in my work, they do empower that sense of community that a restaurant should be striving to create.”

Hand-forged burger spatulas 

“This is pretty nerdy, but having a good pair of handmade burger flippers is pretty sweet. Aesthetically beautiful and durable.

My staff in Milan actually brought these back from Bangladesh where they were made, and we throw them in the rotation from time to time for special events – for example doing the BBQ for Bottega Veneta’s summer party.”

Art crate by Cadogan Tate 

“My love for art extends even to the crates produced for transporting them. This one in particular carried Lucien Smith’s work from New York City to Madrid. 

The crates from Cadogan are bespoke and are produced in their crate shop. After a transatlantic shipment, it has this lived in quality about it. From the outside it’s seemingly just a box, but knowing the finer details about it makes it very special to me. It lives in the restaurant in Madrid, employed as a part-time blanket holder in the colder months and in the summer, a tabletop of sorts adorned with candlelight.” 

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