For Burger Week adventurers willing to take a short drive outside the city, a stretch of KY 56 on the western edge of Daviess County offers the makings of a perfect mini road trip.
Passing The Big Dipper and continuing west, burger lovers can map out a simple route that begins at The Cottage Farm Stand, continues to Preservation Station, and ends at O’Bryan’s Bar & Grill — three stops that showcase creative takes on the annual culinary event while highlighting the character of the west side of the county.
At The Cottage Farm Stand, owner Marlene Knight said the restaurant’s entry, the “Daviess County Double,” highlights both local ingredients and the restaurant’s reputation for inventive burgers.
Knight said the burger features two smashed Hill View Farms beef patties topped with house burger sauce, pickles, caramelized onions, maple bacon, ranch dressing, and a fried Wisconsin cheese curd patty — all served on a toasted Hawaiian bun.
“We only use Hill View Farms meat, so that’s important because they’re on the west side as well,” Knight said.
The burger has already drawn strong reactions from returning customers.
“We’ve had people that are loyal OwensBurger fans, and I’ve had texts saying they didn’t think anything would be better than the OwensBurger, and this is their favorite,” Knight said.
Burger Week has become something of a production behind the scenes at The Cottage, where staff spend weeks preparing ingredients.
Knight said the team rolled roughly 6,000 burger balls and hand-formed about 3,000 fried cheese patties in preparation for the event.
“It’s exhausting, but it’s really fun,” Knight said. “Everybody pulls together.”
Knight said she views Burger Week as something more than a promotion.
“I really consider Burger Week in Owensboro to be a sport,” Knight said. “There are teams that get together, share burgers, and go around tasting all the different places.”
A few minutes farther down KY 56, Preservation Station offers a burger inspired by a local story.
Owner Jennifer Higdon said the restaurant’s “Hotter Than Hugh Burger” features a seasoned beef patty topped with melted cheddar, crispy fried pickles, lettuce, tomato, and a house-made horseradish aioli infused with “Hotter Than You” hot sauce.
The sauce was created by Stephanie Wright and her father, a Calhoun veteran, with a portion of each bottle sold benefiting United Heroes Alliance, which supports veterans and first responders dealing with trauma.
Higdon said the challenge was incorporating the hot sauce without making the burger overwhelmingly spicy.
“We wanted it to have a warm, lingering heat,” Higdon said. “It’s definitely not something where you feel like it’s super spicy.”
Burger Week also introduces many visitors to Preservation Station for the first time.
“I just had a person walk in here a few minutes ago who said she’d never been here before and came in just to try the burger,” Higdon said.
Higdon said the guest quickly noticed the place’s unique atmosphere before leaving.
“She looked around while she was in here and said, ‘I could spend hours in this place,’” Higdon said.
The final stop on the westward route is O’Bryan’s Bar & Grill on KY 815, where the restaurant’s “Jalappy McSlappy” burger leans into bold flavors.
Owner Sarah Robinson said the burger features a quarter-pound beef patty topped with pepper jack cheese, house-made jalapeño popper spread, bacon, fresh onion, and a drizzle of hot honey.
Robinson said customers have responded positively to the combination.
“People seem to really like the combination of the hot honey and the jalapeño popper spread,” Robinson said.
O’Bryan’s is no stranger to Burger Week success. Robinson noted the restaurant won the event in its inaugural year and continues to see visitors return.
“There are a lot of people who came out here several years after we won and have consistently come out here since,” Robinson said.
Like many participating restaurants, O’Bryan’s prepares for the week by increasing staffing and bracing for higher traffic.
“We know what our regular crowd looks like, so when Burger Week comes around, we just double up shifts,” Robinson said. “It can be high volume at times.”
Even on the first day, the restaurant served more than 100 burgers.
For diners looking to experience Burger Week beyond city limits, the short drive west along KY 56 offers an easy excuse to hit the road and discover a trio of restaurants serving up big flavors just outside Owensboro.
