Greer's Burger Garage brings smash burgers to downtown Hanover

Once upon a time, 108 East Chestnut St. was a car dealership.

As the years went by, the building became abandoned and derelict, eventually being condemned.

Now, many years later in 2024, this once-vacant site has been completely transformed into Greer's Burger Garage, downtown Hanover's hottest new burger spot that thematically keeps in line with the building's automotive history.

For head chef and creator Ethan Greer, a native of Spring Grove, the location is the realization of a childhood dream.

"I wanted to start a restaurant since I was in first grade," Greer said.

The grand opening of the restaurant on March 28 was rung in with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Rep. Kate Klunk and state Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill welcoming the new business to the borough.

"We are so happy that you're here," said Klunk. "Greer's is going to be a place to be."

With the opening of the Hanover location, Greer now owns three restaurants, including the original Greer's Burger Garage, as well as Taqueria El Camino, both of which are in Dover.

This time, though, Greer was able to construct the restaurant from the ground up to fit his vision, working with property owner and developer Jordan Ilyes, who has been involved in the revitalization of multiple properties around downtown Hanover, including the McAllister Apartments that features the McAllister's on York restaurant.

"It's going to be a really cool partnership between this restaurant and the community," said Ilyes. "It was an honor working with Ethan."

The location includes two stories with a total of 95 seats, garage doors on the second floor that open to provide fresh air in the summer, neon lights that flank the retro chrome of the exterior, and a sprawling kitchen designed to handle the volume of pick-up orders that Greer hopes to obtain through online ordering and kiosks.

"This is the first location that we got to design from the ground up," Greer said, noting that his previous restaurants have been in existing buildings or operated out of food trucks.

Greer hopes that, through building the location from the ground up, the new restaurant will "create a truly unique experience, not only for Hanover, but for central Pennsylvania."

"This is a place to hang out and enjoy this beautiful space we've created," Greer said.

The menu for Greer's consists of a wide variety of burgers, hotdogs and "hubcaps," which are "burgers in a bowl." Other menu items include a wide variety of appetizers and sides, including deep-fried pierogies, and a large vegetarian menu for those with alternative diets.

Several items on the menu are inspired by Greer's childhood and family, including the restaurant's 'Mam mam's mushroom and Swiss burger" that was inspired by his grandmother.

"I'm grateful for this community," Greer said, "I encourage everyone to come check us out and embrace this beautiful space."

The Hanover location is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

Parking is available in the surrounding municipal lots, including one directly adjacent to the restaurant on Railroad Street.

With all payments being electronic to speed along the ordering process, cash is accepted through staff members changing cash into gift cards that can be used at the kiosks.

Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for The Evening Sun. Contact him at hjones@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Greer's Burger Garage opens in downtown Hanover, Pa.