Who makes regional Victoria’s best burger?
In 2000 they were ranked the 48th most popular tourist attraction for the state – and now they’ve taken out the title of regional Victoria’s best burger.
Warrnambool
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When expats return to visit Warrnambool, there’s every chance Brett Healey is one of the first people they visit.
“When people come to Warrnambool I often see them before they’ve seen their own mother,” Kermonds Hamburgers owner Brett Healey said.
“I have to be careful when I’m talking to people, I’ll say ‘Johnny came in today’ and they’ll say ‘I haven’t seen him in two years’.”
It comes as no surprise Kermonds Hamburgers has taken the title of regional Victoria’s best burger, polling the most votes in our competition.
Kermonds Hamburgers is much more than just another eatery – it’s a Warrnambool institution.
And tourist attraction.
In 2000, it ranked 48th on the RACV’s Most Popular Tourist Attraction for Victoria, ranking it ahead of the Melbourne Zoo, which was 80th.
English celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott recorded a segment for his show at Kermonds during a visit to Warrnambool and it has featured on various Australian television programs.
John Kermond and his father Joe started Kermonds Hamburgers as a caravan on the Warrnambool foreshore in 1949.
Four generations of the Kermond family and three generations of Mr Healey’s have owned or worked at the store.
“My dad worked in the caravan with John Kermond and I’m one of eight (children to have worked at the store). Mum had 18 grandchildren and 12 have worked here so far,” Mr Healey said.
The secret to Kermonds’ success is simple – fresh ingredients cooked in front of your eyes and made to order.
Their one with the lot – which comes with egg, bacon, tomato and onion as well as lettuce and beetroot if requested at no extra cost – remains the most popular but custom-made burgers can feature anything from chilli to salami to pineapple.
“Customers love building their own burgers and we’ve been doing that the whole time,” Mr Healey said.
“One of our slogans is ‘the taste is in the tradition’. We’ve got cooked millions of burgers and the thing is they always come out exactly the same. That’s the key to it.
“We’ve seen wars, high interest rates, low interest rates, floods, pandemics and Kermonds is the one that has stood the test of time because there’s nothing like it.”
Kermonds has also been an active community member, sponsoring everything from junior sport to horse and greyhound racing and the Warrnambool speedway.
The store has also been a training ground for generations of youngsters, giving them an introduction into the workforce with part-time jobs while still at school.
“We take them at 15, train them up and 80 per cent last between three and five years,” Mr Healey said.
“We see them go on to great success.”
Three years ago Kermonds Hamburgers branched out to Geelong, and Mr Healey said there were plans to open more stores in regional Victoria and even Melbourne.
AND THE HONOURABLE MENTIONS ARE …
The Bird and The Wolf, South Gippsland
The Bird and The Wolf owners Sam Ennis and Natasha Doyle were thrilled their Tarwin Lower cafe were runners-up in the search to find the best burgers in regional Victoria.
They opened their cafe two years ago and started selling gourmet burgers after realising there was a gap in the market for them.
“We don’t really have much competition in the area and we have great local support,” Mr Ennis said.
“But consistency, quality and value for money is the three boxes we like to tick.”
Mr Ennis said his favourite burger, The Beffy Chick, was inspired by his own McDonald’s creation.
“I used to jam a double cheeseburger and a Mcchicken together,” he said.
“So when I opened the cafe and started making burgers, I wanted to recreate it with our ingredients,” he said.
Mr Ennis said chef Cindy deserved credit for their delicious menu.
“She’s the main mastermind behind the food,” he said.
Mr Ennis said the pandemic increased their customer base as more people moved to the area wanting a sea change.
“We were lucky enough not to close the store permanently,” he said.
“We opened back up stronger than ever as people realised they didn’t want to be trapped inside boxes in Melbourne.”
Barca Love, Goulburn Valley
It might sound cliche but every piece of food put in front of you is made with (Barca) Love at this Shepparton must-have.
When Phil Barca and his wife opened the American, with a touch of South American, restaurant they couldn’t have envisioned where it would take them.
Now they’ve been voted the Goulburn Valley’s best burger and they couldn’t be happier.
“It’s awesome to have received all the votes we did and we’re thankful to everyone who chose us,” Mr Barca said.
“When the business opened it was our goal to do something different to what was already being offered around town. There are a lot of wonderful places to eat and we’re glad to work alongside them.
“Everything we do here is homemade from our sauces to our pickles. Our team does a wonderful job.
“There is certainly a strong labour of love which goes into our cooking.”
But Mr Barca can’t decide which one he likes best.
“We’ve got a wonderful range of options for everyone,” he said.
“I think our chicken burgers are to die for after they marinate overnight but the brisket is just as good.
“But we also offer so much more than burgers.”
Soul M8’s Takeaway, Bendigo
Soul food from soulmates – that is the promise every customer is given when they get their order from Bendigo’s best burger joint.
Soul M8’s Takeaway owners Ray Miller and Katrina ‘Kat’ Lakey spent four years serving burgers from their converted school bus food truck before settling into their new Maiden Gully store in March.
Mr Miller said after years on the road there were no tears when they switched their four wheels for four walls.
But when the pair found out they had been voted as Bendigo’s best burger joint Mr Miller said there were “tears of joy”.
“It just means so much,” he said.
“It proves to a lot of people how serious we are about our burgers and our food.”
Mr Miller said they started their takeaway business with a simple goal: serving great food while blasting 80s tunes.
“That’s what the eight was, it’s the 80s music we like,” he said.
“And then we thought of soul food.
“And we are soulmates.
“We found each other early and started a business together.
“It’s been quite an adventure, there’s lots of stories to tell there.”
Mr Miller said Kat was a true foodie who had mastered the art of knowing every person who walked into their Maiden Gully shop.
“Kat knows everybody by name, what they have, what they eat, whether they take salt and pepper,” Mr Miller said.
“Everyone has their own take on burgers.
“She just wants to please people with great food.”
Find out more about Soul M8’s Takeaway via their Facebook and Instagram.
Albury Burger Co, Albury-Wodonga
With Italian backgrounds, Paul and Tanya Salvestrin decided to take their love of food to the next level by buying a burger joint.
After giving up a 35 year career as a mechanical engineer, Mr Salvestrin and his wife moved to Albury-Wodonga from Port Macquarie and bought the failing burger business at the start of the pandemic in April 2020.
Now, 12 months later, Albury Burger Co has been voted the best burger in Albury-Wodonga, and is looking to expand.
“We thought we’d buy it and give it a go,” Mr Salvestrin said.
“It was a diamond in the rough and we put our heart and knowledge into it and it’s been a huge success.
“It was a very steep learning curve and a big change, but my wife and I are very driven people.
“We made mistakes and we learned from them.
“We built it up and now we’re at the point where we’re looking to expand.”
Known for their large burgers and explicit burger names, such as the Big Bastard, and the Fat Phukka, Mr Salvestrin said they always know when a new customer walks through the door.
“We call them burger virgins,” he said.
“They always look at the menu and burst out laughing.”
Mr Salvestrin said all their burger patties were made fresh from local produce.
“We put a lot of love and effort into it,” Mr Salvestrin said.
“We’re Italians and we love food and feeding families.
“Food is a very big part of our life.”
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