North Richland Hills, this one is small on purpose.
Smalls Sliders is bringing its tiny-burger, big-flavor formula to North Richland Hills, with a new drive-thru planned at 6051 Precinct Line Road. But before anybody pictures another standard fast-food box, Smalls has a much stranger—and more interesting—way of building restaurants.
They don’t call the restaurant a restaurant. They call it a Can.
The bright orange Smalls Sliders building is known as the Can. It is a compact, modular drive-thru concept designed around a deliberately simple operation: cook sliders, fries and shakes quickly without building a giant dining room around them.
The design is part branding and part construction strategy. Smalls uses prefabricated modular components so much of the building can be produced away from the restaurant site and assembled faster than a conventional ground-up restaurant. The result is a recognizable orange Can with a small footprint, drive-thru lanes and walk-up service.
North Richland Hills makes the idea especially easy to see. The planned restaurant is only 796 square feet. For comparison, plenty of suburban fast-food restaurants are several times that size. Smalls does not need much room because there is no traditional dining room to fill.
The menu is almost as compact as the building
Smalls does not try to be everything to everybody. The star is the cheeseburger slider: a seasoned beef patty topped with melted American cheese, pickle and the brand’s signature Smauce on a toasted bun. Order them individually or stack up a combo when one tiny burger clearly isn’t going to cut it.
Then come the seasoned waffle fries. Dip them in Smauce, pair them with the sliders, and suddenly the restaurant’s intentionally short menu starts making a lot of sense.
For dessert—or because apparently sliders and fries weren’t enough—Smalls also serves hand-spun shakes in flavors including vanilla, chocolate and cookies & cream.
From one Louisiana Can to a fast-growing slider brand
Smalls Sliders was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and opened its first Can in 2019. The idea was intentionally uncomplicated: make cheeseburger sliders really well, keep the menu focused and serve them from a building people remember.
The concept caught on. Former NFL quarterback Drew Brees became an investor, and Smalls has pushed an aggressive franchise expansion across the South and beyond. The orange Can became as important to the brand identity as the sliders themselves.
A little construction talk—because that’s why we’re here
The North Richland Hills Can is planned as a new drive-thru-only modular restaurant. Construction carries an estimated $1.25 million cost, with work currently scheduled from September 2026 through February 2027.
But the interesting number is still 796 square feet. Smalls is betting it can satisfy a whole lot of burger cravings from a building smaller than some Texas houses.
And once that bright orange Can lands on Precinct Line Road, it probably won’t be hard to spot.