The 5th Annual Xfinity Live! Burger Brawl Was a Burger Lovers Dream

By Jill Beckel

Philadelphians sure love their burgers! The line to enter the 5th Annual Philadelphia Burger Brawl stretched all around the parking lot on Sunday, June 14th at the XFINITY Live! parking lot.

Organized by Rob Wasserman, Burger Brawl included 60 Philadelphia area restaurants. Local Philadelphia restaurants were hoping to win the title of “Best Burger.” “The Burger Brawl funds literacy programming through technology for Philadelphia’s under-served children in our public elementary schools.”

Tickets were $35 for general admission and $100 for VIP tickets. The event was open to all ages and free for children 10 and under. Burger lovers started lining up to get in early and there was still a line to get in almost halfway through the event.

Despite the crowd, we still got to taste test a ton of delicious burgers! It was so hard to choose a favorite with so many delicious options and everyone seemed to be saying “MMMmmm” and “oh yeah” all around us as they sank their teeth into all the options. Burger samplers were encouraged to use the hashtag “#phillyburgerbrawl” to tag all their burger photos on social media.

Whether you like your burger well-done, rare, with lots of toppings or just plain with cheese, the possibilities really were endless at this year’s Burger Brawl. Burger lovers excitedly tried as many options as they could fit in their stomachs.

The temperature reached over 90 degrees that day, but it didn’t stop people from getting excited about all the many beef options. The lines to taste were long, so burger lovers cooled off with refreshing Rita’s Water Ice samples, beer, cider, and Multi-Flow fountain-dispensed beverage solutions that featured tasty sodas like cherry cola, ginger ale, root beer and more. Unfortunately, with only a few tents with standing tables, some people were getting heat exhaustion and had to cool off with wet towels.

At the end of the event, the results were revealed in a large boxing ring to go right along with the “brawl” theme! Village Whiskey, making its debut at the Philadelphia Burger Brawl, captured the judges’ vote, while last year’s winner, Blue Duck Sandwich Company, won the People’s Choice Award!