Burgers are a big deal. So big, in fact, that more than 60 per cent of sandwich sales worldwide are burgers. But why are they so popular? To answer that question you must first ask another.
What makes a burger good and why? To get an idea, it seemed the best place to go was the source.
Burger Burger is a London restaurant near Oxford and Richmond. It was opened in 2016 by Victor Anastasiadis and his brother Kirk. The two are also the co-owners of nightlife favourite club the Barking Frog that connects to the restaurant.
Victor Anastasiadis discusses burgers | Sam Cook 2020
Victor recently met with XFM News to discuss what makes a good burger to him. Much like the philosophy behind their burgers, his answer was fairly simple.
“To me, the most important part of the burger is the most expensive part, which is the actual meat. ”
Anastasiadis says that the secret to their burgers is that they are grinding a blend of meat in-house at least daily. Using a blend of sirloin, chuck, and brisket they are able to provide a fresh, tasty product that they believe keeps customers coming back for more.
The Richmond: One of the top sellers at Burger Burger | Sam Cook 2020
In recent years there has been an increased interest in burger culture. On the Youtube channel, First We Feast that produces shows like Hot Ones, their burger-centric series The Burger Show has amassed millions of views. Burger culture is real and it is growing.
To exemplify this, just last week another burger eatery opened on Fanshawe Park Road by the name of Burger Factory. It is a small but growing Ontario franchise that has its roots in Mississauga. The CEO Chef Medo was at the event and sat down with us to weigh in on the matter at hand. He says his key to a good burger comes down to where your ingredients are coming from.
Chef Medo and XFM News reporter Sam Cook discuss opening a burger restaurant | Sam Cook 2020
Much like Burger Burger, the meat is sourced locally, is ground fresh, and is never frozen. But the same could be said of all the ingredients on the menu. He says that making sure everything is as fresh as possible is of huge importance to him, but that’s not all that’s important at Burger Factory.
“Everyone that comes in here is part of the family.”
While great service doesn’t equate to good food when a restaurant has both it becomes quite likely that patrons will be willing to return. Where the two restaurants differ, however, is in the simplicity of their burgers.
Where Burger Burger is more about letting the meat shine through as the star, Burger Factory is willing to let their imagination take the show with a variety of toppings and even a cheese-stuffed burger they call the Juicy Lucy. But whether you’re looking for something simple or a little out there it seems one thing is true; the fresher the better.
Did this article not fill you up on burgers enough? Check out XFM News reporter Sam Cook as he tastes some of the best burgers available in London in this video below!
