Tuesday is National Burger Day. We’ve got some reader faves for you to try

Americans eat nearly 50 billion burgers a year, according to nationaldayarchives.com/. That’s billion. With a “b.”

Let that sink in. That means the average American eats about three hamburgers a week.

At first that seems like a lot of burgers, but if you think about it … yeah, that’s still a lot of burgers. But hey, no judgment. Burgers are awesome.

Tuesday, May 28, is National Burger Day, and while there is a “national (fill in the blank) day” for just about every food, hamburgers stand out as part of the fabric of this country and deserve to be celebrated.

This year National Burger Day falls on the day after Memorial Day, traditionally a day that involves the grilling of burgers. But the nature of hamburgers makes them so versatile that you could surely have them many days in row and not get bored with the myriad combinations of meat, bun, cheese and toppings at your disposal.

Every year we ask our readers for their favorite burger spot in our Reader’s Choice Best of the Best Awards. Brandt's of Palatine, located at 807 W. Northwest Hwy., took home top honors last year. Their half-pound burgers are made from a fresh-ground combo of short rib and deep chuck, then served on a choice of six buns or breads. The restaurant, located in a 130-year-old farm house that has been a restaurant since the ’50s, has also been featured on “Chicago's Best” for their burger.

In last week’s Dining out column, we asked readers to name their favorite restaurant for a burger, and one place became such a common theme that I thought the fix was in.

About two-thirds of the readers who emailed swore by the Motherlode burger at The Claim Company in Northbrook. I’ve honestly never seen so many exclamation points.

Email superlatives included: “Claim Company of Northbrook — hands down!!,” “Claim company is the best burger!,” “Claim Company has the best burger in the burbs!,” “By far, best hamburger on the Northshore is Claim Co. Very juicy, well mix of meats, just awesome!” and “The motherlode at Claim Company is the best burger around, especially with Claim Sauce and housemade chips!!”

There were many more, but you get the idea. Head to Northbrook and grab a burger.

Numerous other eateries got ringing endorsements, including The Assembly in Hoffman Estates and West Dundee with multiple votes, Rebel Kitchen + Bar in Lombard, Kuma’s Corner in Schaumburg, Lucky Burger in Palatine and Bluegrass in Highland Park.

Many restaurants are offering specials to honor the burger on Tuesday. The Assembly is offering half off a second burger when you dine in or use the mobile app. Bar Louie is offering rewards members triple points on their craft burgers. And Tuesdays are always half-price burger day at Rookie’s All-American Pub & Grill locations, so that’s fortuitous.

So be it from your favorite restaurant or backyard grill, enjoy a burger on Tuesday. Then you’ll only need to eat two more next week to stay on pace.