Hamburger inventors, Frank and Charles Menches, were two brothers from Canton, Ohio who operated a concession business. They had a mammoth traveling lunchroom, a circus-sized tent serving a menu of oysters, orange cider, cigars, and their signature sausage sandwich. The brothers employed a hundred people and used three railroad cars to transport equipment and people from fair to fair.

One summer, Frank and Charles had set up their tents at the 1885 Erie County Agricultural Fair in Hamburg, New York. But when the sausage ran out, a local butcher, Andrew Klein, was reluctant to butcher more hogs in the summer’s heat and suggested they use beef instead. Frank made a small purchase of only five pounds and the brothers fried some up but found it to be too bland. They added coffee, brown sugar and other ingredients to create a taste that doesn’t need to be hidden with condiments.

A customer, just served, came to the side of the tent where Frank was working. He still was munching on the sandwich he had just bought and said in German:

They christened this sandwich the ‘HAMBURGER’ after Hamburg, NY, the name of the town where the fair was being held.

The Menches tradition for quality is still the same, as if made in the turn of the century in Akron. Only superior ingredients are used and the process remains unpretentious to keep the taste of exceptional quality and flavor coming through.

Raised with stories of their great grandfather’s invention of the hamburger, ice cream cone, penny balloons, caramel popcorn and peanuts with a prize, today’s direct descendants of these colorful Ohioans continue to serve the original recipe of 1885. David Menches and his family continue operations today with a food truck and tents that recreate the historic ambiance.

Enjoy!