TAC Burger: Wave Hill Breads Owner Opens Smash Burger Spot in Norwalk

From master baker to burger maker isn’t a natural progression, but for Wave Hill Breads’ owner, Tim Topi, that’s exactly what he did.

While simultaneously running Wave Hill’s wholesale location on High Street, and a bakery-cafe on Westport Avenue that opened in 2024, Topi decided to give smash burgers a shot for a few reasons.

One, there was a vacancy a couple storefronts away from the cafe where Francesca’s Authentic Italian Deli once stood.

And two? The burgers he’s had around, he wasn’t satisfied with the buns anywhere. And he’s not sorry if you think Martin’s Potato Rolls are great.

“I’ve been here 13 years, and in my head, I’ve probably only had 10 or 11 fast food burgers, not including having one at a restaurant,” Topi says. “The other buns, Martin’s Potato, is blows up sometimes when it’s part of a burger. There’s a lot of preservatives in those as well. The bun is one of the most important parts of a burger.”

Spoken like a true baker. Ahem, I mean, burger guy. OK, fine, he’s both.

And so, TAC Burger was born, with “TAC” being an acronym for Tim, his son Timothy, his wife Angela, and daughters Claire, Charlotte, and Catelyn.

The concept for TAC Burger is pretty straightforward. It’s fast casual—you can order at the counter or at one of two kiosks, online, their own app (iPhone and Google), or on a third-party delivery app—with three booths and a high top if you’re planning to stay and crush a burger.

Much like one would encounter at Topi’s bakery, it shouldn’t be hard to guess that at TAC, ingredients matter. Beef comes from Plymouth Beef Co. that’s a rich blend of brisket, chuck, and short rib, and around 70-30 lean to fat so each lightly pressed patty stays juicy.

Initially, Topi thought about using Niman Ranch’s grass-fed beef for all the burgers. Ultimately, he decided that not everyone likes the earthier taste of it, but if you do, you can request it for a slight upcharge.

“We tried all kinds of beef, me and Jared Sippel from L’Ostal, who helped with a friendly consultation, and it’s the same beef blend he uses in his burger at his restaurant,” Topi says. “We tried 80-20, but it was too dry.”

When you look at the burger board, you’ll encounter a do-it-yourself option, a classic (American cheese, dill pickles, ketchup, mustard), the Leftcoast (sautéed mushrooms, Swiss, caramelized onions, roasted garlic aioli), the ‘Noreaster (sharp Vermont cheddar, maple-bacon jam, mustard aioli), a nod to New Mexico in the Hatch (green chile queso, fried jalapeños, chipotle aioli), and their signature, the TAC Burger with American cheese, bacon, crispy onions, TAC Sauce, lettuce, and pickles on a poppy and sesame seeded brioche bun.

 All burgers, unless specified, are singles, but you can make it a double or triple for a little extra.

Back to ingredients.

Most sauces, with the exception of maybe only Heinz Ketchup, are made in-house. The American cheese is Cooper Sharp. The thick-cut, salty bacon is from Nodine’s Smokehouse Gourmet Store in Goshen. The mushrooms are from Mystic’s own Seacoast Mushrooms. And we shouldn’t have to tell you that the buns are handmade, but they are, and that’s as local as local gets, coming from a few steps up the sidewalk.

The rest of TAC’s menu consists of three chicken sandwiches (they use Murray’s antibiotic, vegetarian-fed chicken), four hot dogs (they use New Haven’s legendary Hummel Brothers), two salads, and tallow fried onion rings and fries.

There’s soft serve in chocolate or vanilla, too, and it comes from Ronnybrook Farm, a noticeably creamier, richer ice cream because of its high butterfat percentage. You can get it in a cone, cup, float, or shake.

While it’s still early as of press time, Topi is hoping to add “just beer,” because he says, “I love a good IPA with a burger.”

And, again, while it’s STILL EARLY, he also teased that if the flagship TAC Burger is a hit, he’ll absolutely open more.

249 Westport Avenue, Norwalk
tacburgers.com, Instagram @tac_burgers

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