Hot N Juicy

Many people still think of Bostonians as staid, provincial, conservative, Puritanical citizens. However, just have a few modern-day town criers (email, Twitter, Facebook) put forth the word that free hamburgers are on and this is what happens.


About a week ago I received an email from Wendy's that their Cheeseburger Truck was rolling into town to debut their newly revised burger on a tour of America. Seven cities, from Los Angeles to Boston were included. The draw? They'd give you a free cheeseburger and shake sample to try if you just showed up. So, after an early morning business meeting yesterday I decided to stop by.


I asked for the Twitter hashtag and began to follow the tweets. #HotnJuicy. I was curious to see just how many people would actually go. The answer: thousands. The line of patient lunch-goers snaked all through City Hall Plaza, baking in the 86 degree heat of that location, a concrete and brick fry pan well-known to residents. The crowd was incredibly diverse: office types, curious kids, tourists who got in line like lemmings not even knowing what for and a surprising number of people who looked like the same faces one might see dining on 5 courses, with champagne and sculpted desserts, at Menton.


I have to admit it was really well-organized. I groaned when I saw the line of maybe 150 people ahead of me as I joked with the guys around me. Not even 10 minutes later there must have been 300 more behind us. A young lady came along to take our order. The 5 guys around me ordered everything on it. I advised her: "All of the guys are going to want everything on it." We laughed, enjoying the flash-mob like experience of meeting people from all walks of life who you may never see again, the very same people who would never dare say hello when riding the MBTA, now thrown all into this thing together.


The verdict on the burger: good. I have always said that if you have to do fast food, Wendy's is the best option. I still think that holds true, free or not.