“Unk” knows how to cook up a hell of a burger

• Unk’s Burgers in Lee’s Summit is a family affair, operated by Jesse “Unk” Mack, left; his wife, Faye; their daughter, Jaye; sons Jesse, Junior and Justen; and nephew Tony Mack (top).

Jesse Mack believes in the theory that if you build it — in this case, a fabulous cheeseburger — the people will come. It’s a theory that doesn’t always fly in Lee’s Summit, where burger baron Ernesto Peralto — the big cheese behind the Blanc Burgers + Bottles empire — learned the hard way that boutique snack shacks can be tough sells in Lee’s Summit.

But Unk’s Burgers, which Mack and his wife, Faye, opened in the former Holy Smoke Barbecue space in the Summit Shopping Center last November, isn’t serving gourmet burgers. Jesse Mack is proud of the simplicity of his menu: There are four burger choices as well as a grilled turkey burger, a grilled or crispy fried chicken sandwich, and fried chicken tenders. You want sides with that? There are six choices: seasoned fries, sweet-potato fries, beer-battered onion rings, peppercorn-battered onion rings, fried pickles and “Auntie’s baked beans” (prepared with ground turkey and Mack’s own mix of seasonings).