BROOKINGS Can you get a great burger in the Brookings area? There are 28 eateries within a 40-mile radius of Brookings staking their reputations to prove that you can. Its the fifth annual Burger Clash and its underway and will run through Feb. 28. Visit Brookings touts the battle online as a mouthwatering way to show love for local restaurants. The brainchild and present at the creation of the Clash is Shane Andersen, who was in the food service industry for decades before becoming a Realtor with Brookings Home Team, powered by Century 21 Krogman & Co.
His goal was to help support the industry after the (COVID) pandemic and bring the community together for a little friendly competition and a whole lot of flavor. And so it began and continues annually in the first two months of each new year.
I know its tough this time of year for restaurants, Andersen said. So I thought the Burger Clash would be a good thing to get some more traffic and eyeballs. I had somebody reach out and say, Why dont we reach out and do a Burger Clash.? It kind of escalated from there. It started with 10 contestants. So every year, its grown. This year there are 28. We lost one. But we gained five new ones.
For the geography of the Clash, think eateries beyond Brookings to about a 40-mile radius: Arlington, Egan, Aurora, Volga, Flandreau, Elkton, Castlewood, De Smet and Hendricks, Minnesota.
Thats kind of why we do the two-month thing, so people have the ability to go out in January and February to try and hit as many as they can, Andersen explained. For a look at the gastronomical goodness that makes these eateries well worth a visit no greasy spoons or burger joints here go online to Visit Brookings. Youll see the link that leads to the Brookings Area Burger Clash.
People can see all 28 restaurants, pictures of the burgers that theyre doing and descriptions, Andersen noted. Typically theyre not always on their menu; its a special one that maybe they cooked up for the Burger Clash.
As to who makes the best burger? Well, thats decided by the people who visit the 28 restaurants and chow down on the burgers offered by the eateries: Every restaurant has a table tent that talks about the Burger Clash, Andersen explained. Now on the table tent theres a QR code; so they would take their phone or theres a website address, too they can scan that QR code which takes them to the voting section. After they have had the sandwich they scan and they vote on taste, creativity and customer service: 1 through 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. They vote on those three categories at that restaurant.
At the end of the contest, I go in and Ill get an average rating based on those three categories for each restaurant. Whoever has the highest rating gets bragging rights.
Andersen added that with the bragging rights goes a traveling plaque with the winners name and the year that they won and they can hang it up in their restaurant for the year. Pints & Quarts, in downtown Brookings, presently holds the plaque.
For the 2024 Clash, Andersen had to tally up about 800 votes. In the beginning with the first Clash and for a couple years, he and his wife did the counting manually and it took us a long time to do that. Now he has a system to do the counting by himself in about 20 to 30 minutes. The 2025 winner will be named a few days after the contest ends.
He noted that every years Clash has an unofficial theme. In 2024, it was eggs on the burger. This year it seems to be jalapenos. Think of a burger thats hot and spicy.
I don t ask them to do a theme or anything, Andersen added. Its just funny how they all kind of think alike, a little bit. Its interesting to see as the sandwiches come to me when I get their pictures, its like, heres a jalapeno one, this one has a sauce thats spicy.
Sponsors for this years clash are: Brookings Home Team (powered by Century 21 Krogman & Company); Visit Brookings; and Performance Foodservice, Marshall, Minnesota.
Incidentally, Andersen in the name of fairness, since he cant sample the burgers at all the contestants restaurants doesnt eat at any of the restaurants during the days of the Clash. No conflict of interest here.
So its up to you burger lovers to get out there: chow down and rate the eateries as they put their best burger forward!
Contact John Kubal at [email protected].
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