Hamburgers are big business. Nearly 60 percent of all sandwiches sold worldwide are actually hamburgers. In America alone, 50 billion burgers are eaten in one single year! If all Hamburgers eaten by Americans in a year are arranged in a straight line, it would circle our Earth 32 times or more! Beef is also the most common meat used in burgers worldwide. Hamburgers, along with cheeseburgers, account for 71 percent of beef served in American eateries. Cheddar cheese is the most popular choice of cheese on burgers followed by American, blue cheese and Swiss.
Burger is actually the shortened name of Hamburger. The term, Hamburger, was derived from Hamburg steaks introduced in the US by German immigrants. During World War I, the US government and soldiers referred hamburgers as ‘liberty sandwiches’ to avoid its German connection.
With so many fans of the beef patty, it’s no surprise that it has a fan club. The Burger Club of Dayton meets up each month at a different eatery, on a quest to find the region’s best burgers. We found the club on Facebook and asked the Founder Fletch to tell us about the club:
I started the Burger Club in August of 2016. I was watching Jeopardy and one of the contestants had mentioned that she was a member of a Burger Club where she lived. I thought is was a Genius idea.
Who can attend your meet ups?
We welcome everyone. No age minimum or maximum. We’re definitely family friendly.
What happens at your meet ups?
We get together and socialize, order food and typically share food we think others in the Club might like.
How do you pick your burger spots?
We keep it local. We want to go to restaurants that are not a national chain, We choose local businesses within 25 miles of Dayton.
Where’s your favorite burger joint?
Some of the places that have stood out, so far, are Bennett’s Publical in Miamisburg, EO at the Greene and Bunker’s in Vandalia.
What else should we know?
We’re a friendly group, averaging around 15 people each month. You don’t have to eat a Burger, we don’t judge. Come out and join us.
The next meeting of the burger club is Tuesday, May 23 from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM at Sea Jax Tavern on Bigger Road in Kettering.
And if that doesn’t fulfill your burger cravings, perhaps you should plan a visit to the Hamburger Hall of Fame in Seymour, Wisconsin, which claims to have the World’s Largest Collection of Hamburger-Related Items, or The International Hamburger Hall of Fame, aka The Hamburger Museum, in Daytona Beach, Florida.