Welcome Hamburger Friends,
Our guest is Kathryn Borel, a television writer and the romantic partner of co-Host Mike Merrill. Chris and Zach go deep with Kathryn about what led Mike to start working at a hamburger restaurant and the impact of that on their relationship.
The Life of a Hamburger Spouse
Kathryn and Mike are not married1, but they live together and Mike is essentially the adoptive father of Georgie the poodle2. Kathryn’s support of Mike in starting at the hamburger restaurant, but also her support in the ongoing day to day life of hamburger restaurant-ship3, has been essential to Mike’s success.
Listen to the full episode to hear about Mike’s origin story and the inciting incident at the donut shop that led him to reset his life. Hear about the erotic impact of Right Guard4, and how well it works in fighting the smells of hamburger labor.
And Chris asks the big question… where does all this end for Mike5? Is he on the path of becoming a manager? Will he turn his back on the burger business? From Kathryn’s perspective, what is on the horizon and what sort of projects might happen next?
McTrot Is Just About To Happen!
Mike comes back to join Chris in the final interrogation of Zach who is in the final hours of preparation before his annual trek to visit all the McDonald’s in Manhattan on foot within 24 hours.
He seems calm and confident. Is he posturing? Is he hyping himself up? How confident is he that he will set a record?
Competitive Analysis
We don’t talk a lot about Burger King around here because it largely exists as a reaction to McDonald’s. But the world of Hamburger Business Review is obviously much bigger than just the conquered space of the Golden Arches. So let’s take a look at the signature sandwich from Burger King:
Subscribe, Buy, Follow, Like, Star, Etc…
If you enjoy Hamburger Business Review you can support us by subscribing, buying merch, or even just buying us a burger.
We’re also expanding our Burger Empire into Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and even Mastadon. Follow us as we post clips, news, ideas, and the emotional, financial, and new products of the hamburger business world.
Why Can’t MCD Hold at $300?
On Mike’s Apple watch he keeps the stock of McDonald’s up all day, watching the rise and fall of the share price. Over and over he gets excited when the ticker approaches and then crosses the $300 line, only to be disappointed to watch it fall in after hours trading.
What is it about the $300 barrier? Certainly it’s not directly related to the boots on the ground battle of selling burgers? The share price is a collective impression of the future value of the company, which is perhaps the reason? Is there a psychological effect of the big round number of $300 that is preventing the cold-hearted financial professionals from committed to keep buying after it crosses that mark?
It’s honestly baffling and we’re planning to bring back Marcus Estes later in the season to talk more about the share price and the cultural impacts of finance and how maybe it’s all the same thing. (Long time listeners will remember Marcus from season one when we talked about Burger Hedging. He is our financial soothsayer and we’re excited to get his take on this.)
Coming Up Next
Next week we have another guest! We’re going to talk to Brian Merchant about McDonald’s attempt to automate a store and what impact that has on labor, the culture of the restaurant, and the response to burger robotics.
Mike would love to be married. Has dreamed of it since he was a kid. He used to plan his wedding using GI Joe action figures (he would use Snake Eyes as himself). Kathryn refuses because she finds the institution of marriage related to the idea of women as property.
Honestly an argument could be made that Georgie loves Mike more. No one would ever make that argument, because it’s not a contest, but should that become an argument both sides would have a lot to say.
Mike finds Katryn’s support surprising, encouraging, and wonderful. He thinks working at the hamburger restaurant is more fun because of Kathryn’s support.
We all have our kinks. Don’t judge.
“The final burger of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
Share this post