Suns Out Buns Out Cafe
295 E. Emmett StreetThe food truck debate has been going on for years. I worked in Peoria, IL in the early 2000’s and even then, before the invention of actual food trucks, there was huge controversy. Every Friday in the summer, they’d have food carts on the courthouse square. The brick and mortar downtown business threw a fit every year because it was taking business away from them.
That’s pretty much always been the argument. Food trucks are not the same investment as a building.
Several businesses are proving that food trucks can actually be a way to break in to the business and turn it in to a brick and mortar building. There have been several success stories recently in Southwest Michigan.
The newest place to try their hand at a full time restaurant is Suns Out Buns Out Cafe in Battle Creek. The business started as a successful burger food truck that they’ve now turned in to a full time deal.
Suns Out Buns Out Cafe is on Emmett Street near Union on the Northeast side of Battle Creek. The restaurant takes up the bottom floor of Greensmith Studios and Florist. The space had a been a cafe in the past. For 18 years, the space was Addington Hills Cafe. That cafe closed in 2017.
The restaurant has a very “garden level” feel to it. The entrance is off the front of the building on Emmett Street and you walk in to a space where a large staircase dominates the middle of the room and breaks up the dining room. The order counter is behind the staircase and there’s kind of a lunch counter off to one side. Ordering is done at the cash register then they give you a number to put on the table so they can bring out food.
The menu is written on a chalkboard behind the order counter. They have a number of always there sandwich options but the fun of Suns Out Buns Out is the weekly specials. Kind of like Bob’s Burgers but not quite as out there.
The dining room has a kind of cozy feel to it. There isn’t a lot of natural light and dark woods and soft light keep the feel as more of a coffee shop than a burger joint.
It’s not hard for me to look at a menu and figure out what I want. I quickly scanned the chalkboard and found a burger called Craig. It was a special that week that came with bacon, Gouda, BBQ sauce, and onion straws. The burger patty was made of bison meat instead of the usual steak burger. The burger is really simple but really tasty. Suns Out Buns Out is a place that really puts the emphasis on the burger instead of trying to go crazy with the toppings. It’s not a pub burger that stands 3 ft. tall when it’s served to you but comes in a neat little package that fits easily in to your mouth. The thing that makes Suns Out Buns Out a delicious burger place is actually the burger themselves.
The sandwich came with fries and they were just as tasty as the burger. The fresh cut fries fill up the rest of the basket the sandwich is served in and could be a meal on their own They’re crispy, salty, and don’t need anything to dip them in. They’re best on their own.
The cost for my meal was about $16 before tip. I had asked for a Faygo Orange to go with my sandwich but the cashier got distracted by my co-worker asking a ton of questions and didn’t hand it to me when I paid. I assumed I’d get it with the sandwich but it didn’t come out then and I didn’t feel like making a thing out of it so I just let it go.
Suns Out Buns Out has a pretty unique concept in Battle Creek just focusing on the burgers. The location may be a little hard to find if you’re not looking for it but it’s a place worth seeking out in Battle Creek. It’s not that far from downtown and pretty close to the hospital. Definitely a place burger lovers should be looking for when they’re in the area.
SW Michigan Dining 