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Why restaurants are singing 'Ode to the Hamburger'

All around the country, restaurants are paying tribute to that all-American mainstay — the hamburger.

May 17, 2016 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Which of the following is really part of this year's National Burger Month celebrations?

1. A burger offering made entirely of crickets and cicadas?
2. A burger named aftter NBA star Boban Marjanovic?
3. A competitive coloring event for adults only?

If you opted for No. 1, please stop reading about insect-sourced protein foods and return to reality.

If, however, you said No. 2 and No. 3, congratulations — you are really up on burger trivia. Then again, there may be no more truly American dish than this amalgam of meat on a bun. It's little wonder then, that restaurants of all ilk are going a little ga-ga over celebrating that May is National Burger month.  And here are some of the creative ways they're doing it:

• Burgers with a basketball theme in Texas:

Well, it's kind of after-the-fact now, but Everybody Loves Raymond's chain in the Lone Star State pinned its Burger Month festivities on hopes that the Spurs would ... well, actually win the play-offs. In fact, the chain created a six-patty monster sandwich called The Boban to pay tribute to Spurs 7-foot-3 stand-out, Boban Marjanovic. Apparently though, a sandwich — no matter how colossal, does not a title make.

• Special burger saluting summer:

Smashburger is paying tribute to this month o' the burger with a new sandwich that packs a little kick in the pants. The chain's new summer-time signature sandwich, the Spicy Cowboy, kicks off those lazy, hazy days with a little kick back.  

• One burger, two burger, Red burger, Blue burger:

Whataburger celebrates National Burger Month with a coloring contest only for adults that rewards the individual who, we presume, stays inside the lines the best with $2,500. (Now, that will buy some very nice Crayolas!) In fact, the chain got so into this that it contracted a San Antonio-based company to create specially themed coloring pages for the contest. The sheets do double-duty as promotional tools by portraying nostalgic Whataburger scenes like a classic drive-in, the original Whataburger, and a rendition of the chain's flagship Corpus Christi

"National Burger Month is a great time to engage our fans in new, fun ways," said Whataburger Vice President of Communications Pam Cox. "We like to think there is an art to creating a Whataburger, and we've seen some amazing Whataburger-themed artwork over the years, so we're excited to see what our fans come up with this year."

How is your brand celebrating Burger Month? Leave your comments below. 

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.