There is nothing better than a delicious burger on a summer day. Tennessee is known for having some of the best food in the country and burgers are no exception. This summer we set out to find the best burger in the state, with the help of our Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter followers.
The competition began July 1 when we asked our social media followers to comment with their favorite local, hometown burger joint. We received almost 900 responses with more than 250 submissions. These restaurants are located in all regions of Tennessee, so wherever you are in the state, there is a delicious burger to be found. After counting the votes, we narrowed it down to the Sweet Sixteen of Tennessee burgers:
Bell’s Burger Basket: Bells, TN
Brownsville Burger Basket: Brownsville, TN
By-Pass Deli: Columbia, TN
Fat Mo’s: Nashville, TN
Honey’s Restaurant: Fayetteville, TN
Huey’s: Memphis, TN
Jiffy Burger: Manchester, TN
Jumbo House: Columbia, TN
Litton’s Market and Restaurant: Knoxville, TN
Marcos @ 822: Columbia, TN
Mid-City Grill: Johnson City, TN
Pal’s: Kingsport, TN
The Pharmacy Burger Parlor: Nashville, TN
Soda Pop Junction: Lynnville, TN
The Stock and Barrel: Knoxville, TN
Tellico Beach Drive-In: Tellico Plains, TN
In the next round of voting, the sweet sixteen was narrowed down to the Elite Eight. The restaurants that made it to the next round were Brownsville Burger Basket, By-Pass Deli, Jumbo House, Litton’s, Marcos @ 822, Mid-City Grill, The Pharmacy Burger Parlor and Soda Pop Junction. Of these eight, only Brownsville Burger Basket, Jumbo House, Marcos @ 822 and Soda Pop Junction continued on to the Final Four.
The competition got intense in round three, as the Final Four became the Top Two. This round was extremely competitive and in the end, the last two restaurants standing were Brownsville Burger Basket and Jumbo House.
We received over 10,000 votes leading up to the final round, so we knew the final round of voting would be even more competitive. Fans rallied behind their hometown favorites, all the while spreading the word and boosting the vote counts.
“Thank you so much for the support,” said Jana Love, owner of Jumbo House. “We have a lot of loyal customers, and it’s been exciting for all of us to watch the votes roll in. We appreciate being in the top two and know that none of this would be possible without the overwhelming support we’ve received from the community.”
Brownsville Burger Basket and Jumbo House were neck and neck throughout the entire final round. With more than 2,700 votes cast, the final decision came down to a mere 14 votes.
Ultimately, Brownsville Burger Basket took the title of the best burger in Tennessee. Owned by Ron and Angie Hart, the West Tennessee staple is known for having the best burgers, steaks and homemade cakes in Haywood County since 2009. Coincidentally, the win occurred on quite a special day: Ron’s birthday!
“We feel very honored to have been nominated as one of Tennessee’s best burger restaurants and it’s an even greater honored to be in the Top Two,” said Ron Hart. “We would like to thank TNECD for putting great effort into making this happen. Mostly we would like to give a huge amount of gratitude and thanks to all that got the Brownsville Burger Basket this far. Thank you for all the support.”
Congratulations to Brownsville Burger Basket! If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by and try the best burger in Tennessee.
Brownsville Burger Basket
