The biggest burger contest in the region has done it again! The 7th Annual Newport Burger Bender, which took place February 16 – 25, 2024, broke last year’s record by more than 1,000 additional burgers sold than in 2023. This year’s contest sold over 7,300 burgers across Newport and Bristol Counties, with over 2,000 votes. In 2023, the contest sold just over 6,200 burgers and 1,800 votes. In addition to the thousands of diners, the contest gained viral social media attention with an engagement of nearly 250k and over 5k likes from the direct campaign alone.
The contest featured three categories: beef, non-beef, and plant-based, from over 50 participating restaurants. This year’s champions are taking home the title of Best Beef Burger was 22 Bowen’s (Newport) with their French Onion Burger, the title of Best Non-Beef Burger went to The Boat House (Tiverton) with their Hawaiian Tuna Burger, and best plant-based burger went to Sprout and Lentil (Middletown) with their Yo’Spicy Bulgogi Burger.
Diners voted for their favorite online at DiscoverNewport.org from February 16 – 25, or at participating restaurants using QR codes displayed on site.
“We are thrilled to not only win but also very happy and grateful to see so many guests who were interested in this awesome local contest over the past 10 days. There was some incredible competition from some talented chefs and restaurants and we did not take this competition lightly. We look forward to defending our crown next year,” stated 22 Bowen’s Executive Chef Justin Garcia.
The Newport Burger Bender, first established in 2017, encourages a creative and fun contest for culinary teams and diners alike each February. In addition to the top winning burgers, a selection of burgers were awarded Superlatives, visit NewportBurgerBender.org for a full list of champions and award winners. Newport Burger Bender is proudly sponsored by Discover Newport.
