What do the symbols on the State pages mean? Glad you asked! The Red Airplane symbol indicates that this restaurant is on the ramp! Naturally these are our leading destinations.
The small flying burger symbols rate the restaurant fro 1 to 5. Five is the best and one is close to a "are you sure you're that hungry?" place. Here the criteria that we use. 5 - This is a wonderful restaurant that any true "foodie" would agree rivals the BEST that San Francisco have to offer. Perfect ambiance, accomplished service, outstanding food, reasonable prices and an impressive wine list, will get it a four. If it happens to be on the ramp it can get a five. World class. spots earn a five even if they involve a drive from the 'port. They're worth the trip. 4 - Perfect ambiance, accomplished service, outstanding food, reasonable prices and an impressive wine list, matter greatly. A restaurant can be short in one of these area and still get a four if it is on the ramp. If it isn't it can still make our list but will drop to a three, sometimes less. 3 - Here's where the rubber meets the road. We are all about flying. If a restaurant is on the ramp or even a SHORT walk from it - we hand out three burgers. The food, ambiance, service and pricing can be a little off and it will still get a three if it is on the ramp. 2 - A three can become a two if the restaurant is a ways from the 'port or is it is on the ramp but felt to be lacking in a one or more areas to a considerable extent. 1 - If you see a one prepare to be disappointed. Go if you're desperate!
How do I add a PIREP to an existing restaurant? Simple! At the bottom of the page for each restaurant that we review there is a button that says Submit a PIREP - click it. You'll find a large area to type in or paste in your PIREP followed by a small bock for you name. Both are important. When you're finished just Click on the Submit button and you're done.
How do I add a NEW restaurant? At the bottom of the page for each State there is a button that says ADD a NEW Restaurant - click it. You'll find several blanks to fill in. ALL are important. When you're finished just Click on the Submit button and you're almost done. Now go to the state page you were dealing with, find the restaurant you just added, select it, once there find the button that says Submit a PIREP - click it. Add your PIREP and Click on the Submit button, now you're done.
How do I change the information for an existing restaurant? At the bottom of the page for each restaurant that we review there is a button that says UPDATE Rest. Info. - click it. The information fields that you can modify are all displayed with the current information they contain. You may modify one or all. When you're finished just Click on the Submit button and you're done.
How long has this website existed? The $100 Hamburger went online in February 1996 and has been operated continually ever since.
Is it connected to The $100 Hamburger book?
Yes! "The $100 Hamburger" book published by McGraw-Hill is taken from information published on this website. Naturally the website is more complete and more up-to-date as it is added to and edited hourly!
How many restaurants do you cover?
Currently we cover 1,675. The number changes daily as aviation restaurants open and close across the world.
How do you get the information?
Our field editorial staff constantly visit and telephone aviation restaurants, FBOs and airport managers to collect, update and verify our information. Their findings are supplemented by first hand pilot reports submitted by our subscribers.
Is your information 100% accurate? NO! Each day restaurants change their hours and cuisine. Sadly some go out of business. Obviously some of these changes will occur between the date we last contacted the restaurant and the date we plan to next contact it. Normally a subscriber will send in a PIREP within a few days of the change. We recommend STRONGLY that you never fly before phoning the restaurant or FBO. Personnally, if I am going to make just one phone call it goes to the FBO. That way I can ask about fuel prices as well. A cheap phone call can save an expensive flight!
Why is The $100 Hamburger a Subscriber Only website?
It is amazingly expensive to collect, edit and host the information we provide. For over a decade we operated as an open site. Advertising, logoed merchandise and membership sales did not bring in enough revenue to support the site. We noticed that the vast majority of PIREPs came from our members. We studied the transition to Subscriber Only for three years and tried every method known to us to increase advertising, merchandise and membership sales. None worked. Hits and site visitors soared but income remained steady. "Why buy the cow when the milk is FREE?" seemed to be the attitude that was killing us. Labor Day weekend 2005 we closed the site. Naturally, our current paid members were given Subscriber UserIDs and Passwords. Over that weekend our Subscriber/Membership sales soared. We signed on over ten times more Subscriber/Members in that one weekend than we had in the previous three years. Subscribers have increased everyday since.
Haven't PIREPs fallen off since the conversion to Subscriber Only?
As the number of paid Subscriptions has gone up so has the number of PIREPs. Apparently our Subscribers are more apt to share their information with other stakeholders. Naturally readership is down. That's really perfectly fine with us as income and PIREPs (a measure of reader interest) have gone up - BIG TIME!
Do I have to pay online with my credit card or PayPal?
No!
You can send a check or money order.
It must be made Payable to John Purner
Mail it to:
John Purner
$100 Hamburger
PO Box 915441
Longwood, FL 32791-5441
Your Subscription will begin the moment your check clears!
Why are there no dates on any of the restaurant review pages? Dates are misleading. If we post a date on a PIREP that came in earlier in the month, the thought is the information is fresher than a PIREP that came in, let's say for example two years ago. The assumption is often made that the restaurant that hasn't received a reader PIREP in two years could well be closed and the one reported on this month is probably open. Actually, there is no guarantee that a restaurant reported on only yesterday is still open today or that their hours haven't changed. Our readers tend to not report on restaurants that have already received adequate reviews. What is to be added that would be helpful? Ours is not a "I went here and here and there" kind of website for pilots to tell other pilots all of the places they went. It is a website for pilots to fillin other pilots about the presence and quality of aviation friendly restaurants. If nothing has changed, why send in a PIREP? Dating the PIREPs gives a positive impression about a restaurant recently reported on and a negative impression about one that hasn't been reported on in a long while. Both views are flawed. We are also guided by the normal practices of the TravelGuide industry. NO travel guide gives dates for each hotel and restaurant it reports on.We urge you to phone before you fly. That is the only to know that a restaurant is open at the time you intend to visit.
