After 10 days and 25 burgers, a winner has been named in the 2017 Newport Burger Bender contest.

Discover Newport announced via Twitter on Monday, February 27th that Jo’s American Bistro has won their inaugural Newport Burger Bender contest.

The Newport Burger Bender contest was a “best burger” contest organized by Discover Newport, the official travel and tourism bureau for Newport and Bristol counties, that took place from Friday, February 17 through Sunday, February 26, 2017.

Jo’s American Bistro graciously accepted the acknowledgment on their Facebook Page on Monday afternoon.

 

The contest was limited to 25 participating restaurants, each submitting just one burger. To vote, diners had to go to the Newport Burger Bender website and pick their favorite burger, from there the burger with the most votes was crowned the winner.

Discover Newport is expected to also announce a “Critic’s Choice” winner, which will also be named by a lauded Rhode Island food critic.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...