A counter-service burger joint in the Belmont neighborhood serving up burgers, shakes & craft beer.

Paul Manley doesn’t mind sharing the research strategy that went into creating ACE No. 3. “We did something very scientific,” he says of his latest restaurant venture with Andrew Chapman and Dennis Thompson. “We stood out in front of the restaurant for about an hour one day and asked passersby what they wished was here.”

Turns out, the residents of Charlotte’s Belmont neighborhood, a former mill village northeast of downtown, overwhelmingly wanted burgers or pizza. And since there was a pizza-by-the-slice place in nearby NoDa, Manley and his partners opted to focus on the American staple.

Instead of thick burgers with more toppings than a frozen yogurt shop, the trio decided to keep things simple. Customers can order the signature ACE Burger — two thin patties, American cheese, onions, pickles, and comeback sauce — or build their own. Judging by the number of people shuffling out the door with brown bags of burgers in their arms, the “less is more” approach was the right call.