NEW VENTURES: Burger chain joins the Hamilton Crossings food scene

Add Smashburger to the growing list of places to grab food at the new Hamilton Crossings shopping center off Route 222 in Lower Macungie Township.

This is the first Smashburger in the Greater Lehigh Valley.

The eatery gets its name from the way cooks “smash” burgers onto the grill to sear in the juices.

The franchise is the eighth Smashburger owned by Dan O’Shaughnessy and co-owners Kevin Murphy, Dan Hill and Gene Giordano. They also have locations in the Philadelphia area and New Jersey.

The restaurant also has fresh salads, chicken sandwiches, black bean burgers and sides that include Smash fries, onion rings, veggie frites and Häagen-Dazs shakes.

For more information, visit www.smashburger.com.

New Tripoli Bank opens lending office in Emmaus

The Emmaus Main Street Partners held a ribbon cutting Oct. 19 at New Tripoli Bank’s new loan-production office in Emmaus.

The office is at 191 Main St. in the Main Street Commons office building. The bank has branches in New Tripoli and Orefield.

John Hayes, senior vice president of lending, said by opening the office in Emmaus it is extending the 106-year-old bank’s footprint from northwestern Lehigh County into the East Penn School District area.

“We see this office as a great opportunity to extend our lending reach,” Hayes said.