In September 1946, Charles Kincaid opened a small grocery and market on Camp Bowie Boulevard in Fort Worth, Texas. One year later, O.R. Gentry took a job working for Kincaid as the market's meat cutter, but he put the restaurant on the road to fame in 1964 when he started cooking his extra ground chuck as burgers.

Gentry cooked the burgers on a small grill in the back room and served them on a little chrome dinette table set against the wall. Local businessmen would stop by for a talk and a bite to eat. One burger led to two, and before long, Gentry was grinding extra meat just to make burgers.

Today, Kincaid's small grill has been replaced by a 12-foot flat-top that turns out thousands of burgers each week. But the recipe for the burgers is still the same; the meat is still ground fresh every day, and the burgers are still drawing customers and awards. Kincaid's patty has been named the best hamburger in Tarrant County, the best hamburger in Texas and even the best hamburger in the United States.

Kincaid's burgers coexisted with the groceries until 1991, when tables replaced the checkout stands. "I guess it's a pretty American story. The hamburger just took over. There's nothing that special about us. We sell an American hamburger at an American price," says Morris Gardner, general manager of the restaurant that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. "The secret is being simple. We sell four burgers: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chili burgers and bacon cheeseburgers. And we don't mess with what people remember and come back for. That's the secret."

Kincaid's represents just one small piece of the burger phenomenon that had Americans ordering 5 billion burgers in 1994, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association in Chicago. Researchers at the National Restaurant Association found that only 2.5 percent of all restaurants in the United States today are hamburger-menu themed, but the plain patty accounts for more than 43 percent of all fast-food sales and ranks first in number of refreshment-place establishments. Although by most accounts the burger is more than 100 years old, it is still inspiring new recipes, new restaurants and new excitement. From a 99-cent drive-thru bargain burger to a $28 four-star, chopped-filet affair, the burger is the American classic. It is as diverse as this country itself and arguably has even surpassed blue jeans as the symbol of America abroad.

A juicy tale

There are as many conflicting claims to having invented the burger as there are types of burgers. Most hamburger historians agree on the origins of the burger, but not on who first slipped the burger inside the bun.

The earliest ancestor of the burger can be found in, of all places, medieval Russia. In the 13th century, when nomadic Tartars conquered much of Russia and Eastern Europe, they introduced the region to one of the fastest of foods — chopped raw beef. Inhabitants of the Baltic region developed a taste for the raw meat and began to season it with salt, pepper and onion juice. Thus was born steak tartare.

It wasn't for another 500 years, in the 18th century, that the burger continued its journey. German sailors visiting Russian ports discovered the Baltic delicacy, developed a taste for the raw meat and introduced the dish to Hamburg and other German port towns. German chefs began experimenting with the meat, forming it into patties, sometimes adding an egg. And then — in a moment that would change culinary history — someone added chopped onions and lightly cooked the meat.

It may have taken five centuries for steak tartare to cross the Baltic sea, but it took less than 100 years for "Hamburg Style Steak" — the burger's forefather — to emigrate to America and take the country by storm. To attract German sailors and immigrants, eating stands along the piers in New York harbor started serving "Hamburg Steak." By 1834, the "Hamburger Steak" had made its first documented appearance on the menu at New York's famous Delmonico's restaurant, selling for 10 cents.

Uncontested burger history ends there. Some say that 15-year-old Charlie Nagreen of Seymour, Wisconsin, was selling ground beef at the Outgamie County Fair in 1885, and he placed the beef between bread slices so his customers could eat and walk.

Other accounts credit Frank and Charles Menches with the invention of the burger at the Summit County Fair in Akron, Ohio, in 1892. The brothers, famous for their pork-sausage sandwiches, ran into trouble when their butcher couldn't deliver the sausage, so they substituted seasoned ground beef for pork.

Then there are those who claim Fletcher Davis, of Athens, Texas, deserves credit for popularizing the hamburger at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. But whatever the history, by the late 19th century the burger had finally arrived, with its past firmly rooted in the immigrant population of the country. It arrived in time for the heydays of the car and the assembly line. It became the food of industrial workers, a soda-fountain classic, the cornerstone of America's first drive-ins and the backbone of our nation's restaurants.

The burger gets its own book

If there was any doubt about hamburger's position as an American classic, the 1993 publication of Marcel Desaulniers' cookbook Burger Meisters should have put those doubts to rest. The book — now in its second printing — includes 144 pages of burger recipes written by 45 graduates of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

Desaulniers, a 1965 CIA graduate and executive chef and co-owner of The Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia, says he and the other contributors wrote the book for a number of reasons, not the least of which was a shared love of burgers.

"Many of the graduates and alums of the CIA are in lofty positions around the country. But when I would get together with these chefs to cook and eat great food, I would hear the same thing over and over. I would hear, 'I could really go for a good burger.' This book shows that even a CIA alum is not above the burger," says Desaulniers. "If it's done well, it is delicious food. It's a classic. It doesn't go out of vogue. 'Lobster Newburg' has gone the way of 'Chicken a la King,' but burgers are just extraordinary in their endurance. It would be very hard to find another American recipe — with the possible exception of apple pie — that is as well known and as popular. But I'll bet more burgers are eaten every day than pies."

Although no statistics are kept on the national consumption of apple pies, Americans do keep tabs on their beloved burger. According to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, in terms of quarter-pound patties, Americans eat more than 100 burgers a year per person, and that number is climbing. That translates into more than 5.2 billion hamburgers and cheeseburgers sold in commercial restaurants in 1995, up 3.4 percent from 1994.

What's behind burgermania?

"Burgers represent something to the American psyche," says Paul Bolles-Beaven, managing partner of New York City's Union Square Cafe. "When you bite into a burger, there should be that great flavor, but there should also be that twinge of barbecue smoke in your eyes. Like so many classic dishes, burgers are very emotional foods. They are tied in with our history and our memories. And that's really the only thing I can point to as a reason for their incredible endurance and popularity. That, and the fact that they taste great."

Like Bolles-Beaven, other operators are hard pressed to explain the endurance and the popularity of the burger. "Most people grew up eating burgers in this country," says Tom Meyer, vice president of restaurant development for Washington DC-based Clyde's Restaurant Group, a nine-unit group specializing in classic American bistro and saloon food. "The term 'comfort food' has been used to death recently, but a burger might be the original comfort food. We serve all the American classics, from chili to Caesar salad, and we sell more burgers than anything else."

For Tim Ryan, senior vice president of the CIA and president of the American Culinary Federation, there are a number of reasons for the hamburger's popularity. "I think it's part of American tradition and history," says Ryan. "But for the most part, it's popular because it offers good value, it's convenient and it tastes really good. That's always important."

Ronn Teitelbaum founded the Johnny Rockets chain in 1986 with a good hamburger and a 20-seat restaurant. Ten years later, the Irvine, California-based operation has grown to 83 units, with plans for 12-15 new units by the end of the year. "There is nothing complicated about a burger," says Teitelbaum. "It's just basic American fare. It's also easy to accept. You can eat it in a car; you can eat it in a fancy restaurant. Hamburgers are for the upper class, the middle class, the lower class. Everybody eats them."

While restaurateurs may have a hard time pinpointing one reason for the incredible popularity and endurance of the burger, they all agree that making a great burger is a lot easier than explaining its greatness: good ingredients, simple preparation and consistency.

"We've had a burger on our lunch menu since we opened in 1985," says Bolles-Beaven. "And it's remained unchanged since we opened. We buy fresh ground meat every day, season it with salt and pepper, grill it to order and serve it on a brioche poppy-seed bun with red onion and french fries that are cut to order."

At the seven Clyde's-group restaurants that serve burgers, the patties are 6-3/4 ounces of 85 percent lean ground chuck cooked on an open gas-fired grill. "We've played with the toppings over the years," says Meyer, "but the burger has stayed the same for 25 years. We've tried 80 percent lean and 90 percent lean. Some places get fancy with hand-chopped sirloin, but you're not doing yourself any favor to hand-grind filet mignon. A hamburger is not a trend. It's a classic, and it became a favorite for a reason. You shouldn't monkey with it."

Desaulniers has not changed his hamburger since it appeared on The Trellis' first menu 15 years ago. "We use fresh ground sirloin, because the quality of the meat is most important. Then you've got to worry about the handling," he says. "All the recipes in the book tell you to handle the meat gently. The more handling, the less quality. We portion 8 ounces, being careful not to squeeze too tightly, and then we cook over hardwood charcoal. But I tell everyone, 'Squeeze your kids; don't squeeze the burgers.' "

Not the same old grind

Most operators would never imagine playing with their trusty patties, but they will update the toppings from time to time and experiment with alternative burgers. "We sell a tuna burger that's very popular and sometimes outsells the beef burger," says Bolles-Beaven. Tom Meyer says that he introduces a new burger topping once or twice a year, and sales of a turkey burger have been surprisingly strong. And at The Trellis, Desaulniers says "the two 'Ts' sell pretty well, but tuna and turkey burgers don't cut into beef burger sales. They're an alternative, and you really have to sell them to people."

The adventuresome burgers featured in Burger Meisters include "West Indies Burger with Mango Chutney and Fried Plantains," "Beef Sirloin and Kidney Burger with Grain-Mustard Butter and Steamed Asparagus," and "Chili Grill Burger with Jalapeno Cheddar Buns, Chipotle Mayonnaise, and Grilled Vegetables Prickly Pear."

Like Desaulniers, most think alternative burgers are a trend that won't last. "I don't think they have any great future," says Teitelbaum. "And the classic burger will always be classic. Yes, the industry is constantly changing. We've gone from McDonald's to the double drive-thru to the build-your-own-burger concepts. But the basic burger is still the same," he says. "It's a classic."

And it's a product restaurateurs have learned to count on. Across the Clyde's system, Meyer says he sells 1,000 burgers a day. "Over the years, as a percentage of sales, the burger has gone down a little because our menu has expanded ten-fold. But it's still 10 percent of our sales, and as a menu category, after salads, it's our number-one seller."

At The Trellis, Desaulniers says the burger has been 15 percent of his lunch sales. "It never varies more than 1 to 2 percent. You can count on the burger," he adds. And at the Union Square Cafe, Bolles-Beaven says that when the restaurant opened 10 years ago, 10 percent of his customers ordered burgers. "Today, 10 percent of our lunch customers still order burgers," he says. "In another 10 years, I'll probably tell you the same thing."

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