Governor’s Restaurant
home to best burger in town
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Governor’s Restaurant’s Southwestern barbecued chia turkey burger was recently voted the best burger in town as Maine Potato Growers hosted its second annual Tailgate Party and Burger Contest.
MAINE POTATO GROWERS recently hosted its second annual Tailgate Party and Burger Contest at its Parsons Street facility. 
Six local restaurants competed for a plaque and bragging rights as community members voted for their favorite burger. Governor’s Restaurant earned the title of “best burger in town” with its Southwestern barbecued chia turkey burger entry. Pictured are, from left: MPG’s Daniel Sipe, event organizer; Joe Bell, head line cook at Governor’s; and Tony Sullivan, restaurant owner.
“It’s basically ground chicken and turkey, Italian breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, eggs and seasoning,” said Tony Sullivan, owner of Governor’s Restaurant, who along with head line cook Joe Bell prepared approximately 200 portions of the burger for residents to try at the July 21 competition. “On top of the burger is our special barbecue sauce, bleu cheese crumbles, fried mushrooms and bacon, and it’s served in one of our homemade rolls.
“We won a plaque which is on the counter at the restaurant, as well as bragging rights,” he said. “We typically run the burger as a special … usually once every couple of weeks, but I’ve been running it constantly since the contest. A lot of people were talking about it, so we definitely want to take advantage of the fact that we won and blow our own horn a little bit.”
With several burger recipes to choose from, Sullivan said he wanted to “try to do something different.”
“I wanted to do something that might set us apart from the other entries,” he said. “Our burger had a bit of a healthy twist in that we used chicken and turkey rather than beef. Plus I like to use some local ingredients, and I do a lot of gardening, so I mixed in some green onions in the burger from my own garden.
“I have a lot of flexibility as a franchisee to offer different things — things that are relevant to the local area — and our Southwestern barbecued chia turkey burger is something that people enjoy,” said Sullivan. “I could have done a regular, basic burger, which is fine, but I wanted to experiment a little bit and the contest was a way for me to try different things and get peoples’ reactions. People really loved the little bit of bleu cheese that gave it a kick. The bleu cheese was crucial in terms of the flavoring. It was kind of a gamble, but it paid off.”
MPG’s Daniel Sipe, event organizer, said the contest was well attended.
“Last year the contest was open to the community and we gave away a grill. It was more of an event for the people that were involved,” he said. “This year we wanted to make it more of a community event, bring some publicity to local restaurants and ourselves, and create more of a tailgate atmosphere.
“We figured that in order to do that, we would invite local restaurants which would — in turn — bring in more people,” said Sipe. “I think we reached our goal as we had between 200-220 people attend.”
Other restaurants that competed included Gram Russo’s, Café Sorpreso, The Crow’s Nest, Bou’s Brew Pub and the Presque Isle Country Club.
Sipe said 175 votes were cast in the competition.
“I gave people poker chips and they would put the chip in the can of the restaurant that was their favorite,” he said. “While the winner got a plaque and bragging rights, all the businesses that competed could advertise their business and had the opportunity to talk with the public and give people the chance to see the chefs and how they cook. By being great hosts, it was a way for them to boost their own publicity. I know the Country Club has actually seen an increase in sales since the burger competition.
“I was happy with the number of restaurants that participated,” said Sipe, noting that next year he might expand the contest to include restaurants in the Mapleton and Fort Fairfield areas. “Some of the restaurants in the surrounding communities don’t necessarily get the same amount of publicity that Presque Isle restaurants do, so maybe we can help give them some additional exposure. We’re trying to make this a big event to help area restaurants, as well as create a unique, fun atmosphere that people will come to year after year.”
