| Hamburger America | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | George Motz |
| Produced by | George Motz Casey Benjamin |
| Cinematography | George Motz |
| Edited by | George Motz Virginie Danglades |
| Music by | Tony Ormond |
Production company | MotzFilms |
Release dates | |
Running time | 54 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10,000 [1] |
Hamburger America is a 2004 American documentary film directed by George Motz. The film highlights eight family-owned hamburger restaurants across various regions of the United States.
Working as a commercial cameraman in 2001, George Motz had the idea to create Hamburger America while sitting with his wife Casey Benjamin, who co-produced the film; as Motz explained, "We were watching TV and saw a show about hot dogs, and I thought, 'Gee, I've never seen a really good documentary about hamburgers.'" [2]
Over the course of the next three years, Motz traveled across the United States to various hamburger restaurants, selecting them under the criteria that they must be family-owned, use fresh beef, be more than 40 years old, and offer a distinctive burger that has stayed the same over those years. [2] Motz researched 26 restaurants throughout the country, eight of which made it into the film. [3] None of the restaurants featured in the film are from major coastal cities; as Motz explained, "Anybody can go to New York or L.A. and get a burger ... But I want people to go to Milwaukee and get a burger. I want people to think about Oklahoma and think about burgers." [1]
Motz calls Hamburger America a "pro-burger film," in contrast to works criticizing fast food such as the documentary Super Size Me , which was released the same year, or the book Fast Food Nation , which Motz cited as an inspiration for the film. [1] [3]
The film premiered on April 19, 2004, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, followed by a release party at Billy Goat Tavern, one of the restaurants featured in the film. [2] [4] It was also shown on December 3, 2004, at the Santa Fe Film Festival. [3] It was released on DVD alongside two screenings at Two Boots Pioneer Theater in New York City on February 1, 2005. [1]
Hamburger America documents the following hamburger restaurants, listed in order of appearance in the film:
| Restaurant | Location | Opened | Known for | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dyer's Burgers | Memphis, Tennessee | 1912 | Deep-fried hamburgers | [2] |
| Ted's Restaurant | Meriden, Connecticut | 1959 | Steamed cheeseburgers | |
| Wheel Inn Drive-In | Sedalia, Missouri | 1947 (closed in 2013) [5] | Guber burgers (made with peanut butter) | |
| Solly's Grille | Glendale, Wisconsin | 1936 | Butter burgers | |
| Meers Store & Restaurant | Meers, Oklahoma | 1901 | Texas Longhorn burgers | |
| Bobcat Bite | Santa Fe, New Mexico | 1953 | Green chile burgers | |
| Louis' Lunch | New Haven, Connecticut | 1895 | Claiming to have invented the hamburger | |
| Billy Goat Tavern | Chicago, Illinois | 1934 | Curse of the Billy Goat and Saturday Night Live 's Olympia Café | |
In 2006, Hamburger America was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award. [6] In 2011, the film was selected by the United States National Archives and Records Administration for a screening at the National Archives Building. [7]
Since releasing the film, George Motz has become a "leading authority on hamburgers," as described by The New York Times . [8] The film went on to inform Motz's later ventures, including his 2008 book Hamburger America: A State-by-State Guide to 200 Great Burger Joints, as well as his restaurant Hamburger America, which opened in SoHo, Manhattan in 2023 and draws inspiration from the restaurants featured the film. [4] [9]