The Dock victorious in Burger Brawl

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This article was published 17/10/2019 (2325 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Dock on Princess is the winner of the second annual Brandon Burger Brawl after their signature Dock Burger was voted the top burger in this year’s competition.

“It’s pretty exciting. We were up against a lot of good burgers,” said The Dock’s general manager, Erin Wells. “We went with the Dock Burger because it’s our signature burger and we have it all the time … it’s nice to know that people like it.”

This is the first year The Dock threw their burger in the ring for the month-long contest — presented by Assiniboine Community College and The Brandon Sun.

The Dock Burger won against 11 other burger entries, with Joe Beeverz’s The 204 Burger coming in second.

“We had quite a few people tell us they were trying all the different (burgers), so it was really fun to be a part of,” Wells said.

Last year’s winner, Ben Hernandez, owner of Benny’s Restaurant, said he’s not disappointed to lose the title as the enthusiasm surrounding this year’s Burger Brawl was a “win-win” for everyone.

“It was a good competition … We had a lot of people that came in just for the burger, people who had never been to the restaurant and came downtown because of Burger Brawl, so that was pretty exciting,” Hernandez said. “It’s always fun and it’s good to participate in these things. It creates a good vibe in town for everybody.”

The response to Burger Brawl this year was “huge,” said Glen Parker, sales and marketing director with The Brandon Sun, with the number of votes submitted going up a staggering 798 per cent this year compared to last year.

“From what we understand, people really enjoyed trying out all the burgers … It was fun to see people push the limits a little bit and get more creative. It got the public engaged,” Parker said. “It’s a friendly and fun competition, as well as an opportunity for people to go to restaurants that they may not have tried before.”

The number of competing restaurants grew to 11 this year and included Joe Beeverz, The Dock on Princess, Benny’s Restaurant, Original Joes, Applebees, Brown’s Socialhouse, Smitty’s, Echo Restaurant and Wine Bar, T-Birds Grill & Bar, Tavern United, and Coffee Culture.

Parker said his team will debrief and gather feedback from participating restaurants in an effort to make the contest even bigger and better for next year.

“Any little friendly competition is always fun,” Parker said. “Last year, Benny’s produced a burger people really liked and this year it was The Dock that took it. Next year, who knows who will come up with that magic formula?”

There were two other winners in Burger Brawl out of the many community members who tried the burgers and voted on their favourite.

Michelle Jacobsen won tickets to Assiniboine Community College’s Harvest on the Hill tonight after trying a burger and getting selected from the restaurants ballot boxes.

The winner of the online contest was Donna North, after she voted for her favourite burger online.

» edebooy@brandonsun.com

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