SKEWERS AND THE RETURN OF THE MIGHTY-2

Back in September of 2010, when we started de-junking, we served burgers with holes, and the patty-holes on skewers. 4food was managed by Matt “the bard” Sheppard and our kitchen was run by Vinny “baby-face” Mangual. Over time we lost Vinny to Whole Foods and Matt to a high-paid consultancy, and when we introduced Salad and Rice bowls we retired Skewers. All were missed, and we are very pleased to announce their return - Matt and Vinny are already back in the saddle, and the much loved Skewers will be back in mid-July, with salad, with rice, and solo.

Check out the Q&A with the Mighty-2 next week.

ON THE CHART/CHARTBEAT: In praise of VOLATILITY

Angela1126’S Multigrain-Veggie-Spinach & Garlic-Avocado-Lettuce-Tomato-Barbeque-Hummus Angela’s Veggie 2 comes back to the pack a little this week, but still maintains a comfortable 5 percentage point cushion over AHARRIS’S all-time best-selling platinum-certified CaliBurger at #2. One week after landing not one but two new Turkey (W)holeburgers in the chart, BREADSTICK’S super-lightweight 310 calorie Samurai Turkey Burger is the best-selling Turkey in town, vanquishing JFAVUZZA’S Better Turkey Burger, which tumbles to #7. ALCYONE’S equally lightweight Multigrain-Veggie-Artichoke Hearts-Avocado-Cheddar-Lettuce-Horseradish Cream Dbl-A Awesome Veggie Burger is the 3^rd new veggie (W)holeburger to chart in the past two weeks - a tide that has increased Veggie’s patty-share threefold, from 13.3% on 6/3 to 37.7% today. Veggie is now the best-selling patty on the chart, ahead of the traditional favorites, Turkey and Beef.  JANINEDM’S Burger De La Hoya is the week’s Greatest Gainer, jumping one place to #5, on a 17% increase in sales - trading places with Jive Turkey, the second runner from BREADSTICK’S all-Turkey stable.  JFAVUZZA’S Better Turkey Burger is the highest grossing of the 3 (W)holeburgers tied at #7, followed by MSHEPPARD’S better blues burger and ANGELA1126’S Angela’s Veggie 3, the second runner from Angela1126’S all-Veggie stable. Goin' Whole Hog, JVEHLING’S super-calorific Brioche-Pork-Mofongo-Pancetta Bacon-Onion-Barbeque-Sweet Chili ‘ode to our delicious curly tailed brethren!’ is the week’s second new entry, and brings pork into contention for the first time in 2012. Goin' Whole Hog is illustrative of a trend that has seen old favorites like the platinum-certified MGR Lamb Burger and Cali4nication and the gold-certified #winning burger replaced by new builds.  The velocity of change has been so intense that only 3 hits (CaliBurger, Burger De La Hoya, and  Better Turkey Burger)  from the 6/3 chart appear on this week’s chart, and perhaps even more startling - 71% of sales of the top ten (W)holeburgers on this week’s chart were from builds that have been created in the past month!