By Jack Dawson
Today, burgers are one of the most popular foods around the world. It is a fast food item which attracts the young and old alike, in almost every country in the globe. The burgers originated started in the early in the US during the early 20th century and have undergone some changes which resulted in the burgers which are popular today. So here is a list of five burgers which influenced the progress and popularity of burgers.
- The White Castle Slider
The White Castle marked the genesis of the vast fast food empire as we know today. It is credited as the world’s first fast food restaurant. It was opened in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas in US. The restaurant had a huge emphasis on cleanliness; the customers were even given facilities to watch the burger being made. This made a positive impact on the customers and thereby on the popularity of burgers. In fact, White Castle slider initiated the obsession of Americans for burgers.
McDonald’s Burger
- The McDonald’s Burger
McDonald’s took forward what White Castle had started. McDonald’s increased the popularity of burgers not just in the US, but all around the world. The McDonald’s empire spans across 118 countries making it the second largest restaurant chain in the world. Today McDonald’s serve many different types of burgers, other side dishes and drinks. The most popular burger of the McDonald’s is the Big Mac, which features to patties of ground meat. The impact of Big Mac was such that, The Economist made the Big Mac index as an informal measure of purchasing power parity of countries.
- The In-N-Out Burger
While most fast food restaurants focused more on the speed of preparation, the In-N-Out burgers had a different approach. They focused more on the quality of the burgers and the customer’s satisfaction. Its signature burger which was debuted in 1948 was made from locally sourced ground beef and fresh vegetables. The company has resisted franchising its operation or going public as they believe the prospect of quality or customer consistency will be compromised by excessively rapid business growth. They have developed a highly loyal customer base and has been rated as one of the best fast food restaurants in several customer surveys.
- The 21 Burger
The 21 Club was a popular upper class establishment in New York, USA. So when they introduced their gourmet burger in the early 1950’s, the New Yorkers were struck by surprise. It was the first time burgers were served as a gourmet meal rather than a fast food item. It was a huge success even though it was served at an exorbitant price. The success of the ‘costly’ burger was attributed to its high quality beef, which made it something vastly different than just a fast food. The success of the 21 burger made many high end restaurants to adopt luxury burgers to their menu.
- Burger King Whopper
This popular burger was introduced in 1957, and became one of the most popular products in the fast food industry. The popularity of the Whopper is such that, the Burger King bills itself as the “Home of the Whopper” in its advertising and signage. The importance of Whopper is the fact that it was the first gimmick burger of the fast food industry. The success of Whopper resulted in the rise in popularity of Burger King, which now operates around 13,000 outlets in 79 countries. It also inspired the other fast food giants also to create their own deluxe versions of burgers, the biggest example being the Big Mac burger of the McDonald’s. The Burger King also showed to the world the positive impact a signature product can bring to its brand.
These are the five burgers which had a huge influence in the fast food industry. All these burgers played a significant role in the rise in popularity of the burgers.
Jack Dawson
If you would like to submit a guest post on food, wine or travel to Where and What in the World, I would be happy to feature your travel experience , drink, special wine tasting, or family or simply delicious recipe. If you go to submission tab, you will see how to submit, as well as have the opportunity of telling me if you would like to would like to be a regular contributor. When uploading a file for submission, you are also able to upload jpgs. Please feel free to put a last paragraph about you and a link to your profile. No html please. You can also include a head shot.
Author: Maralyn
Maralyn Dennis Hill, The Epicurean Explorer, is president emeritus of International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association, member of Society of American Travel Writers, and Society of Professional Journalists. She is Executive Editor of Luxe Beat Magazine and contributes to other publications. She also speaks and is a guest on many shows. The majority of Maralyn’s articles are now geared to the luxury market, spas, corporate retreats, business events, and culinary tourism, from simple to gourmet. Maralyn’s description of herself: I was born to travel and tell the tale. I’m energized by different cultures in every aspect of their lives, from food, wine, and destination, to how they conduct business. Travel represents a continual geography lesson.
