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Slater’s 50/50 has been upfront about being over-the-top since Scott Slater and Chef Brad Lyons opened the first in Anaheim Hills, Calif., in 2009. Known for its 50/50 burger patty made from equal parts ground beef and ground bacon and for its 100 beer taps, Slater’s 50/50 is nationally recognized for its creative Burgers of [...]

If it’s May 1 it’s the beginning of National Burger Month, a holiday I view much as I imagine most Irish pubs think of St. Patrick’s Day. It’s always burger month at BurgerBusiness.com. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few good burger ideas floating among the festivities. Independent burger bars’ ideas will be covered [...]

The list of major burger-restaurant that don’t advertise on TV is short. It used to include Ted’s Montana Grill, the 44-unit, Atlanta-based casual-dining concept but the chain, which opened its first restaurant in 2002, now has filmed its first TV spot for use in selected markets. The 30-second spot mixes a bit of cowboy swagger, [...]

Ruby Tuesday has taken off its ill-fitting suit, put its jeans back on and is ordering a cold one and a burger. James J. “JJ” Buettgen, named president-CEO of Maryville, Tenn.-based Ruby Tuesday last November, told analysts he is continuing to dismantle the efforts by his predecessor—Founder Sandy Beall, who retired after 40 years at [...]

This is Australia’s year to get McDonald’s promotions it’s previously been denied, apparently. It’s just finishing its first exposure to that McMarketing chestnut, the Monopoly game-piece promotion. No sooner will consumers find out who won the grand-prize Kia than will McDonald’s kick off one of its other global favorite sales-building tools, the America-themed menu. Sources [...]

While many others are exploring the synergies between burgers and craft beers, Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar already has jumped ahead a step. The Briad Group this week opens its third Zinburger, a 5,300-square-foot restaurant at Towne Plaza at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, N.J., proving that a concept that seemed a little out [...]

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers announced positive results for 2012’s Q4, including a 1.4% same-store sales increase (1.1% of which came from check increase). It also provided an update on its ongoing efforts to make the chain more appealing to adults dining without children. This includes a shift this year to serving its burgers on china [...]

Luby’s Inc., which purchased burger chain Fuddruckers two years ago, came back for seconds this week, announcing it will acquire the 23-unit Cheeseburger in Paradise chain. Houston based Luby’s will pay $11 million plus “customary reimbursements for cash-on-hand, inventory, and accounts receivable offset by liabilities assumed at closing.” Prior-year revenues for those Cheeseburger in Paradise [...]

Well, well. McDonald’s will begin selling bagged ground coffee under the McCafé brand at the majority its 1,400 restaurants in Canada beginning g Nov. 8. This comes just weeks after BurgerBusiness.com’s exclusive report that McDonald’s had trademarked its name for ground/whole-bean coffee. Our inquiry to McDonald’s was dismissed with, “We register a lot of trademarks. [...]

Seeking to remake its floundering Mimi’s Café chain, parent Bob Evans Farms is testing a new prototype that is simultaneously French and American, upscale and budget-friendly. And there are burgers. The chain’s Valencia, Calif., location is the first of three Mimi’s to receive a brand makeover (ostentatiously dubbed by the company the “French Revolution“) that [...]

A consultant likely would have told Rivers Corbett and Ray Henry in 2010 that the fast-casual burger segment was already overloaded and they should look elsewhere. Opening a burger restaurant in January in Fredericton, New Brunswick, probably weren’t optimal choices on paper either. But Henry and Corbett believed in their concept, Relish Gourmet Burgers, bucked [...]

Three years ago, Denny’s gave a name to the trend to improved burger quality when it added its line of “burger-joint inspired” Better Burgers. Now it’s giving the customization craze its due by introducing limited-time “Build Your Own” programs for both burgers and milk shakes. The promotion gives diners their choice of beef, grilled chicken [...]

What happens when you follow conventional wisdom but your customers don’t? When Everest Burger opened a year ago in Glencoe, Ill., an affluent northern Chicago suburb, it had all the 21st-century burger-restaurant earmarks: upscale grass-fed-beef specialty burgers and a fast-casual service model. Owners Mark and Margarita Challenger weren’t novices: They own the successful Guanajuato Mexican [...]

When the good news is that quick-service restaurants’ customer counts are flat, you know times are tough. But that’s how it is with the report issued today by researcher The NPD Group. Despite all the ballyhooed “social media” that consultants have pushed operators to use, despite Groupon and other daily-deal channels and in spite of [...]

From the opening shot of a McDonald’s restaurant (followed by restaurant interiors), it’s clear who’s paying the bills for “The Originals,” a made-for-the web series now showing on Facebook and YouTube. Created for McDonald’s Canada (which promotes it via Twitter), the series follows two young guys, Jason and Bryce, who are preparing to pitch an [...]