Free George Webb burgers on deck; Milwaukee Brewers go for win #12
Free George Webb burgers on deck if Brewers score
George Webb officials say they are ready to serve up free hamburgers if the Milwaukee Brewers win 12 games in a row. The team goes for #12 on Tuesday night, July 22 in Seattle.
MILWAUKEE - George Webb officials say they are ready to serve up free hamburgers if the Milwaukee Brewers win 12 games in a row. The team has already won 11 straight – and go for #12 on Tuesday night, July 22 in Seattle.
Free burgers on deck
What we know:
The famous George Webb prediction dates back more than 80 years and has only been realized twice in the restaurant’s history – in 1987 and 2018.
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A news release says the George Webb "12 in a Row" promotion unofficially began in the 1940s. It was then formalized in 1965 when the owner painted the prediction on restaurant walls and advertised in newspapers. As legend has it, George Webb boldly stated that once the hometown team won 12 games in a row, free burgers would be served.
In 1987, the Brewers surpassed that number with a 13-game winning streak. The team's 12th in a row happened on Easter Sunday. As a result, George Webb Restaurants handed out almost 170,000 free hamburgers. To meet the demand, Webb ordered more than 25,000 pounds of ground beef and went through 2,868 pounds of onions in addition to 367,180 slices of pickles.
Milwaukee won another 12-straight games in October 2018, which once again meant free hamburgers for fans. In 2018, George Webb served up 90,000 burgers and handed out 100,000 free burger vouchers.
What's next:
If Milwaukee wins 12-straight games with a victory against the Mariners on Tuesday night, George Webb will announce a specific day and time for the free burger giveaway.
‘It’s gonna be a fun day'
Local perspective:
Even on a quiet Tuesday night in July, the staff at George Webb in Wauwatosa prefer a little heat in the kitchen.
Maybe that's why they welcome hot streaks from their favorite team in town.
"It's gonna be a fun day. It's going to be busy and hectic, but everyone's excited about it," George Webb Vice President Ryan Stamm said. "We've always had a baseball prediction. Our founder, George Webb, actually back in the late 40s, predicted the Milwaukee Braves would win 13 games in a row. So, that never came to fruition. The Braves left town."
So when the Brewers returned, Stamm said George Webb's prediction did too, just one less game.
"I mean, '87 was hectic. That was definitely more chaotic," Stamm said. "I don't think fans knew what we were gonna do."
Eric Farmer was behind the grill that day.
"It was fun. It was seeing a lot of burgers, a lot of onions, a lot of pickles, a lot of buns, a lot of fries," Farmer said. "Yeah, it was fun."
A few things have changed in nearly 40 years.
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First, ground beef costs almost five times as much as it did.
What hasn't changed?
Customer loyalty.
"It's 20,000 pounds of hamburger we'll order. So, we have a standing purchase order ready to go," Stamm said. "If they win tonight, they'll produce ‘em, and then we'll be ready to give away some burgers next week."
You are invited to check out georgewebb.com for details.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by George Webb.