The lineup at Urban Stack Burger Lounge, Chattanooga, Tenn.

That American Craft Beer Week (May 13-19) falls within National Burger Month is only fitting: the synergy between craft beers and craft burgers has helped both these businesses grow rapidly in the past decade. In his BurgerBusiness.com interview earlier this week, Slater’s 50/50 Co-founder Scott Slater said, “I attribute much of my success to craft beers. Four years ago, craft beer was just starting, as were better burgers.” The two have grown up together.

The Brewers Association estimates that craft beer sales totaled $10.2 billion in 2012, up from $8.7 billion in 2011. Researcher Mintel puts 2012 sales at $12 billion, double the $5.7 billion it estimates in 2007. And Mintel forecasts continued growth, expecting craft-beer sales to total $18 billion 2017.

The fastest growing segment? Hard cider, which Technomic says grew by 31.3% in 2011.

Milwaukee Burger Company

Even if craft beers’ contribution to restaurants and taverns is just the 54% of beer sales that the Beer Institute says go to on-premise accounts, that’s $5.7 billion in 2012 coming from craft beers at a time when restaurant customer traffic is flat. The overall U.S. beer market grew by 1% in 2012, the Beer Institute estimates. The beer industry relied on craft beers for growth the same way the restaurant industry needed breakfast gains to offset flat sales later in the day.

Bareburger, New York City

The largest craft breweries? The Brewers Association top 50 list begins with Boston Beer Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing Co, The Gambrinus Co. (Shiner and Bridgeport) and Deschutes Brewery. Tellingly, these five are in five different states. California leads with 268 craft breweries; Washington is next with 136. In total 2,347 craft breweries operated for at least part of 2012, comprised of 1,132 brewpubs, 1,118 microbreweries and 97 regional craft breweries.

Who’s drinking craft beers? Your youngest legal-age drinkers. Mintel says craft beers find favor with 49% of Millennials, 40% of GenX, 29% of baby boomers and 22% of the WWII generation. Millennials are also more likely to prefer a domestic craft beer over an import that are GenXers 10 years their senior. Taste shift quickly.

Have a chalkboard or table tents? Mintel says 45% of craft-beer drinkers say they would try more craft beers if they knew more about them.

Still haven’t crafted a craft-beer menu? It’s never too late and Technomic’s Christine LaFave Grace offers six good pointers on the researcher’s site.

The Hungarian version, with grilled pork.

McDonald’s new Premium McWrap is more than a new menu item, it is, in restaurant parlance, a new “platform,” meaning different varieties can be added. Part of its appeal is that almost anything can be rolled in a flour tortilla and added as a McWrap LTO without requiring major crew retraining. The first three varieties are Chicken Ranch, Sweet Chili Chicken and Chicken Ranch. What will it try next?

In Canada, where the product is branded Signature McWrap, the initial line includes a Fiesta Chicken wrap with grilled or crispy chicken, shredded cheese, lettuce, tri-color tortilla strips, tomato salsa and mayo.

In Belgium, Tzatziki McWrap is chicken.

But if McDonald’s really wants to keep to its stated intention of importing global flavors, it could try the Tzatziki McWrap. Interestingly, McDonald’s this month has begun offering three different versions of the product, all featuring the Greek-style yogurt sauce.

In Hungary the Tzatziki McWrap has grilled pork, “Mediterranean cheese,” red onion and bell pepper with tzatziki. In Sweden the Tzatziki McWrap is seasoned ground beef, lettuce, fresh cucumber, red onion rings, cheese and tzatziki. Want it in chicken? The version now offered at McDonald’s in Belgium wraps crispy chicken, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, fried onion and tzatziki in the tortilla. Any of these could work.

There’s no indication McDonald’s has plans to bring the Tzatziki McWrap to the U.S., but there’s also no reason it couldn’t or shouldn’t. McDonald’s likes Mediterranean flavors. In July it offered a Mediterranean Chicken Snack Wrap with feta cheese in Canada. It also has tried Thai Shrimp and Chili Beef McWraps in Austria and an Omelette Wrap in Germany. After all, what good is a platform if you can’t try new things?

So what bar were you in when you had the epiphany that a 50/50 beef/bacon burger would work?
Actually I was tailgating at a San Diego Chargers game and the conversation was about bacon being the best thing you can put on your tongue. I was a little hung-over, and what’s better when you’re hung-over than bacon and a burger? When you’re tailgating, it’s early in the morning but you’ve got a grill so I asked a butcher to make up 50/50 bacon/burger patties.

Slater’s 50/50′s current Burger of the Month, The Buffalo Buffalo Burger.

This was before the first Slater’s?
Oh yeah. That was in college.

So you carried around this wild idea for a while. And then you had another crazy idea: Get into the competitive burger restaurant business.
That was four years ago. The “better burger” business as we know it now was just coming together. The Counter was still new. I wanted an idea that wouldn’t go out of style and burgers, bacon and beer will always be popular.

But really there’s always been “better burgers.” Before me the Islands, Red Robins and Ruby’s Diners were the better burgers. The restaurant business always tries to continuously do things better. I consider Slater’s to be part of a new generation of burger concepts with better food, better service and better techniques that are coming through. In 10 years there’ll be another revolution probably and I’ll want to be part of it.

Right now we’re just trying to take burgers, bacon and beer to the next level and I’m good with that.

Slater’s has earned notoriety for out-there burgers. There’s your B’ B’ B’ Bacon Burger that’s 100% ground bacon, the Peanut Butter and Jellousy Burger and others. Did you strive to be ahead of the curve from the start?
As a consumer, when I go out to eat I’ll look for the most cockamamie thing on the menu and order it. One, I’m curious, but also if a chef is going to put something really daring on the menu, I figure it’s going to be really good or he wouldn’t dare do it. That’s the mindset for Slater’s 50/50.

We’re creating new burgers every month. Brad Lyons and I are trying po’boys, elk burgers, Filipino pork bellies, whatever we can get hold of. We’re always looking for ideas.

Which of all of them was least well received?
I can’t think of one that was really terrible. I had a recent item that I’m forced to change, although I don’t agree with my customers on it. It was a jalapeňo mac and cheese with a beer cheese. We used Avery Ellie’s Brown Ale for the cheese. It adds a bitter flavor but it’s supposed to. It’s beer cheese. But our customers seem to have expected a smoother, less bitter flavor so that’s one of the most returned items on the menu. The beer geeks and I love it, but the guests want it to be different so we’re changing it.

Give me a sense of the ideation process for new burgers that you and Brad use.
I wish I had a nice concise systematic plan I could wow you with but I just don’t. We’re constantly looking to innovate out of sheer enjoyment of new things. Maybe I’ll hear something or read something about what another burger place is doing and that’ll be the start.

Scott Slater

Our current Burger of the Month is the Buffalo Buffalo Burger and I don’t even remember how that came about. I think I was saying we should do a buffalo burger and Brad said we’ve already done one. So it was, well, how can we do it differently, better, for a new one? How about Buffalo Buffalo? So it’s a bison burger with all the Buffalo hot wings flavors [shredded celery and carrots topped with spicy Buffalo-sauce-infused sharp Cheddar, grilled onions and jalapeño with house-made buttermilk ranch and hot-sauce dressing].

The process is organic. We don’t go on formal restaurant tours or set out to encounter ideas. We’re just both curious by nature so it happens organically. The ideas are there.

You mentioned elk and bison. Are you emphasizing exotic meats?
Not really. We’re going to keep it simple on our set menu. We already have seven proteins available. I don’t want to add more and I can’t imagine taking any off. So where we’ll possible use other exotics is with the Burger of the Month.

Has the menu changed much over four years?
The concept’s the same; there’s haven’t been any substantial changes. Every six to eight months we roll out a new menu. Two, three or maybe four items are taken off to make room for something new to keep it fresh. Sometimes Brad will come up with a Burger of the Month that’s so good we just have to keep it on.

But we’re always trying to keep up on trends and what people want. Right now we’re adding a kale and quinoa salad to our next menu because that’s hot and I’m a big fan of both. We’re active on social media, too, to keep tuned in to what our guests say and want and enjoy.

You’re about to open your sixth location in four years. That’s moving fast. Do you feel in control of the expansion?
Really, so in control that I almost feel bored. I have a Construction Team taking care of Rancho Cucamonga. I have an Opening & Training Team taking care of hiring and a great Operations Team overseeing all the other locations. So I walk into a restaurant now and it’s like, so what’s next?

Slater’s 50/50′s Peanut Butter & Jellousy Burger.

I wouldn’t be expanding if it weren’t that way. I halted our expansion for a year after we opened San Diego [in 2011] because I wasn’t happy with my operations. I really dug in and made sure our three stores were operating at consistent levels. Not until we reached those levels was I comfortable with our expanding to Pasadena and then Lake Forest and now Rancho Cucamonga.

And we’ll continue to do it that way. After this wave of openings, if I’m not happy with how things are, I’ll have no hesitation stopping again. I’ll never dilute my brand. That’s why I won’t franchise.

Not now or not ever?
My concept is not franchisable. The menu’s too unique and difficult. Like me! I’m not the guy to work with franchisees. I’m way too entrepreneurial and too wacky.

Does that mean that Slater’s 50/50 will stay a regional brand?
Oh no. I’m planning on going nationwide. Just not through franchising. No one else will be running a Slater’s 50/50.

Is it more the concept or your refusal to cede control?
As I say, the concept’s too complex for other people to run. We’re casual dining and there really aren’t many casual-dining concepts that are franchisable. A Subway is pretty cut and dried: Here’s the meat; here’s the cheese; there’s the register. One plus one equals two.

But we’re using fresh product, local product, and there are a million ways to do our burgers. Each of our restaurants has 100 beer taps and the beer choices are constantly rotating. You can’t have other people making those decisions.

The rise of craft beers transformed the burger business. What has it meant to Slater’s?
It’s incredible. I attribute much of my success to craft beers. Four years ago, craft beer was just starting, as were better burgers. We were one of four or five restaurants in Orange County doing craft beers. Because we were in early, now when breweries come up with small batch beers, we’re at the top of the list.

Pittsburgh Pastrami is one of Slater’s 50/50′s non-burger specialties.

We have a corporate “beer monger” now. His job is to visit each of our restaurants to make sure that our lists are current, our beer lines are clean, and our glassware is clean and to ensure a good variety on tap.

So it’s not just a big part of the business, it’s a big part of our personality.

How carefully do you try to watch your food/beer balance?
You pay attention to that, yes. The Anaheim store is 65:35 food to beer but the rest are 70:30. Anaheim has a bit more of a bar crowd. But the ratio’s been consistent; we’re a casual-dining restaurant.

Hey, but if the tides change and guests want more booze, we can do that. I’m not one of those “chef-driven” restaurants that think, “It’s my way or the highway.” I’m adaptable. I want to give guests what they want.

So what do you think will be the next adjustment you’ll make in the concept?
I really don’t know. There seem to be a lot of new concepts opening with the design-your-own-burger idea that we do and I don’t know how long that will be fresh. Maybe we’ll just be adding more of the outlandish Burgers of the Month to the menu and focusing on that. I don’t see that happening, but off the top of my head that’s what I think.

But you won’t move your focus away from burgers, right?
No, but we’ve never been just burgers. Our specialties include our Pittsburgh Pastrami Sandwich and Fried Chicken & Pancakes. We have Irish Quesadillas with mashed potato and our Famous Bacon Brownies. Burgers are a major portion but just part. But Slater’s 50/50 isn’t moving away from that. If I want pizza, I’ll go open a pizza place.

Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork and Sweet Potato Fries will be among items returning to Burger King’s menu. They’ll bring a new Rib Sandwich along with them.

Sweet Potato Fries also return from last year’s first “Summer Menu,” and chain sources say Burger King will introduce a BBQ Salad with chicken that is a new product. The Texas BBQ Whopper/Chicken sandwiches from last summer’s menu were not asked back this year. A Burger King spokesperson would not comment on the summer LTO lineup.

McRib first appeared on the McDonald’s menu as a limited-time offer in 1981. It was offered in the U.S. back in December. Since its creation, it has reappeared irregularly while building a very loyal fan base (see @McRibWatch on Twitter) that clamors for it to be offered permanently. Its popularity is global. McDonald’s stores in Austria last year introduced a deep-fried-patty version called McRibster. And Australian consumers cheered when the Atlanta Pork McRib arrived there last summer as part of a special Summer Olympics menu.

During those 32 years, no other QSR has developed a serious competitor for McRib. In May 2010, Burger King rolled out Fire-Grilled Ribs, bone-in ribs with barbecue sauce. Despite a steep price—an 8-piece meal was $9 or more in some markets—the product sold well, according to the chain. It has not been repeated, however. But Burger King, with its open-flame grills, is well positioned to create a boneless BBQ rib product that could give McRib some competition. Details of Burger King’s summer menu will be released later this week.

Can you explain the company’s thinking in removing Angus Third Pounders?
Greg Watson: Really, this is about the Quarter Pounder brand. We are bringing news to our core menu items and this is one of them. We think we have a way to bring great burger news to a brand that has been around for over 40 years [introduced nationally in 1972].

Two of the new Quarter Pounders are Angus builds. The third (in front) is the Habanero Ranch, a new Quarter Pounder flavor.

That’s why we’re taking some of the more popular recipes from the Angus line and bringing them over under the Quarter Pounder brand. That’s why we’re taking Angus out of the restaurants.

There were three Angus varieties. Will there be three new Quarter Pounder recipes?
There will be three new Quarter Pounder varieties but with a bit of a difference. We’re going to take most popular builds from the Angus line—the Deluxe [American cheese, tomato, fresh leaf lettuce, red onion, crinkle-cut pickles, mayo and mustard] and the Bacon & Cheese [American cheese, bacon, red onion, crinkle-cut pickles, ketchup and mustard]—and put them on the Quarter Pounder brand. We’ll create a third, new flavor—Habanero Ranch [with white Cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and habanero ranch sauce when tested]—that will round out the entire Quarter Pounder line. The three new flavors will be served on bakery-style buns.

McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson speaks often of your global pantry of menu ideas that travel well from market to market. Why not import totally new menu ideas to the American menu rather than enhance an existing core product?
We are leveraging our global pipeline quite a bit. Thus the successful introduction of the Premium McWrap that is in restaurants now. What we’re finding with the Quarter Pounder is that there already is a great love for the brand and this is a relatively easy way for us to bring more customers to it.

Are the new Quarter Pounders permanent menu items or limited-time only (LTO) offers?
These will all be permanent additions.

When was the last time McDonald’s added a new Quarter Pounder?
That’s just the point. We haven’t touched the Quarter Pounder since its inception 40 years ago. We think this is a great way to bring new news to the brand.

Greg Watson, McDonald’s USA SVP-Menu Innovation Team

 How soon will the new Quarter Pounders be on the menu?
They will show up in late May or early June. I want to add that we are bringing a great new bacon into our restaurants. It’s new thick-cut, applewood-smoked bacon that will be on a couple of the Quarter Pounder builds [Bacon & Cheese and Habanero Ranch], which makes for a great eating experience.

This thick-cut bacon is not currently used on any item?
No, it’s not. It’s rolling into our restaurants any day now.

Will it appear on other products as well, such as breakfast and entrées?
It will be added to all our items that currently have bacon.

How much was the decision to enhance Quarter Pounders at the expense of Angus burgers based on a need to have more mid-price menu items?
Price really wasn’t a factor in the decision. We believe that we have a hit on our hands by taking this great Quarter Pounder icon and bringing news to it. And let me emphasize that we are not touching the original Quarter Pounder and Quarter Pounder with Cheese. They will stay just as they are.

Is this the first time McDonald’s has offered habanero on the menu?
No. We’ve had habanero in LTO dipping sauces. We find that customers really like that flavor profile so we’re bringing it to the menu permanently.

We’ll see national advertising support behind the new Quarter Pounders, I assume.
Yes, advertising will begin in mid June.

You’ve added a number of items in the past year, including McWrap, Egg White Delight, Chicken and Fish McBites and so on. Were you at a point where you thought the menu was getting too large for crew to handle or consumers to choose from?
We have added quite a few items to the menu but we’ve also removed a few items. We’re always making sure we’re doing the best for crew and customers. We know we can’t keep adding things infinitely without also taking things away.

Are there other items on the menu that you expect to remove this year?
There are a few items that we talk about and keep a close eye on. It depends on how they perform. And when we don’t feel we can sustain a quality experience we’ll remove them. It’s hard to identify in advance what those items are.

Might some of those items be on the breakfast menu?
It could be. I won’t say for sure. We’re looking at the entire menu, but I’ll point out that we are swapping out the Wild Berry Smoothie with the introduction of our Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie.

When you’re evaluating potential new menu items, I assume that taste is your top criterion. But how do you rank menu price, ease of execution and nutrition?
It’s a great question and I have to say they’re all important. We look at four key areas when we decide if a product is going to make it to our restaurants. First we want to be sure it’s going to please our customers; that’s certainly a major driver. And value is a part of that: We want customers to say that an item is a good value. We need it to be operationally friendly so that our crews will be able to give our customers a great experience. We also want to make sure we can supply the product: We work with our supply team so we can be sure we can keep the product in stock. Finally we look at the financials. We want to make sure it will be a profitable venture for our operators as well as the company.

The burger concept is being more closely aligned with its parent, the 31-unit Shula’s steakhouse chain with which consumers may be familiar. Shula Burger’s website proclaims, “If you love our steaks, you will flip for our burgers.”

“We’re carving out a niche for ourselves as ‘fast casual plus,’” Shula Burger President Scott Nietschmann says. “We’ve taken things we’ve learned from the steakhouses and applied them to fast casual, just with different pricing. With everything we do, we take it a step above what you would normally see in fast casual. We brand our buns to give our burgers a distinctive look. Food is served on plates, salads in bowls; there’s real silverware. Cooks wear chef coats not t-shirts, which shows how serious we are about our food.”

Burgers dominate the menu and made with a blend of Certified Angus Beef along with short rib, brisket and chuck. The menu has nine standard burgers plus one slot for a regional choice. The signature Shula Burger is simply topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. A nod to the coach is The Don, combining a beef patty and a hot dog topped with pickle, onion sauce American cheese and yellow mustard on a brioche bun. The chain also has begun creating a Burger of the Month, which for May is the Three Little Pigs (beef patty topped with ham, bacon and pulled pork). VP-Operations/Head Chef Peter Farrand oversees culinary matters.

A build-your-own-burger option is offered but Nietschmann says 80% of burger orders are for the signature choices.

The flagship Shula Burger

The concept’s average check is roughly $10 at lunch and $11 to $14 at dinner. Six craft beers and a wine selection chosen by the Shula organization’s sommelier are available. Alcoholic beverages account for a small percentage of sales and Nietschmann is fine with that. “We want to offer quality beer and wine choices but we’re not really a bar concept,” he says. Still he says Shula Burger is considering instituting a “happy hour” program to draw more people during the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. hours.

Shula Burger will be tracking sales results for the franchised unit opening in Delray Beach, Fla., to provide metrics for future franchisees. “We’ll likely begin [franchising] in the Southeast since the Shula name is strongest here,” Nietschmann says. “But by no means is this a regional chain.” Markets where Shula’s steakhouses operates—including Atlanta, Chicago, New York City’s Times Square and Phoenix—will be considered.

Two of the four Shula Burger units open are in airports and more nontraditional sites are possible. “We’ll look at all opportunities,” he says. “This is a great concept that fits many venues.”

McDonald’s has opted to drop the Angus Third Pounder burgers from its menu after a four-year run and a three-month deliberation. Rumors that the premium burger line was in danger circulated in February, when McDonald’s eliminated Chicken Selects and an apple-walnut salad. At that time, however, the chain would say only that it was “reviewing options” for Angus Third Pounders. Now its fate is known.

The Angus Third Pounder Bacon & Cheese was McDonald’s first item to have full slices of bacon.

Multiple McDonald’s units confirmed that they have discontinued the Angus line and say it is a national shift. At press time, McDonald’s Corp. had not responded to a request for comment. Several operators told BurgerBusiness.com that the chain intends to expand the core Quarter Pounder line, including a QPC with Bacon.

That McDonald’s chose to pull Angus burgers—which sold for about $4.49 in most markets—in favor of lower-price Quarter Pounders might reflect quick-service restaurant consumers’ price sensitivity. McDonald’s U.S. sales were down 1.2% in the first quarter due to what it called a “challenging eating out environment.” This week it announced that April sales were up just 0.7% in the U.S.

When Angus Third Pounders were introduced nationally at McDonald’s in July 2009 they were the chain’s first new burger since the Big N’ Tasty made its debut in 2001. The Angus burgers were McDonald’s first item to have full slices of bacon and red-onion rings. Southern California franchisee Mike Pernecky had lobbied the chain to add a burger bigger than the Quarter Pounder and he worked with the corporate culinary team to develop the Angus burgers, introduced in Deluxe, Bacon & Cheese and Mushroom & Swiss styles.

In Argentina, McDonald’s Angus line is double-patty burgers.

McDonald’s has tried several variations of the Angus Third Pounder in recent years. In 2011, the third-pound patty was used in the briefly tested English Pub Burger. A year later, McDonald’s tested a Clubhouse Angus with “smoky Dijon” mustard sauce, grilled onions, hickory-smoked bacon, white Cheddar and American cheeses and steak sauce. Last October, the CBO (Cheddar Bacon Onion) rolled out nationally. It had the Angus third-pound patty plus mustard sauce, hickory-smoked bacon, caramelized onion and white Cheddar.

Angus burgers remain popular at McDonald’s in several overseas markets, In Australia, the chain recently removed most of its upscale “M Selections” menu but kept the Grand Angus and Mighty Angus burgers for now. In Argentina, the Angus Premium line is all double-patty burgers.

A Wendy’s “Image Activation” restaurant

Just when Wendy’s thought it was done with its 99¢ Value Menu, like Michael Corleone trying to leave the Mafia it’s being pulled back in.

Wendy’s President CEO Emil Brolick told analysts today that Wendy’s has had to readjust its marketing calendar for the second half of 2013 to give more and continuous support to the bottom end of its menu-price spectrum to balance higher-end products. In January, Wendy’s dropped its “My 99¢ Value Menu” because franchisees weren’t all discounting the same items and didn’t like the slim profits of 99¢ foods. Instead, the chain instituted the new “Right Price, Right Size” menu with six items at 99¢ and eight priced from $1.19 to $1.99.

When ad support for the Right Price, Right Size menu stopped, sales dipped.

In announcing a same-store sales gain of just 1% for company stores and 0.6% for franchised units during 2013’s first quarter, Brolick explained that Wendy’s share of value-hungry 99¢ diners—whom he said account for 20% of QSR customers—by moving away from promoting the “Right Price” menu after its introduction. The new marketing strategy, he said, will be “to put more emphasis upon the pure 99¢ portion” of the new menu. “This core group of 99¢ price shoppers [are] heavy users often of quick-serve restaurants, and you need to continually remind them that you have products available for them every day just because their economic situation necessitates that price point,” Brolick said.

Wendy’s will continue to develop and promote high-end menu items like the recently introduced Flatbread Grilled Chicken sandwiches, Brolick said, but will balance that with a steady stream of value messages and products (including upcoming Frosty Cones).

The chain reaffirmed its goal of reimaging 200 stores this year (compared with 48 in 2012) and having 20% of its system remodeled by 2015. Previous reimagings have been on Tier 1 or flagship stores. Now the program is expanding into Tier 2 and Tier 3 units. Last month the chain opened its first reimaged Tier 2 unit in Columbus, Ohio, and the first Tier 3 remodel in Orem, Utah. Costs for Tier 2 and Tier 3 redos has been “a bit above the target” investment of $550,000 and $375,000, respectively, said Brolick, but the chain has a “line of sight on how to get to those” targets.

A deal with GE Capital that CFO Steve Hare called “an early adopter financing program” will provide credit support for franchisees who want to upgrade their restaurants. Over the next three years, Wendy’s will invest $440 million to $500 million (including $145 million this year) in its Image Activation initiative.

Burger-topped Bloody Bombers

→ “Secret menus” are a boring, overdone topic but this one’s interesting: At Atlanta’s Diesel Filling Station, the “Just What the Doctor Ordered” burger is available but isn’t on the menu. It’s named for a doctor from the nearby Centers for Disease Control who drops in regularly and requests his burger topped with pepper-Jack cheese, bacon and fresh jalapeňos. It can be requested as a beef or turkey burger.

→ Considering adding or improving the brunch menu? AJ Bombers locations in Milwaukee and Madison, Wis., feature a Bloody Bomber. That’s a Bloody Mary garnished with lemon, lime, olive, pickle and an AJ Burger strip with Muenster cheese and bacon.

→ Jalapeňos show up everywhere now but not often as dessert. Freakin’ Unbelievable Burgers in Flint, Mich., has created Frozen Jalapeňo Custard, a mix of frozen custard with Cholula hot sauce, diced jalapeňo and house-made cinnamon fried wontons.

→ When your restaurant’s name is Zombie Burger + Drink Lab, as is the case with a Des Moines, Iowa, joint, you can get away with a lot. Even creating something called Dead + Breakfast. That would be a burger patty and a house-made breakfast sausage patty topped with a fried egg and sausage gravy, bacon and American cheese on a biscuit bun. The house recommends pairing it with their Coffee Cake Shake and who’s to argue?

Zombie Burger’s Dead + Breakfast

→ Bookmark the Facebook page for Baldwin Street Burgerin Whitby, Ontario, because every day it features a special that will make you hungry. This one had me until the end: “A side of hand-made potato gnocchi with seared beef in a sautéed mushroom blanquette, fresh herbs and shaved Parmesan cheese. $6 as a combo with a canned soda.” I want to meet the person who would pair that dish with a Diet Dr. Pepper.

A&G’s Croqueta Burger

→ You say you want to bring global-cuisine influences to burgers? One of three new burgers Miami’s A&G Burger Joint has added for Burger Month is the Spanish-influenced Croqueta Burger. That’s an Angus beef patty with bocadito paste, American cheese, house-made ham croquetas and a fried egg on a toasted Cuban bun. Don’t tell me you had that on the menu already.

Crow Burger Kitchen’s Green Label

→ Everyone should pay as much attention and respect to veggies as Victory Burger in Oakland, Calif. The latest burger of the week is topped with grilled organic Chiogga beets, wilted pea sprouts, pickled red onions and an aïoli of fresh herbs. On the side: Fried Pickled Veggies (seasonal vegetables pickled in Southern-style bread-and-butter brine and then fried tempura-style). It’s $10.

→ Big Buns Gourmet Grill in Arlington, Va., is adding a new feature from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Build Your Own Breakfast Sandwich. Paired with a cup of organic, fair-trade coffee it’s $5. Smart.

→ Crow Burger Kitchen in Newport Beach, Calif., kicked off Burger Month with its Green Label Burger. That’s a ground-in-house patty of 100% Prime chuck topped with a side-order-sized pile of shoestring potatoes and—wait for it—bacon butter on a buttermilk bun. It’s $13.95 and I’d pay that in a heartbeat.

Flipdaddy’s Mint Julep Burger of the Month

Could there be a better way to acknowledge National Burger Month than to spotlight the remarkable culinary creativity that drives the burger business? Appropriately, the May Burger of the Month specials display a wide variety of influences. There’s Southern cuisine in Bobby Flay’s Pimiento Burger; there are two Mediterranean and one Caribbean burger on the list; Mexican ingredients appear in several burgers; one features North African Merguez spices. Cheese choices include Gruyère, white Cheddar, Brie, cotija, feta queso fresca and more.

Among the trend-forward burgers are Flipdaddy’s Mint Julep, a beef patty that’s a blend of brisket, short rib and chuck and that’s steeped in an ale reduction before grilling. Craft beers can be ingredients, too. Note, too, the liberal use of pepper-Jack cheese as spicy burgers gain popularity. For its burger, Freakin’ Unbelievable Burgers tries out habanero cream cheese while A&G Burger Joint concocts a Scotch bonnet mango salsa and jalapeño cream sauce for its Caribbean burger. Teddy’s Bigger Burgers in Hawaii grills green chiles to pair with pepper-jack on its Fiesta burger.

As always, there are great ideas here:

5 Star Burgers, multiple locations, Southwest

A&G Burger Joint’s Gladiator Burger has three half-pound burger patties.

The Mediterranean Burger ($10)
Harris Ranch beef burger topped with feta cheese, Greek mix and tzatziki on a toasted bun

A&G Burger Joint, Miami
The Gladiator
Three half-pound angus beef patties, four pieces of bacon, three slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a potato bun
Caribbean Burger
100% Angus beef rubbed with Caribbean spices, pepper-Jack cheese, Scotch bonnet mango salsa and jalapeño cream sauce on a potato bun; served and green plantain fries with a mojo aïoli

Blue Moon Burgers, Seattle
Nacho Momma Burger
We start with a freshly toasted Brioche Bun spread thick with our own Cilantro Lime Mayo and add a perfectly grilled third-pound premium beef patty seasoned with our own house-made taco seasoning. Then we pour on our own Green Chili Nacho Cheese Sauce, top it with pico de gallo and crown it off with a layer of crunchy tortilla straws to give this burger a little crunch

Bobby’s Burger Palace, multiple locations
Stephanie’s All-American
American cheese, yellow mustard, pickled jalapeňo, shredded iceberg lettuce (named for his wife, actress Stephanie March)

BGR The Burger Joint, multiple locations
In Guac We Rock
Our burger topped with guacamole, crispy tortilla slivers, and a farm-fresh Beefsteak tomato

Burger 21, multiple locations

Blue Moon’s Nacho Momma

Gruyère Burger
We’ve topped our seasoned Certified Angus Beef with freshly seared asparagus, melted Gruyère cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, whole-grain honey mustard and an over-easy egg

Burger 55, Penicton, BC
The Eklectic Stag ($10.50)
An elk patty on the classic white bun topped with double-cream Brie cheese, red bell pepper, beet strings, lettuce and onion with Dijon mustard, mayo and MB blueberry BBQ sauce

Burger Bar Chicago, Chicago
Meatloaf Burger ($16)
Old-fashioned meatloaf flavored burger topped with a crispy mashed potato cake infused with peas and corn, American cheese, ketchup-Worcestershire glaze and home-style gravy

Burger Revolution, Belleville, ONT
The Grand Poobah!
Water Buffalo Patty, BBQ sauce, cheddar, pepper cheese, ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato and onion (Congrats to Dale Willicombe for naming the burger of the month.)

Crave, Castle Rock, Colo.

Burger Revolution’s Grand Poohbah Burger

Sin City Burger
Crispy fried white Cheddar (yes, that’s a giant slab of fried cheese), candied bacon, avocado, lettuce, bourbon onions, BBQ sauce and Heinz 57 all atop a Colorado Proud Crave ground chuck patty

DMK Burger Bar, Chicago
The O
A grass-fed beef burger with queso fresco, red-onion relish, avocado, tomato
and three-chili ketchup.

Deemer’s American Grill, Laguna Niguel Calif.
Mediterranean Burger
All-natural Angus beef, feta cheese, tomato, red onion-cucumber slaw, baby spinach, kalamata olive aïoli

Fat Guy’s Burger Bar, Tulsa, Okla.

Freakin’ Unbelievable Burger’s May Burger of the Month

Sweet Caroline
Beef patty topped with pulled pork, smoked Gouda, tangy BBQ sauce and sweet-and-spicy slaw
Hellboy Burger
Beef patty, hell broth, fried onions and jalapeňo, pepper-Jack cheese and avocado bacon ranch dressing

Flipdaddy’s, Cincinnati
The Mint Julep
Our proprietary beef blend of brisket, short rib, and chuck is steeped in a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale reduction sauce and grilled.  We top it with horseradish cheddar cheese, fried onion straws, and mint aïoli.  Paired with Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

Freakin’ Unbelievable Burgers, Flint, Mich.
El Freakin’ Habanero ($5.99)
Certified Angus beef patty, habanero cream cheese, refried beans, pico de gallo, blue corn tortilla chips, lettuce and tomato

Grill ‘Em All, Los Angeles
The Brujeria Burg (aka El Hijo Del Santo)
Chilaquiles Con Lengua Grill ‘Em All-style topped with Salsa Aguacate, cotija cheese and a fried egg with cream cheese and pickled jalapeño

Grub Burger Bar, College Station, Texas
Pizza Burger
Pepperoni, mozzarella and house-made tomato sauce

Halo Burger, Grand Blanc, Mich.
Fiesta Burger
Topped with tortilla strips, pepper-Jack cheese and guacamole

Jack’s Prime Burgers & Shakes, San Mateo, Calif.
El Primo ($11.95)
Niman Ranch beef patty topped with pepper-Jack cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, fried jalapeňo on an egg bun with romaine lettuce and mayo

Jake’s Wayback Burgers, multiple locations
The Cuban Burger
A double-patty burger topped with Cuban pulled pork, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles on an inverted grilled bun

Kuma’s Corner, Chicago

Kuma’s Corner’s Black Cobra Burger

The Black Cobra
A 10-oz. burger with white-wine tempura-fried green onion, pineapple aïoli, Black Forest ham, queso fresco and black bean and corn salsa

Milwaukee Burger Company, Eau Claire, Wis.
Taylor Balog’s “Breakfast in Bed”
Burger with bacon, Cheddar, blackberry jam, jalapeňo and an over-easy egg on grilled sourdough

My Burger, Minneapolis
Hawaii Five-1 Burger ($7.50)
Quarter-pound Angus patty topped with Swiss cheese, grilled pineapple, teriyaki sauce and Spam

The Nook, Saint Paul, Minn.
The Zeus Burger ($9.50)
Ground beef, lamb and herb patty stuffed with kalamata olives and feta cheese and topped with lettuce, tomato and tzatziki

The Oinkster, Los Angeles

The Oinkster salutes comic Marc Maron with “The Maron” burger.

“The Maron” Burger
Named for comic Marc Maron, the burger has a beef patty stuffed with chorizo queso fundido and put atop a bed of escabeche (house-made pickled onions, carrots and jalapeňo), lettuce and chipotle aïoli. It’s topped with New Mexico Green Chile Relish.

R.J. Grunt’s, Chicago
Chihuahua Burger
Ground chuck and sirloin patty topped with Chihuahua cheese, jalapeño cabbage slaw, pickled red onion, cilantro, and Cholula garlic aïoli

Romers Burger Bar, Vancouver, BC
Spicy Lamb Burger
Ground lamb with Merguez spices, hummus, pickled red onion,
goat cheese, arugula, vine ripe tomato and fresh cilantro

Shula Burger, multiple locations
Three Little Pigs
Burger topped ham, bacon and pulled pork

Slater’s 50/50, Southern California
The Buffalo Buffalo Burger
Seasoned ground bison nestled atop a bed of shredded celery and carrots topped with a spicy buffalo sauce-infused sharp cheddar cheese, grilled onions and jalapeño medley then smothered with a house made buttermilk ranch and Frank’s Red Hot dressing

Stack’d Burger Bar, Milwaukee

Slater’s 50/50 goes bison in May with The Buffalo Buffalo Burger.

Numero Uno
Our grass-fed burger piled high with roasted poblanos, chorizo, avocado and chipotle Jack cheese on a classic roll

Stout, Los Angeles
“Goombah” Burger
Parmesan flakes, smoked mozzarella, crispy prosciutto and lemon-basil aïoli

Stuft: A Burger Bar, Windsor, Colo.
Sweet ‘n Spicy Burger
Third-pound ground chuck patty with sweet ‘n spicy bacon, aged Cheddar, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato and pickles with chipotle ketchup

Teddy’s Bigger Burgers, Hawaii
Fiesta Burger
100% Ground Chuck, grilled green chiles, melted pepper-Jack cheese, green leaf lettuce, pickles, onions, avocado and tomato on a potato bun

(Want to see more photos of May’s Burger of the Month specials? Look for the Burger of the Month box on the right sidebar on the home page.)