THUNDER BAY – Derek Lankinen knows how to make a hamburger.
Apparently, he also knows how to sell them too.
Lankinen, the owner and founder of Current River’s Beefcake’s Burger Factory, on Tuesday was named the winner of the best Novemburger, an honour he wears with pride.
But it’s not all about the trophy, he said – not quite anyway.
“We absolutely love working with the United Way and we love being a part of Novemburger. We see ourselves as one of the premiere burger restaurants in Thunder Bay, so it really feels great that we were able to win People’s Choice for the second year in a row,” Lankinen said.
“I love this event. It’s always been very lucrative for the shop, as well as being a super great cause for everything going on that the United Way takes care of, so it’s pretty cool. But I do love the hardware.”
The Beefcake’s creation consisted of a smash burger patty topped with house-smoked back bacon, a pickled poblano pepper, grainy bourbon honey mustard, muenster and extra-old cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, a thick-sliced pickle, ketchup and mayo, layered between a roasted garlic potato bun.
That’s not your grandfather’s two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese burger.
Now in its third year, Novemburger grew to 17 restaurants in 2021, including three in Kenora, each creating their own special burger to tempt the taste buds of hungry Northwestern Ontarians.
And tempt them they did, to the tune of 10,119 burgers sold, 3,749 more than a year earlier, resulting in $25,472 being donated to the United Way of Thunder Bay, $2 from each burger sold turned over to the cause, along with some extra customer donations.
It’s fantastic, said Albert Brulé, CEO of the local chapter of the United Way, noting the money will be added to the Local Love in Action annual campaign.
Brulé, who expects even more eateries to take part in 2022, said the campaign is a win-win for everyone.
“People get a great and creative burger. That’s part of the fun, the restaurants and chefs competing with one another to see who’s got the tastiest burger, the People’s Choice burger, who sells the most burgers,” he said. “There’s lots of competitive spirit, but it’s all in good fun. All the restaurant owners have told us they love coming together for this big event each year.
“I anticipate we’ll see more restaurants in the coming years, more communities in the coming years. And honestly, for people to be able to enjoy themselves, go out on the town and bring home a great meal for their family and support a great cause at the same time, it really is a win-win.”
Once again the Prospector Burger Barn took home the title of most Novemburgers sold, putting together an incredible 2,546.
For every $1,300 raised, 120 meals can be provided for four weeks through a local community kitchen. The campaign has raised $56,702 over three years.
