No matter what that old crooner Andy Williams sang, this is “the most wonderful time of the year” if you’re a lover of burgers! That’s right: It’s time for the 2024 edition of the Scene’s annual Burger Week, where dozens of burgers are on offer all over town at discounted prices. The promotion will run from Monday, July 8, until Sunday, July 14. In addition to the benefit of tasting as many burgers you can stomach for just $7 apiece, you can actually pick the winners from three categories: Best Overall, Best Traditional Burger and Best Unique Toppings.
If you intend to maximize your dining opportunities, the first and most important strategy is to download the official Burger Week app for iOS or Android to your phone. In addition to a list of all participating restaurants and a continually updated list of what burger each restaurant is offering, there is also a helpful map to help plan your burger runs.
Some burger lovers team up to send diners to several restaurants on one trip to bring burgers home to split up to maximize the numbers they can sample. The app also indicated which restaurants are working with the Scene’s partners at Uber Eats to deliver. So you can leave one person at home to receive delivery burgers while a few of your friends each head to a couple places for carryout, and then all meet up for a meat up!
As always, we encourage you to get there early, because there will be crowds and some restaurants may run out of their daily specials if you arrive too late. Since you’re already getting great deals on the burgers, please tip at least as heavily as if you were paying full fare (figure $10 to $15 for regular prices,) and it would be nice if you would order a side dish and a drink to help up the check average at the restaurant partners.
Keep up with the competition online by checking the hashtag #SceneBurgerWeek24 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and share your photos and opinions by tagging @nashvillescene in your photos and using #SceneBurgerWeek24. Each time you check in on the app, you’ll be entered to win gift cards, Uber Eats vouchers and other swag. Finally, you’ll get the chance to vote for your favorites at the end of the week.
The fun kicks off Monday, July 8, with a party at Bad Axe at 652 Fogg St. from 5 until 7 p.m. There will be food and drink specials and free samples, and you can get all your Burger Week questions answered while we celebrate the dropping of the green flag.
I’m looking forward to trying as many of the 60 burgers as I can, but there are a couple that look particularly intriguing. It’s a bonus that I can walk to Brown’s Diner from my house, but their fancified burger with arugula, fried green tomatoes, goat cheese, watermelon pickles and bacon bits would be worth driving across town. The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden is going upscale as well with a burger topped with whipped cream cheese and peach chutney courtesy of The Peach Truck.
Punk Wok has a fusion burger available featuring a classic double smash burger with gooey American cheese dressed up with Iwai whisky onions, sweet-and-spicy gochujang mayo, house-made pickles, house-made kimchi and a fried egg on a Martin's Famous Potato Roll. The always creative team at Wilco Fusion Grill is featuring a chorizo patty served on an arepa for a Latin America-inspired creation.
I’m also looking at Stock & Barrel and their elk burger complemented by garlic Parmesan sauce. And I’m a fan of grilled pineapple (much to the dismay of my girlfriend) so I’ll be checking out 12 South Taproom’s burger topped with Hab-a-Q sauce, grilled pineapple salsa and provolone, as well as the Flyin’ Hawaiian at Smokin’ Thighs, a ground chicken patty topped with pineapple, teriyaki, provolone and spicy slaw.
If you want to hear more of my blathering about Burger Week, I taped an episode of the City Cast Nashville podcast with Grace Fuisz that should go live today. Listen for even more advice to make the most of the next week!
