Burger Barons

What if there was a video game in which Sean and Earl had to satisfy long lines of customers at a local Burger Baron? 

Project Burger Baron: Drayton Valley

 

Drayton Valley's Burger Baron occupies the middle tier of the pseudo-chain's rankings, offering bland fries, a merely decent pizza burger, and a superb chocolate milkshake. This location also offers pizza and pasta, which I haven't seen at many other Burger Barons. Or is that Burgers Baron? 

The best Burger Baron locations should look as if they're about to fall apart, and Drayton Valley's Baron qualifies. The grounds are expansive and well-maintained, but the building itself is rather ramshackle and covered in cracked, peeling stickers, most of a decidedly rural-industrial outlook. The menu boards are bright orange with faded black type--faded almost to the point of illegibility for some items and prices. A swingset, not pictured here because it was behind me when I took this photo, offers fun for the kids. Children play at their own risk! 

The proprietor was friendly and genial, and would probably enjoy this poorly-composed shot of me with a tree growing out of my head. 

Should you stop at Burger Baron when you visit Drayton Valley? Yes, because even middling Burger Baron is better than no Burger Baron. But other locations might offer a more satisfying repast. 

Project Burger Baron

While on my way to Bonnyville yesterday I spotted a Burger Baron as we passed by Lamont. I've always been fascinated by the Burger Baron phenomenon; no one seems to know how the chain started, menus across the quasi-chain are wildly different, and the restaurants themselves are often in disrepair.

And yet Burger Baron provides wonderful comfort food with often outstanding service. Knowing that the chain is restricted to western Canada, I thought a travelogue of Burger Barons might serve as an ambitious but achievable long-term project.

As seen on the map above, Burger Barons are concentrated in Alberta, spanning the breadth and width of the province. There are also locations in Kelowna, Regina and Prince Albert.

Here's my plan: over the course of the next five years or so, I'll visit, review and photograph each and every Burger Baron. I also hope to provide some sociological insight: what kind of communities support Burger Baron? In what kinds of neighbourhoods do Burger Barons thrive?

I'm hoping that Sean, Sylvia (who shall be named the Burger Baroness in these reports) or some of my other friends will accompany me on most of these road trips, particularly the ones that involve long drives. I think it could be a great way to explore some far-flung communities.

Next weekend I'll visit one of the Edmonton Burger Barons to begin this culinary odyssey. Hold the mayo, extra cheese!

Ghost Car

While on a trip to Leduc, Sean asked me to take a photo of the amusing sign at Burger Baron. Click to embiggen and take a closer look at the car in the photo. This odd effect was produced because I used my iPhone's HDR setting, which forces the camera to take two photos milliseconds apart at different settings in an effort to capture a wider range of light. But while my hand was steady enough to prevent blur, I couldn't prevent the moving vehicle from being doubly exposed. However, I think the effect is kind of neat.

The Leduc Burger Baron, by the way, seems to be under new management - new to me, anyway. The burgers and fries are markedly superior to the Burger Barons on Edmonton's west end. The Leduc Burger is especially savoury. Yum!