Burger Days are back in Steinbach

It may be the tastiest tradition in Steinbach, and this year for the seventh time, local appetites are whetted for the week-long Burger Days event.

Hosted by the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Steinbachonline.com, this year’s event will see 17 restaurants compete for best tasting burger, most creative burger and best presentation from Sept. 14 to 21.

The variety is endless. Farmer sausage, Smash patties, beef patties, hand breaded chicken, Jamaican crispy chicken, lamb and even pastrami provide the meat.

Toppings include a variety of cheeses, olive tapenade, lettuce, pickled onions, fries, pepper poppers, bacon (both the usual and candied), pickled vegetables, and deep-fried cottage cheese vereneki.

Sauces cover the entire spectrum including maple sriracha sauce, schmaunt fat, Sante Fe ranch dressing, garlic parmesan sauce, garlic herb aioli, pimento cheese spread, tzatziki sauce, dill pickle aioli, spicy barbecue sauce and any number of secret sauces.

People who sample the burgers can rate the burgers for a chance to win one of three prize packs valued at $100 each.

Last year’s winners are all in the hunt again this year.

The best tasting burger of 2023 was given to R-Bistro’s Chimichurri Steak Burger. This year the Frantz Inn is offering a Jamaican Crispy Chicken Burger which they describe as Jamaican crispy chicken on a waffle bun, topped with a spinach artichoke jalapeno popper.

The most creative burger of 2023 was Sawney Bean’s Kerala Burger. This year they have created El Chorizo, described as having a homemade chorizo style patty with roasted garlic and dill pickle aioli, Monterey jack cheese topped with fresh pico de gallo and green onion on a toasted buttered bun.

The best presentation of 2023 was given to Doener Grill Express for their Ultimate Crunch Burger.

This year they have the Augusta burger which features smash patties stacked high with crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes and crispy onion tanglers. It comes with their burger sauce, tangy pickled red onions, creamy pimento cheese spread and finished with crispy fries and a zesty red pepper popper.

Full descriptions of all the burgers entered can be found at www.steinbachchamber.com.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tessa Masi said in a press release that the creativity of local restaurants continues to grow.

“Whether you are new to Steinbach Burger Days or a Burger Days veteran, this event is an incredible opportunity to support our local restaurants and try something new,” she said.

Steinbach Chamber of Commerce President Tracy Gromniski described the event as “amazing”.

“It truly reflects the sense of community within Steinbach as a whole,” she said. “It brings business and the community at large together and helps support buying local and local businesses.”

The numbers support that claim.

In 2023, with 17 participating restaurants and one local brewery more than 7,500 burgers were sold. The event generated close to $128,000 in total sales.

Gromniski said she’s also happy to see local restaurants partner with other businesses to showcase local ingredients.

She added that this is one of the chamber highlights.

“We are very fortunate that all of our initiatives that we do host and manage and put on for the community regardless of who the target audience is, are really well supported and this one gets a lot of face time because it’s community focused,” she said.