More than 57,000 burgers were sold during Burger Week 2024, shattering last year’s total. And on Tuesday, three winners were revealed during surprise ceremonies: one was the People’s Choice winner, while the other two were co-champions as determined by the judges’ panel.
A total of 40 businesses competed this year, with organizers reporting that more than 57,300 burgers and roughly 14,000 pounds of beef were sold during the 9-day contest. Last year, just under 35,000 burgers were sold by 38 participating businesses.
Kim’s Diner received the trophy for the German American Bank People’s Choice Award, a recognition based strictly on community voting. The diner received 20% of the votes to win the category.
Kim’s served “Big Daddy’s BBQ Burger,” which had two pieces of cheese, bacon, grilled onions, and pickles and was topped with Big Daddy’s BBQ (a sauce locally made by Josh Taylor).
Owner Kim Roberson said this was their first time entering the contest and Burger Week brought in several first-time customers.
“I’m really proud of myself. Somebody so small, that has such a small diner with just our little usual customers. We met a whole bunch of new faces, a lot of people that didn’t know that we were even here. So this event was really good for us to get out there,” Roberson said.
The official title of 2024 Burger Week Champion is shared by J’s Good Grub and Basil’s Food Truck, each of which garnered an average score of 92.43 out of 100 possible points from a 14-person judging panel. The panel “blind tasted” the burgers, meaning they didn’t know which burger they were eating when giving scores.
J’s burger — named “Dirty Diana” — featured a 1/4-lb. patty with melted cheddar over bacon and their signature bourbon sauce mixed with cajun ranch sauce, topped with their Cajun ranch fries on a toasted brioche bun, complete with lettuce, tomato, and bourbon pickles.
Antoinette Johnson, co-owner of J’s Good Grub, said the award is an honor for any business so when the announcement came she couldn’t stop smiling. She said the Dirty Diana won’t be leaving the menu and they plan on adding a chicken sandwich version as well.
“It just shows that hard work pays off,” she said of the recognition. “We always give 110% every day so this is amazing. I can’t stop smiling. I’m very, very grateful and Owensboro has always been our biggest supporter and we thank you guys very much.”
Basil’s Food Truck had been opened a month and a half before joining Burger Week, and co-owner Cam Anderson said winning the award as a new business was a “pinch me” moment.
“It feels amazing man. I’ve been cooking for a while and just to get here, to win this award, I don’t even know how to say it. It’s amazing,” Anderson said.
Their burger, called the “KY Dip Burger,” was topped with shallot and bell peppers confit, comeback sauce, muenster cheese, and crispy prosciutto, finished with an Ale-8 gastrique and Grippo’s dust, and served with a Green River bourbon au jus dipping sauce.
Owensboro Times livestreamed the surprise trophy reveals on Tuesday. You can watch each here:
