Burgers are timeless.
So says Scott Rutterbush of Dine Drink Detroit, the organizer behind Burger Battle Detroit on Sunday, June 28. The competition at Eastern Market’s Shed 5 brings together representatives from metro Detroit burger establishments who will be trying to create Detroit’s best burger.
The annual event is marking its 10th anniversary by raising the stakes: This year’s winner will earn the title Burger of the Decade, along with a $1,000 check and a trophy.
“I feel like that every year it just gets better and better,” Rutterbush said. “I think burgers are one of those items that are timeless. People love burgers. There are always new places that are coming on the scene professing to be the best. And that fun, friendly, but very competitive spirit and environment exists.”
Staying relevant all these years, Rutterbush said, comes from the competitors putting creative spins on burgers with various toppings and crafty presentations.
“People are always coming up with something different and unique and creative, and I think people really enjoy that aspect of it.”
The competition typically draws more than 2,000 guests who get to sample various burgers and vote for their favorites. The ample sampling for one admission price is what draws guests in, Rutterbush said.
“That makes the event really unique,” he said. “There’s not any other event that I’ve ever seen, at least in metro Detroit, that offers that sort of experience where you can try as many burgers as you want, and you have over a dozen different places to try from under one roof.”
New to this event is Winner’s Row, a bracket that includes previous Burger Battle champions competing against newcomers. Burger makers who get the most votes from attendees go on to create a burger for a panel of judges made up of Detroit celebrities and media representatives. (Full disclosure: I’ve judged nearly every past Burger Battle contest and will judge Sunday’s event.) Attendees can also vote on the People’s Choice burger award.
Creativity plays a big role
At the competition, chefs pull out stops, grilling a steady stream of burgers, topping them with fried eggs, fries, shaved truffles, and myriad sauces and cheeses.
“The last 15 or 20 years, I think people have really tried to expand and make burgers more culinary and more creative than just your standard burger,” Rutterbush told the Free Press. “It’s limitless what you can do, what toppings you can put on it.”
He noted that over the years, chefs have upped their burger repertoire. Frita Batidos, a Cuban restaurant in Ann Arbor, put a quail egg on a burger with some fries. Hazel Park’s Kozy Lounge added jalapeno peppers to its creation.
“It’s limitless what you do and what toppings you can put on it. … You’re seeing people use different types of beef,” Rutterbush said.
Rutterbush said he was especially impressed by Frita Batidos and its success at making a burger with a quail egg for such a large crowd.
“They have, like, a whole assembly line. That blew me away that they were able to not just try it, but they pulled it off and they won two years in a row doing that,“ Rutterbush said. “That was really eye-opening and they’re always a fan favorite. They always have one of the longest lines.”
Competition boosts business
Rob Haskell — owner of Kozy Lounge with his wife, Michele — said winning the competition was great for business. In 2019, the bar’s Kat Burger, with fresh jalapenos, crispy bacon, Swiss Cheese and honey, took top honors.
“It was a great competition that year,” Haskell said. “It allowed us to leapfrog our way into the culinary arena with everybody else that is top in the city.”
Throughout the year, he said, people come in to his establishment and say they were at the Burger Battle or that they try to have one of his burgers every month.
“The Burger Battle has really changed the trajectory of our business from really being a local bar to a metro Detroit favorite bar, and it’s all done because of the Burger Battle,’ Haskell says.
Aljoom’s BBQ and Burger Shack in Dearborn Heights earned the 2023 best burger title.
Owner Ali Aljoom said he always thought he created the best burger in the city. Joining the competition helped him prove it.
“That feeling of winning was the best feeling in the world. It’s addicting, and I enjoy competing,” Aljoom wrote in a text message. “The competition and the challenge is what I live for, growing up watching ‘Chopped’ and all the Food Network cooking shows, Detroit Burger Battle was my way into that, and I love it. Also meeting new people and serving them a great burger and watching their reaction is priceless.”
Each year, the competition has an award for best presentation. This year and moving forward, that award will be given in honor of the late chef Max Hardy, who died unexpectedly in 2024 at age 40.
Hardy’s Coop Caribbean Fusion Burger took the overall top prize of best burger at the 2022 Burger Battle Detroit.
What to know about Burger Battle Detroit
When: 1-5 p.m. Sunday, June 28.
Where: Eastern Market’s Shed 5. Parking is free.
Tickets: General admission tickets are $41.36, including fees, with doors opening at 1 p.m. VIP tickets are $58.39, including fees, and allow early entry at 11 a.m. with special access to chefs and their staff. Tickets include all-you-can-eat burger samples.
Info: burgerbattle.info
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Burger Battle Detroit 10th anniversary to crown ‘Burger of the Decade’
Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
