Green Chile Burger vs. Green Chile Burger
Owl Cafe Green Chile Burger vs. Buckhorn Tavern Green Chile Burger
Buckhorn Green Chile Burger
Buckhorn Tavern, San Antonio NM
I stopped in San Antonio, New Mexico for lunch the other day. I wanted to go to the Owl Cafe, which is famous for its green chile cheeseburger. Now, it is in the middle of nowhere on the way to nowhere (apologies to the 3 people who live there) but it has been a popular stopping point my whole life. As I got off the highway, I noticed a “newer” burger restaurant with signs proclaiming that it offers the #7 burger in the nation. I was intrigued. The Buckhorn Tavern (the “new” restaurant) had a full parking lot while the Owl Cafe was looking pretty lonely. I decided to do my own comparison. Step 1: I start at the Owl Cafe. I order their green chile burger without cheese because they only have nacho cheese and american cheese which both have corn in them and I am allergic. The waitress is probably in her late 50s to early 60s. She has worked there a long time. I am pretty sure she has waited on me before. She doesn’t seem to care whether I’m happy or not. See their very empty dining room in the photo below.
As usual, the fries are brought by one server and the hamburger is delivered several minutes later by the waitress. This has been the way they have done their food for 20 years. On a scale of 1-10 the fries are a 3. The oil tastes old and they are nothing special. The green chile burger is
Inside the Owl Cafe
San Antonio, NM
Where I waited for my Green Chile Burger
delicious and I would give it a 9 on a scale of 1-10. I am only giving it a 9 because if I give it a 10 and the Buckhorn has a better burger I won’t be able to rate them properly. The burger comes with Green Chile, tomato, lettuce, onions, and mustard and the patty is clearly home-made. I discovered this restaurant in my college years and it is always delicious. When I pay at the register, they ask how everything was, and I mention the fries tasted like the oil was bad. They told me all the reasons they could be bad, charged me for them and didn’t apologize. Essentially–too bad about the fries…
Step 2: I head across the street to the Buckhorn Tavern (pictured left). They only have American Cheese so I order a Green Chile Burger without cheese and Fries (again). I can already tell the fries are going to be amazing from seeing them arrive at the table next door. I can’t wait to taste the burger. My food arrives and the fries are fresh-cut on site and are well cooked. I would give them an 8. The burger is delicious and the patty is homemade. It tastes shockingly similar to the Owl. Inspired by, potentially. But of course, the Owl burger has been around long enough to belong in the public domain. The burger is larger at the Buckhorn Tavern. Still, exactly the same ingredients. They have green chile, lettuce, tomato, and mustard. There is a homemade patty. The burger is good. Probably an 8 on a scale of 1-10. But then, most people don’t eat them side by side. Step 3: I talk to Bob, the owner at the Buckhorn and learn they have been there for 3 generations–since 1918. Not a new restaurant at all, but they have just been focusing more on food and publicity for the last decade under his leadership. His father and grandfather stayed out of the public eye and mostly focused on selling gasoline and moonshine during prohibition.
Inside the Buckhorn Tavern,
San Antonio, NM
Waiting for my Green Chile Burger
Conclusions:
The possibilities:
The Buckhorn Tavern feels like they have almost completely mastered their possibilities for using media to improve their business. The Owl Cafe hasn’t even entered the playing field of competition. They are essentially sitting idly by while their competition picks off their clientele. The Buckhorn Tavern is closer to the highway than the Owl Cafe, so everyone drives by the Buckhorn Tavern first. The good news for the Owl is that if they choose to embrace some good marketing, they can change the situation. But they have their work cut out for them. They have to overcome multiple generations of inertia in order to change the game. I think the first step is a capital investment to renovate the restaurant. It is simply time for an update. They need several single stall bathrooms that can be used by men or women. They need more stalls. They need to install wireless internet and let people know they have it. They need to have packaged green chile and other products to take home to make money from each individual client. They need to make sure they are turning out amazing food every time. They need to get their staff to buy into their “brand” and their brand has to include friendly, local, down-home service.
I have the sense the Buckhorn has one more card to play. They can really play up the “Since 1918″ angle. I don’t think Green Chile Cheeseburgers were their staple back then, but the business has survived almost 100 years.
I think these restaurants could actually maximize their revenue the most by fueling a burger war. They could use billboards to support their own restaurants. Ultimately, their biggest competition isn’t with each other, it is the many restaurants further down the highway. Getting people to exit to experience the burger war could be highly profitable for both of these restaurants. People are enamored of the idea of the wild west. These two restaurants could make bank by creating a story of a burger war they use to their advantage. The fans will gobble it up.
