Macon Burger Week will host largest event yet with 27 patties to try. Here’s how it works

Macon Burger Week starts Monday with 27 Macon restaurants participating, which is the largest amount for the event.

Caitlin Jackson, the Checkoff Program coordinator for the Georgia Beef Board, said the event will run through Nov. 19 and voting for the best $10 burger will close Nov. 20.

“I truly don’t know who’s gonna win because some of them are just so creative and like blending different kinds of fusion flavors together, and it’s not only going to be a challenge to pick like one from all 27 but also to go to all 27,” Jackson said.

The burgers are gourmet burgers that are purchased as is for $10, and participants are encouraged to follow the 10 commandments of Macon Burger Week.

“We do encourage everyone to purchase sides and drinks because honestly, in today’s economy, a $10 burger is a steal,” Jackson said. “We don’t give them any kind of instruction or guidance on what their burger is. It’s totally what their chefs want to create, and so, a lot of them are very over the top and exciting.”

The only stipulation is that the burgers are made out of beef, she said. Although many of the participating restaurants are downtown, Macon Burger Week extends throughout Macon.

“People are very eager to meet the burgers,” she said.

How to win prizes

All participating restaurants have hard copies of the Macon Burger Week passport, which lists all of the burgers and restaurants.

Each participating restaurant has its own unique stamp to mark the passports.

“As someone eats their way around Macon Burger Week, they can get a stamp for each time they get a burger,” Jackson said.

Once a person gets five stamps, they are allowed to mail in the passport to the Georgia Beef Board, located in Macon, for a chance to win a prize basket, which can include a Macon Burger Week t-shirt as well as other beef promotional items.

The awards for restaurants

Three awards are available for restaurants to receive. The burger that receives the most votes receives the People’s Choice Award.

In 2022, The Library Taphouse & Kitchen won the award with its Berenstain Bear Burger. This year it is competing with a burger called Three Little Pigs.

Participants can vote for their favorite burger by scanning the QR code located on the Macon Burger Week passport. Each person can only vote once, Jackson said.

The second award is the Cleverly Created Award, which is judged by a representative of the Georgia cattle industry.

The third award is for the restaurant that sells the most beef by the pound. This is a self-reported award.

Biggest year yet

In 2022, Macon Burger Week had 26 participating restaurants, and the price of the burgers were raised to $10 to help restaurants cover the cost of participating. The event has grown every year since its origin, Jackson said.

Participation is voluntary, and some restaurants are dine-in only, which is annotated on the Macon Burger Week passport.

“We have restaurants that reach out to us because they see the value in participating and getting part of the excitement,” Jackson said.

This story was originally published November 10, 2023 at 7:00 AM.