Following is an excerpt from my exclusive interview with Burt Vertburger, founder of the restaurant Vertburger.
...
BRIAN McMULLEN: What makes a Vertburger a unique burger?
BURT VERTBURGER: A Vertburger is vertically served.
BM: Why does Vertburger serve burgers vertically, Burt?
BV: Have you tried it vertical?
BM: No, not yet.
BV: You need to try it vertical.
BM: I'll try it, Burt. Does it even work to eat a burger that way, though? I don't see how it works. If I hold my burger in an upright position, I'll get grease all over my nose. Right?
BV: Yes, and your chin, too. The hot grease up your nose and dribbling down your chin is part of the point.
BM: Point?
BV: This is the Vertburger philosophy, Brian: You're going to make a mess of yourself at Vertburger. That's number one. Number two: It's okay to make a mess at Vertburger. Number three: It's fun to make a mess at Vertburger. What's more, you're already a mess. Eating a Vertburger can be a confirmation, or affirmation, of the state of the world. The state of yourself. The interior state of your date, your children, and so forth.
BM: I don't know, Burt. Do you really think—
BV: You have to gnaw. You have to approach a Vertburger with a shove and a gnaw.
BM: Do you really think every customer is a mess? Everyone who walks through your door will always be a mess? Is it fatalistic, your philosophy? Is it essentially a negative, arms-folded worldview? Is it unfair?
BV: I don't know if it's fair, Brian, but no, our arms are not folded. It's not negative. It's positive, our arms are wide open.
BM: Are you an evangelical organization? Are you affiliated with In-N-Out Burger?
BV: No Brian, I was going to say, it's not negative to be a mess. The Vertburger is a facial hatchet.
BM: No you're not affiliated with In-N-Out or no you're not evangelical?
BV: No and no. No on both counts. We're evangelical only about our product and the experience we offer. Like any business, we seek your business.
BM: You were talking about Vertburger's extreme sloppiness as a positive, desirable thing.
BV: Yes. For sure. A mess is liberating, in the Vertburger context, in my view. For the customer, it's fun to plunge into a Vertburger mess. And it's fun to anticipate each trip to Vertburger. I want to get my pants—the lap of my pants—disgustingly greasy and messy when I eat a Vertburger meal. Even thinking about this—messing my pants with grease as I eat a Vertburger—increases my heart rate. It's a thrill, a pure thrill, a joy, Brian. It's okay to make a mess. I love, love, love to make a hot-food mess. That's why I launched the restaurant. It's a place I can love going to.
BM: I see.
BV: When we go out to eat, we want a thrill. It's not such a revolutionary idea. We offer a certain kind of thrill for a certain kind of person. In a sense, it's the most conventional casual dining philosophy in the world.
BM: Ketchup all over your pants, hot grease on your nose, grilled onions in your crotch, and so forth.
BV: Vertburger is about all of those things. Try it vertical. Eat it vertical, at least once. It's a delightful experience, but it's not for everyone. But you must try it.
BM: I will, Burt. Thank you.
BV: You're welcome.
...
BRIAN McMULLEN: What makes a Vertburger a unique burger?
BURT VERTBURGER: A Vertburger is vertically served.
BM: Why does Vertburger serve burgers vertically, Burt?
BV: Have you tried it vertical?
BM: No, not yet.
BV: You need to try it vertical.
BM: I'll try it, Burt. Does it even work to eat a burger that way, though? I don't see how it works. If I hold my burger in an upright position, I'll get grease all over my nose. Right?
BV: Yes, and your chin, too. The hot grease up your nose and dribbling down your chin is part of the point.
BM: Point?
BV: This is the Vertburger philosophy, Brian: You're going to make a mess of yourself at Vertburger. That's number one. Number two: It's okay to make a mess at Vertburger. Number three: It's fun to make a mess at Vertburger. What's more, you're already a mess. Eating a Vertburger can be a confirmation, or affirmation, of the state of the world. The state of yourself. The interior state of your date, your children, and so forth.
BM: I don't know, Burt. Do you really think—
BV: You have to gnaw. You have to approach a Vertburger with a shove and a gnaw.
BM: Do you really think every customer is a mess? Everyone who walks through your door will always be a mess? Is it fatalistic, your philosophy? Is it essentially a negative, arms-folded worldview? Is it unfair?
BV: I don't know if it's fair, Brian, but no, our arms are not folded. It's not negative. It's positive, our arms are wide open.
BM: Are you an evangelical organization? Are you affiliated with In-N-Out Burger?
BV: No Brian, I was going to say, it's not negative to be a mess. The Vertburger is a facial hatchet.
BM: No you're not affiliated with In-N-Out or no you're not evangelical?
BV: No and no. No on both counts. We're evangelical only about our product and the experience we offer. Like any business, we seek your business.
BM: You were talking about Vertburger's extreme sloppiness as a positive, desirable thing.
BV: Yes. For sure. A mess is liberating, in the Vertburger context, in my view. For the customer, it's fun to plunge into a Vertburger mess. And it's fun to anticipate each trip to Vertburger. I want to get my pants—the lap of my pants—disgustingly greasy and messy when I eat a Vertburger meal. Even thinking about this—messing my pants with grease as I eat a Vertburger—increases my heart rate. It's a thrill, a pure thrill, a joy, Brian. It's okay to make a mess. I love, love, love to make a hot-food mess. That's why I launched the restaurant. It's a place I can love going to.
BM: I see.
BV: When we go out to eat, we want a thrill. It's not such a revolutionary idea. We offer a certain kind of thrill for a certain kind of person. In a sense, it's the most conventional casual dining philosophy in the world.
BM: Ketchup all over your pants, hot grease on your nose, grilled onions in your crotch, and so forth.
BV: Vertburger is about all of those things. Try it vertical. Eat it vertical, at least once. It's a delightful experience, but it's not for everyone. But you must try it.
BM: I will, Burt. Thank you.
BV: You're welcome.
Next time I have a hamburger I'll be trying it vertically.
Publicado por: Katie | 21/02/10 en 21:40