Warrensburg welcomes inaugural Burger Crawl

WARRENSBURG | If a warm, perfectly-cooked-to-your liking burger is a meal that ranks on your favorites list, February and March in the Warrensburg restaurant scene are your months to take advantage of. Now until the end of March, Mark's Hometown'cue is running their first-ever burger crawl, an event created to support the local hospitality industry during the profitably leanest months of the year. The 'Cue's owner and chef, Darrell Langworthy, makes it his personal mission to not only build a thriving restaurant for himself, but to promote others in the business with the same dream, and this year's Burger Crawl is his first Warrensburg-specific initiative. "My idea was to pick an item that is not normally the most expensive thing on a menu- most everyone loves a good burger. So I thought, why not take the restaurants in town that have a good burger and promote everyone," he explained. "This won't hit the pocketbook too hard, and will also give people and families a chance to have a little fun." From small, hopeful beginnings in a food truck to the current brick-and-mortar location at 3951 Main Street, Langworthy has earned the trust of his customers with his bold flavors and Texas-style barbecue. The 'Cue has grown into a popular place where it's normal to see people travel from as far as two hours away when they have a hankering for a good barbecue. And in Langworthy's opinion, yes, his restaurant is great, but so are many others in town that are able to say as much, and are worth making a trip to. "We have a lot of great places, but how many people don't know that? I want to change that, I want people to intentionally come to Warrensburg for dinner," he said. And if that means creating an event in which he ultimately will be digging into his own pockets to drive business, Langworthy is more than willing to pony up and do that for the good of all. "In general, for the restaurant industry in the Northeast, this is the timeframe where you start to see a dropoff beginning around the end of Christmas," Langworthy revealed. "January is quiet, you hope February skiing is good and that it will start to pick up." Speaking to his fellow restauranters, Langworthy noted the expected seasonal drop-off came earlier than normal this year. Though one could speculate as to why, the answer seems obvious- inflation is high, and people need to understandably be more conservative with their spending habits. "The cost of everything is up for the average consumer; everyday shopping in general is hard," Langworthy acknowledged. "The fact everything is up, dining is out is something people are doing a little less of. And that being said, our prices are up in restaurants across the board. We don't want to raise prices, but we are paying more, too. It's kind of a myth that we get everything for a great deal in restaurants; that's not really always the case. For example, the difference in what we pay for quality ground beef is not significantly cheaper than the cost at the grocery store." Which is exactly what inspired Langworthy's Burger Crawl as two more bleak momths of winter loom ahead. With reservations having slowed down, seating in the dining rooms readily available, and doors not opening as much, Langworthy is hopeful that the community will intentionally treat themselves to a burger at every stop on the list. The crawl is already underway and has been since February began. The concept is extremely simple. Stop into Mark's Hometown'cue to begin the crawl by ordering a burger of any kind from the menu. A burger card will be marked off, and patrons are free to visit all the other establishments in any order they choose. Simply bring the receipts that prove a burger was purchased during February and March back to the 'Cue, and the burger card will be stamped accordingly. Once the card is completed, Mark's Hometown'Cue will give you a free sandwich. "Anything that is referred to as a 'burger' on their menus is fair game, it doesn't have to be just beef," Langworthy explained. That means chicken burgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers, fish burgers are all acceptable. Participating restaurants include George Henry's, the Bandstand Brewery, Lucky Star, New Way Lunch, Lizzie Keys, Tommy Guns, the Bond, and the Guac Box. And no, McDonald's burgers are not eligible, the crawl is intended for non-chain restaurants only. Additionally, for the person who finishes their burger card first, Langworthy will award them a $50 gift certificate. Other challengers will be selected at random throughout for a chance to also win a gift card. If all goes well, Langworthy will be bringing back the crawl this summer and potentially once a quarter going forward. "The idea is literally just to get people to patronize other places," said Langworthy, who feels there is no substitute for a locally owned restaurant and the service available there, with bartenders and waitstaff valuing their locals, the true bread and butter of the business. "Warrensburg is known for the garage sale, but we are so much more than that," he noted. "We have antique shops and other specialty shops people know nothing about, people will travel for great food, and while they are here, stumble upon these great finds." For Langworthy, it's all about fostering a solid restaurant community, and his crawl is one effort to build and nurture that collective network. "I follow the 518 page for food on Facebook, and every day I see one or two restaurants closing," Langworthy admitted. "We have to change this, we can't just be left with chain restaurants. The industry has changed a lot over the past few years, and right now, everyone is kind of fighting a little bit for survival, everyone is trying to get their piece of the pie. The more we try to work together, the more successful we will be. I hope people will get out and support their local restaurants everywhere." Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce President Jack Bartlett believes the Burger Crawl is a fantastic reminder of what makes Warrensburg such a special place. "It's awesome to see our small businesses teaming up, supporting each other, and really showing up for the community," Bartlett reflected. "Events like this bring people together and highlight the best of what our local businesses have to offer." Mark's Hometown'cue winter hours are Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. -6 p.m. Follow Mark's Hometown'cue for events, updates, and specials.

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Warrensburg welcomes inaugural Burger Crawl

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