User:SL93/Iowa's Best Burger contest

Founding and premise

The Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen's Association started the Iowa's Best Burger contest in 2010. The contest brings in thousands of votes yearly. In order to qualify for the contest, each burger has to be made of 100% beef and placed on a bun or similar type of bread. The top 10 winners are able to compete for title of Iowa's Best Burger. Anonymous judges grade the burgers on their appearance, taste, and their temperature. The yearly winner is announced in May.

Winners

2010

The contest's first winner was the Sac County Cattle Company in Sac City with a half-pound mushroom Swiss burger. The owner Doug Kruchten said that the restaurant "sold about four hundred burgers" within a few days after the contest.

2011

In 2011, the Rusty Duck in Dexter won the contest. It was chosen from 275 Iowa restaurants. The owner is Brad Waldron, and he also serves as the restaurant's cook. The judges wrote, "We cared about the burgers as we did the judging, plain and simple. Some nominees had creative garnishing, ranging from fried eggs to hot peppers to onion strings, but in the final determination, it was the quality and taste of the beef which held our attention."

2012

The 2012 winner was the bowling alley and diner Coon Bowl III, located in Coon Rapids, who won with a burger made out of an "80/20 blend of ground chuck". The co-manager Cindy Heydon said, "One Saturday night after we won the Best Burger in Iowa contest, we had so many customers that you couldn't stick a shoe in here."

2013

The 61 Chop House Grille in Mediapolis won in 2013 with their Angus Black Crown Burger. The burger was specifically made for the 2013 contest by the chef Terry Reis and his wife Lori Denney. In 2011, they previously attempted to win the award, but they only entered the top ten finalists with their Barn Burger. Due to the 2013 win, their burger sales rose by 40%.

2014

The Brick City Grill in Ames won in 2014. The owner Jason Mikkelson was surprised with the win due to the resident opening just a year prior. Three people judged the restaurant's burger, although not on the same day.

2015

In 2015, the Cider House in Fairfield won with a 6.5-ounce patty. The burger won out of 4,000 burgers that were nominated from 286 restaurants. The restaurant was opened about a year prior to winning the contest.

2016

The 2016 winner was the Chuckwagon Restaurant in Adair with their toasted bun and their homemade seasoning. There were more than 6,200 nominations and 311 restaurants entered. The restaurant was named after the town's "Chuckwagon Days".

2017

Smokin’ Hereford BBQ in Storm Lake was the 2017 winner with the restaurant's "8 ounces of hand-pattied Hereford beef dressed with their house seasoning". There were more than 9,200 nominations for nearly 500 restaurants. The restaurant was opened in 2015 by two married couples. A burger special was first added to the menu in 2016.