After Last Call: Savannah’s Late – Night Savior

April 9, 2025

It’s 3:12 AM in Savannah, On the tail end of River Street, the bars have spilled out their last songs and sinners. Neon’s beginning to flicker tired, and somewhere in the historic district, the ghosts are rolling over for a second nap. But at Bandana Burgers, the grill is still hot, the fryers are still crackling, and the city’s late-nighters have one last sanctuary.

You don’t just stumble into Bandana Burgers at 4 in the morning. You arrive there because you’re hungry — not just for food, but for some kind of comfort, the kind that only comes wrapped in a bandana.

“Monday through Wednesday, we’re open till 3am. Thursday through Saturday, we’re open till 5am,” says William LaFlower, the man behind the madness. “We want to give the great city of Savannah an option to eat, because most places let you drink until about one to three — and you can’t eat past 3am.”

It’s not just a business decision. It’s a civic service.

Walk in after hours and you’ll find a surreal cross-section of Savannah society. Third-shift hospital workers from Memorial and Candler still in scrubs, bleary-eyed bartenders, Uber drivers between rides, SCAD kids up all night working on their projects. Bandana is the unofficial town square of the early AM.

Burger of Bandana Burger

“We get a lot of folks from the hospitals,” William tells me. “We’ve got the third shift workers coming in here, and of course, the folks downtown that are having a good time and want something to eat. Also those that are working until 3, 3:30, 4am — they’ve got an option now when they come in or when they go home.”

And what an option it is.

And it’s not just a late night hours that are options. Burgers — Chicken. Turkey. Salmon with shrimp and crab on top, because why the hell not? Wings, dripping in housemade sauces. And the fries — five glorious kinds of fries. “Crinkle, curly, sweet potato, waffle, side Winders,” William lists off, practically chanting. “And smiley fries.”

Yes, smiley fries. At 4am. There’s something poetic about that.

But Bandana Burgers isn’t just a quirky food spot. It’s a kind of statement. A flag in the ground. A counterpoint to the beige predictability of chain restaurants and curated “experiences.”

“A lot of people think we’re a chain,” William says, almost amused. “But we are local. We’re just here for the community. We want to be able to give all the options.”

Their slogan says it all: Good in every hood.

Burger of Bandana Burger

William Laflower, owner of Bandana Burgers

“What that means is we bring the lions and the lambs to the table together to eat,” he explains. “We have options for a carnivore, a herbivore, and an omnivore.”

There’s an ethos here — more than just meat and sauces. Bandana’s got soul. It’s that stubborn kind of hospitality you only find in the South, but stripped of pretense. No white linens. No TikTok aesthetic. Just a place that feeds you when the world outside is spinning a little too fast.

I ask him what I forgot to ask — what needs to be said that hasn’t been. William doesn’t hesitate.

“We’re local. We’re here for the people.”

That’s it, really. That’s the whole point.

Burger of Bandana Burger