Cookout season is officially in full swing, and if you’re tired of grilling your own, the Haymount Truck Stop has an exciting option for the whole family! The Truck Stop’s inaugural burger competition is happening on Saturday, July 19, and will be an exciting addition to your summer calendar. The competition will be held at the Haymount Truck Stop on 100 Broadfoot Ave. starting at 11 a.m. four food trucks will compete for awards from a panel of judges, and also for a People’s Choice Award. Visitors of the competition can channel their inner food critic by sampling a slider from each truck, and submitting their vote which will be tallied up by the end of the event.

Inspired by the prior success of the past barbecue and taco competitions, Operations Manager Doug Ray wishes nothing but the best for the participating food trucks, and is excited about this newest installment in the competition series.
“Thus far all the competitions have been every single thing I’ve wanted them to be, the trucks are successful, the people are happy, our single-day sales record since we’ve been open was set during the second barbecue competition, [and] I can only hope that the burger competition will be the same for the trucks,” said Ray.

For the competition, the official judges will be assessing the burgers blind, and will not know which burger comes from which food truck. The burgers are assessed by presentation, taste and creativity in two categories: a beef burger and an ‘exotic’ burger, which will require chefs to use anything but beef for the patty.
It’s a creative outlet for the local chefs to have fun and showcase their strengths, and a great opportunity for these local businesses to get further traction and advertisement.

“Food competitions are not unique, but I think it’s something that’s proven to be successful, they’ve become a key part of the Truck Stop and hopefully will stay anticipated events on the calendar, just like any other holiday,” said Ray. “There’s certain things people come to expect annually so going forward for us, barbecue, taco and burger competitions, same time every year, will become a regular event people will expect to have happen.”

From 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., live music will take place at the event, provided by N.C. indie alternative rock artist, Buster Jangle. In addition to the food trucks, a unique cocktail menu will be available that day only, along with the regular bar and a plethora of beers on tap for enthusiasts.
“We are always updating the menu, we have seasonal changes – the creativity of the bars up here are unmatched so we are working to again elevate what the city and county can do to get on board with the larger cities of the state,” said Ray.

And of course, none of the deliciousness and fun would be possible without the employees at Haymount Truck Stop, and the food truck owners themselves.

The food trucks at the competition that day to look forward to are Grill Me Up, a gourmet sandwich shop on wheels with unique flavors, Oink ‘N Moo, a Raleigh based catering company that specializes in smokehouse specialties, R Burger, a beloved local staple for burgers and Savory Southern Cuisine, a classic southern soul food truck and catering company.

“It’s a huge amount of work. We know what they have to go through to serve on a normal day let alone a competition, it takes an incredible amount of work and we love our food truck workers and we need them. They're the billboards out front that bring people outside,” said Ray. “We appreciate every
single person who walks through the doors, their patronage tells us that our idea is working and they want to be a part of it so shout-out to customers as well.”

This competition is not only a showcase of the finest in the local food truck business, but also an intersection of community involvement all around.

“It is a lot of work but that’s what it takes, y’know? We need people to show up and have a good time, all the work we do is transparent to a certain extent but it is not easy,” said Ray. “Food and beverage, if you’re doing it right and wanting to put out a good product it takes a lot of work and we have an amazing team and it takes all of us to put it together.”

Competition attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, as seating is limited, as well as extra water. Learn more about upcoming events, menus and more at www.haymounttruckstop.com.