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Entries tagged with 'Pittsburgh'

AOL Cityguide: The Nation's 15 Best Burgers

AOL Cityguide has done it again. In late March, the good folks there brought you the best burgers in New York. Now they've compiled the "15 Burgers to Try Before You Die" (hmm ... strange echo of Alan Richman's piece in GQ last year, "The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die.") Without further ado, they are ...

  1. All-American Drive-In, Massapequa, New York
  2. Chris Madrid's, San Antonio
  3. CityGrille, Denver
  4. Dick's Drive-In, Seattle
  5. Goldyburgers, Chicago
  6. In-N-Out Burgers, Los Angeles [AHT's 2¢]
  7. Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger, Oakland Park, Florida
  8. O'Connell's Pub, Saint Louis
  9. Peter Luger, New York [AHT's 2¢]
  10. Roaring Fork, Phoenix
  11. Stanich's, Portland, Oregon
  12. Tessaro's, Pittsburgh
  13. Thurman Cafe, Columbus, Ohio
  14. Val's Burgers, San Francisco
  15. 96th Street Steakburgers, Indianapolis

15 Burgers to Try Before You Die [AOL Cityguide]
The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die [GQ]

The Future Is Chow!

20050502Hbob.jpgBig Brother is watching you—all to get that Quarter Pounder into your gut a few seconds sooner.

With the advent of ubiquitous surveillance cameras in our lives, it's almost refreshing to see observation technology being put to such delectable use as it is in "HyperActive Bob." Bob is the newest high-tech doohickey from Pittsburgh upstart HyperActive Technologies. Employing rooftop cameras, the system alerts the kitchen when the drive-through is on its way toward a traffic jam, then specifies how much food to prepare.

Currently being tested in Pittsburgh-area Mickey Ds, Taco Bells, and Burger Kings, Bob also seeks to make predictions based on personal and vehicle demographics—whether it be incoming Escalades full of rappers with Big Mac munchies or minivans full of post-AYSO Happy Meal and orange drink fiends with salad-prone chauffeurs.

According to the Associated Press, the technology has been a success with owners, employees, managers, and customers so far, slashing wait and training times dramatically. The company's website states, "HyperActive Bob directly commands kitchen workers, through touch screen interfaces, to produce just the right amount of food at just the right time, ensuring that restaurants never run out of hot, fresh product, while minimizing food waste."

We're all for increasing the efficiency of getting burgers in our gullets as quickly as possible, even if it means yet another situation where profiling by type and invasive technology are utilized in the United States. We're tired of so-called "fast" food restaurants whose inept bungling keep us waiting endlessly for substandard burgers. It's time we use 100 years of industrial know-how for something we can chow on.

Burger by Location


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