FOOD

Hamburger restaurants

If you are a fan of hamburgers, then Wednesday, May 28, is a good day to grab one – it’s National Hamburger Day.

No one knows how May 28 became the unofficial hamburger holiday, according to the National Day Calendar, but its proximity to Memorial Day and the outdoor grilling season could be a reason.

Hamburgers don’t really need a special day as they are a staple of dining out and eating at home. Americans eat an estimated 50 billion burgers. The average U.S consumer eat 26 burgers per year from restaurants, drive-throughs and other food service operations, according to Circana, based on research from the 12 months ending March 2025.

Burgers and cheeseburgers, are among America’s favorite entrées, according to YouGov’s regularly updated list of 

The Most Popular American Dishes. On YouGov’s list, only french fries and mashed potatoes rank slightly higher (with an 85% and 84% popularity ranking, respectively, for each of those side dishes). The hamburger earned 83% (tied with fried chicken and grilled cheese sandwich) and the cheeseburger 82%.

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How to get the perfect burger: You might want to skip the grill

If all that talk about burgers has gotten you hungry, there’s plenty of options for free and bargain burgers on National Hamburger Day, which comes near the end of National Hamburger Month.

Burger King: Deals on National Hamburger Day and more

Burger King began offering National Hamburger Month deals to members of its Royal Perks loyalty program ahead of National Hamburger Day. Here’s what’s still on tap:

• May 26: Buy one Whopper get one free.
• May 27: Free Original Chicken Sandwich with purchase of $1 or more.
• May 28: Free Hamburger with purchase of $1 or more.

Royal Perks members can also get a hamburger for only 125 crowns (half the usual reward redemption cost) through the end of May. Deals are good when you order ahead on the BK app and on BK.com. To get the deals, you must activate them in the “Offers” tab within the app or on online before placing order.

Wendy’s 1-cent Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger deal

From May 28 to June 1, you can get a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger for 1 cent with any purchase by using an offer in the Wendy’s app.

The fast-food chain continues the deals into the summer with its 100 Days of Savings promotions with regularly-added new offers in the Wendy’s app. For instance, starting June 7, you get a $1 Dave’s Single with any purchase every Saturday through July 26.

See the offers and redeem them in the app or website; account registration required.

Grubhub+ Memorial Day deals includes burger bargains at Sonic, Arby’s

The delivery service‘s four-week Gold Days of Grubhub+ promotion continues with Memorial Day Munchies deals, which run May 26 to June 1:

• Arby’s: 20% off orders of $25 or more (maximum savings, $7).
• Sonic Drive-In: Get 25% off your order of $20 or more (maximum savings, $6).

The Gold Days of Grubhub+ promotion runs through June 8; deals starting June 2 include offers from Shake Shack, Taco Bell and Starbucks. To see all the deals go to the Grubhub site.

Grubhub+ membership ($9.99 monthly after free trial) gets you zero delivery fees, lower service fees and other perks. Amazon Prime subscribers get Grubhub+ as part of their membership and can get $10 off a $20 order with code GOLD10.

More on USA TODAY 10BEST: 10 regional burgers that define American flavor

More National Hamburger Day deals

• Bad Daddy’s: Get the Bacon Cheeseburger on Steroids for $10 on May 28.
• Buffalo’s Cafe: Get a Canyon Burger and Tumbleweed Potato Chips for $11.99 at participating locations (offer good for dine-in and online orders).
• Buffalo Wild Wings: Get half off the price of any burger on May 28 including the All-American Cheeseburger, Triple Bacon Cheeseburger and more – when ordered for takeout or delivery from Buffalo Wild Wings Go using promo code GOBURGER (offer not valid for dine-in orders).

• Good Times: On May 28, you can get the Big Daddy Bacon Cheeseburger for $8.
• The Greene Turtle: All day on May 28, there’s a buy-one-get-one-free burger deal.
• Happy Joe’s: Can’t decide between a burger and pizza? Get the Super Max Pizza, with ground beef, cheese, onions and more, starting at $14.99 on May 28 (check your local Happy Joe’s for availability).
• Hurricane Grill & Wings: On May 28, get a Steak Burger and Fries for just $9.99 at participating locations (offer good for dine-in and online orders).
• Kroger: Get a Private Selection 6-pack of Angus Beef Chuck Patties for $6.99. Download the digital coupon from the Kroger website on May 27 and May 28; it’s redeemable May 28 to May 31 at the Kroger Co. family of stores including Ralphs, Fred Meyer and more when shopping in-store or ordering for pickup on the Kroger website and app.
• Logan’s Roadhouse: Get the restaurant chain’s Real Deal Meal on May 28 – the Original Roadies (trio of mini burgers) for just $11.99 or the All-American Cheeseburger for $12.99, both served with a garden or Caesar salad, a side, and a soft drink or tea, plus bottomless rolls.
• Omaha Steaks: The retailer just released their new Smash Burgers, and they’ve put out several packages that come with 16 free smash burgers! You can visit their website for more details.
• Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes: There’s a buy-one-get-one-free burger deal all day long on May 28. 
• Native Grill & Wings: Get a My Native Burger for $8 on May 28 at participating locations (offer good for dine-in and online orders.
• Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors: Like to make your burgers at home? Through June 11, you can get 30% off dry-aged blend burger patties shipped direct-to-home.
• Perkins: For National Hamburger Month in May, the restaurant chain has added to the menu The Great American Burger Trio – a cheeseburger, fries, and pie – for $9.99. Also, you can join the Perkins e-Club loyalty program and get 20% off your next visit.
• Red Robin: Through May, members of the Red Robin Royalty rewards program will be automatically entered into the restaurant chain’s Burgers for a Year Sweepstakes when they buy a burger and beverage while logged into their account in-restaurant, online or in the mobile app. New members who join the program in May will be automatically entered to win.
• Shake Shack: Get a free ShackBurger with any purchase of $10 or more through June 1 (order in the Shack app, online or in-Shack kiosks; use code BURGERMONTH).

• Smashburger: Get any single burger – including the new Jalapeño BBQ Bacon Stack Smash – for just $5.28 on May 28 (offer good at participating locations nationwide; redeem the deal in-store or through Smashburger’s website and app with the code JUST528.
• Sonic Drive-In: Get half-price Cheeseburgers when you order in the Sonic app on Tuesday, May 27, after 5 p.m. Also available after 5 p.m. through the end of the month – half price shakes in the app.
• Sullivan’s Steakhouse: From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., you can get the Signature Angus Burger for $15.
• Wahlburgers: Through May 27-29, get 50% off all Brothers’ Choice Burgers – the Our Burger, BBQ Bacon, and O.F.D. – using the code HAMBURGERDAY online or in the app. (Offer good at participating U.S. locations; not valid on third-party delivery services.)
• Wayback Burgers: On May 28, get $5 Classic Burgers online, in the Wayback Rewards program and in-restaurant (not valid through third-party delivery services).
• Whataburger: When members of the Whataburger Rewards loyalty program order any #1-#8 Whatameal online or scan your app in-store on May 28, they are automatically entered into the fast-food chain’s Whataburger for a Year giveaway. Each of 75 winners will get 12 months of deals including free meals, breakfast items and shakes – about $480 worth of deals. Rewards members can also enter by emailing [email protected].

This story has been updated with new information.

Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY’s Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him atmikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social  & @mikesnider & [email protected]

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