ROY, Utah — The Burger Bar has been around for more than 60 years and it’s a staple in the community. About five years ago, the owners decided to try something new, offering up an exotic burger each month. Throughout the years, the burger joint has offered up more than 20 exotic meats, manager Joe Fowler said.
“Camel burgers, llama, alligator, I’m trying to think what else would be interesting. You know, quail, duck, rabbit all sorts of stuff,” he said.
The burger of the month for December is kangaroo.
“Typically, we plan out our exotic meats of the month long in advance. So, especially with things like kangaroo it comes from the other side of the world so, that’s been ordered for a long time,” Fowler said.
The order was placed well before the devastating wildfires in Australia, Fowler said. The kangaroos were farmed raised, Fowler said. Kangaroo is a popular meat in Australia.
Due to the timing, some people have called out the Burger Bar for serving the dish.
“We thought about not doing it, but then we would basically just have to waste all the meat that had already been shipped and already here it would just go to waste which to me would be way more sad,” Fowler said.
This was posted in the Burger Bar Fans Facebook Group:
“I was asked by the owners/ management at the Burger Bar to relay the following message:
We are aware that the Meat of the Month appears ill-timed.
We placed an order for the Kangaroo months ago before the Australian wildfires. In December, we talked about cancelling the order because we worried it would look insensitive. We could have done this, easily, with no one the wiser.
My brother and I decided that it would actually be insensitive, and also self-serving, to pull our business out of Australia because we were worried about how selling Kangaroo would look.
(This is the only product we have ever gotten from out of the country, and does indeed come from Australia)
We think there is probably no better time to support Australia and the Australian economy than right now.”
Some users online have expressed their concerns about the decision. “I think it’s insensitive,” one user wrote. “Insensitive for that place on fire. Shame on you!!!!,” another user wrote.
Many others came to the burger joints defense, “honestly, it may be in poor taste (forgive the pun), but if I can support them and their economy, and to a greater extent, the animals of that continent, I will.”
Many people ordered up the kangaroo burgers for dinner Thursday.
“Me and my dad came to get kangaroo burgers,” one customer said.
“It’s actually very tasty,” another customer said after saying the burger made him ‘hoppy’.
This is not the first time the restaurant has offered kangaroo burgers and Fowler said it’s been a popular menu item this month.
