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Now that “Top Chef” hostess Padma Lakshmi has landed a gig as slinky spokeswoman for Hardee’s Bacon Western Thickburger, it seems unfair for the show’s other judge, Gail Simmons, to be without an off-season burger deal. Toby Young, the Hobbit food critic who came across as a weird blend of Benjamin Button and William F. Buckley Jr. while sitting in as [...]

Score another point for proletarian culinary culture. First “Top Chef” judge/restaurateur Tom Colicchio shills for Diet Coke in a Super Bowl commercial. Now co-judge Padma Lakshmi will be seen in a new TV spot for Hardee’s Bacon Western Thickburger. Lakshmi tells People magazine that she grew up a vegetarian in India but claims her carnivorous tastes began with [...]

Recession-proof? Better than that. McDonald’s Corp. 10-K annual report, filed with the SEC today, reveals that its global revenues (from company-owned and franchised restaurants) topped $70.6 billion in 2008, up 11.2% from 2007. Is there another major U.S. retailer in any category that can top that? Sales by company-owned McDonald’s restaurants decreased 0.3% to $16.561 [...]

Burgers still are treated as sirloin’s poor relation at most upscale steakhouses. Burgers and steaks are members of the same family, but burgers are the crazy uncle, rarely invited to sit at the dinner table with the adult entrees. At many steakhouses, you’ll find a burger on the kids menu, sometimes on the lunch menu and [...]

The Burger Bash cook-off at the annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival is all about big names, starting with Food Network, which runs the event, and Rachael Ray, the Burger Bash host. A-list chefs from the Food Network stable (including Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto and Michael Psilakis of “Ultimate Recipe Showdown”) along with last year’s [...]

Culver’s, the Prairie du Sac, Wis.-based chain famous for its ButterBurgers and frozen custard, will air its first national TV commercial this Sunday during the ”Live from the Red Carpet” celeb-fest prior to the 81st annual Academy Awards. The 60-second commercial airs nationally on E! network and then also will be seen locally in select markets during ABC’s Oscars coverage (30-second [...]

You have to credit Hardee’s with having the courage of its convictions. When nutrition watchdogs Center for Science in the Public Interest labeled the 1,200-calorie Hardee’s Thickburger “food porn,” Hardee’s responded with the Jalapeno Thickburger, just to raise the heat under CSPI’s collective collar. The same attitude is proudly on display at breakfast. Hardee’s  TV [...]

[UPDATE: See March 30 post on Mini Sirloin introduction] Jack in the Box, the nation’s fifth largest burger chain, will introduce Mini Sirloin Burgers during the second quarter, the company announced today. The burger trio, which the company claims “rivals the quality and taste of similar items offered by casual-dining restaurants,” features mini patties topped with [...]

Is McDonald’s turning its back on the United States? If so, it wouldn’t be totally surprising. In 2008, McDonald’s Corp.’s same-store sales were up 8.5% in Europe and 9% in Asia/Pacific/MidEast/Africa but only 4% in the U.S. Is that why Switzerland gets the fabulous “Der M” (at r.) and we don’t? It looks even tastier than our [...]

The James Beard Foundation today announced semifinalists for restaurateur, chef and restaurant of the year. Yes, In-N-Out Burger has been snubbed again. In fact, a quick check finds that only three of the 20 semifinalists for the 2009 Outstanding Restaurant award have a burger on their menus. That would make them the favorites, of course. They [...]

Arby’s is getting some attention (and criticism) for its mock-salacious ad in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, out this week. The full-page ad teases that the chain is “about to reveal something you’ll really drool over,” i.e. new menu items including a new Roastburger.  So is Arby’s really going to encroach on the burger territory of chains such as Wendy’s, which [...]

How do you build business in a down economy? Take a tip from Madeline Poley and Spiros Zisimatos, who are making Valentine’s Day a burger holiday. Their two New York Burger Co. restaurants in Manhattan offer the Valentine’s Day Burger Bouquet, which the restaurants promote, quite rightly, as “The fastest way to a man’s heart.” [...]

Burger chains do some of the best TV advertising (we’re not counting Burger King’s infamous “Herb the Nerd” campaign). But  sometimes we miss sharp marketing examples because an advertiser isn’t national or because we actually wandered away from the tube to read blogs. So by popular demand, BurgerBusiness kicks off “Spot On” with the Super Bowl Jack in [...]

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurants today introduce the Burnin’ Love Burger, hoping to bring a little winter thaw to tastebuds. The build includes a cayenne-season beef patty, fried jalapeno rings, salsa, pepper-Jack cheese, shredded lettuce and tomato slices. There’s a little more heat punch in the jalapeno-cornmeal-dusted kaiser roll and the chipotle mayo. Red Robin [...]

We’ll forgive Back Yard Burgers’ spelling difficulty with the word “caramelize” in online promotional materials, but only because the chain’s Smoked Gouda Burger looks so good. It has all the bases covered: Angus beef, “spicy aoli mayo” (yes, we’ll forgive that redundanc,  too, but just this once); those carmelized onions and a bakery bun. The other great element [...]