The heat is on for the finalists of the National Burger Awards. As the April burger battle looms, economic pressures make it harder for small business in the hospitality sector to stay afloat.
The live cook-off is set to take place at Islington Metal Works and will pit chefs from the 16 best burger restaurants in the nation against one another.
Genna Ash-Brown, organiser of the event and editor of Dine Out Magazine, said: “We were thrilled to see so many high-calibre recipes submitted for this year’s National Burger Awards, though it certainly didn’t make shortlisting an easy job! It’s always a joy to see familiar faces return and just as much of a pleasure to welcome new challengers into the ring. We can’t wait to bring these awesome businesses together and see those sizzling patties start flippin’!”
The hotly contested shortlist includes firm favourites such as Bleeker, Dirty Bones, and MEATliquor, which has a restaurant in Islington.
“We’re not confident,” said, MEATliquor CEO, Scott Collins. “We’re never confident about anything, we’ll just give it our best shot.”
“We’re not really into competitions,” Collins added, “they begged and begged us to do it. We judge ourselves based on what our customers say and the money we bring in.”
Collins was also less than enthusiastic about the prospects facing the hospitality industry. “It’s a tsunami of shit. With VAT going up and the cost of every single produce we use rising, the consumer is going to get it from both ends.
“We’ve absorbed all the cost we can, but we’ll be passing it on soon.”
This year’s National Burger Award is sponsored by The Vegetarian Butcher, a company committed to improving the environmental impact of the food industry.
When asked about the environmental concerns surrounding beef production, Collins said: “After two years of Covid we’re just trying to save jobs. We do what we can but the luxury of thinking about the environment is not at the top of a very long list of priorities.”
The 8th National Burger Awards will take place on 20 April.
I am a freelance journalist, currently studying a MA in Newspaper Journalism at City, University of London. Interested in all things tech and science.
Got a story? Reach me on Wiliam.hunter1@gmail.com