Des Moines, get ready to experience a new-to-Iowa burger. Wayback Burgers based in Cheshire, Connecticut, is headed to the metro, opening a new restaurant at 1165 S.E. Alice’s Road in Waukee this fall.The restaurant, which got its start in Delaware in 1991, serves burgers made as they’re ordered, chicken sandwiches and tenders, hot dogs, milkshakes, and an array of side not always found at a fast-casual restaurant. Wayback Burgers offers a nostalgic de?cor with retro touches.The new Wayback Burgers, which plans to h...
Des Moines, get ready to experience a new-to-Iowa burger. Wayback Burgers based in Cheshire, Connecticut, is headed to the metro, opening a new restaurant at 1165 S.E. Alice’s Road in Waukee this fall.
The restaurant, which got its start in Delaware in 1991, serves burgers made as they’re ordered, chicken sandwiches and tenders, hot dogs, milkshakes, and an array of side not always found at a fast-casual restaurant. Wayback Burgers offers a nostalgic de?cor with retro touches.
The new Wayback Burgers, which plans to hire 30 people, opens in September and marks the first location in Iowa.
What’s on the menu at Wayback Burgers?
The restaurant specializes in fresh, never frozen burger patties in a variety of toppings options, including the Cheeeesy with four slices of melted cheese topping two patties and served on an inverted bun.
Cheesesteaks, crispy and grilled chicken sandwiches, veggie and Impossible burgers, chicken tenders, salads, and sides, including fries, tater tots, onion rings and fried pickles, all find a home on the menu. Wayback Gold Sauce combines barbecue sauce and mustard.
Wayback also offers milkshakes made with Blue Bunny ice cream.
What does Wayback Burgers look like inside?
The 1,972 square-foot Wayback Burgers in Waukee will feature a nostalgic feel with a counter lined with red stools reminiscent of a soda shop, as well as banquettes, booths, and tables. Diners can watch the staff work in the kitchen enveloped in glass.
Where else is Wayback Burgers located?
Wayback Burgers currently operates in 35 states with more than 170 locations nationally and internationally in Brunei, South Africa, the Dominican Republic, United Arab Emirates, and seven provinces in Canada.
For a taste of Wayback Burgers before it opens, head to Woodbury, Minnesota, or Darien, Illinois, the closest locations to Des Moines. Kansas City and St. Louis also have locations in the work.
Where to find Wayback Burgers
Location: 1165 S.E. Alice’s Road in Waukee
Contact: waybackburgers.com
Opening: September 2025
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at [email protected].