One of Maryland’s most talked-about burgers is entering its next chapter. Fifty Fifty, the Frederick-based burger concept known for its half beef, half bacon patties, is officially rebranding as Backslash Burger. While the name is changing, everything that made the burger a statewide standout is staying exactly the same.
The concept was created by Jon Thompson, a Montgomery County native and Clarksburg High School graduate, whose career in the restaurant industry began at age 16 at the Outback Steakhouse in Germantown. Over the next decade, Thompson worked at 14 different Outback locations, building a deep foundation in high-volume operations and consistency. He later expanded his experience at Cafe Deluxe in Rio and went on to serve as general manager of Growlers in Olde Towne Gaithersburg.
After Growlers, Thompson became an area director for Red Hot & Blue, where he overhauled recipes and dove deeply into barbecue science. That process included food science coursework, chemical curing studies, and earning FDA certifications. When COVID hit, he assisted Sardi’s in Olney with developing a barbecue program, then partnered with a longtime friend to reopen a barbecue truck in Washington, DC…