Friendly serves best burgers around

By Carly Brady and Helen Westie
Sun contributors
Carly Brady is a reporter for TV 7&4 News)
Joe’s Friendly Tavern in Empire recently received the most votes in local television station 7&4 News’ poll for the best hamburger in northern Michigan. The full story is available on 7&4’s website at www.tv7-4.com under the icon “Your Town Showdown.” The Friendly Tavern has been around for 70 years and the hamburgers have always been popular. Frank and Mary Lerchen purchased the restaurant last year, along with the Empire Village Inn, from Mike Wiesen. The Lerchens also opened Gemma’s café on M-22 in Empire last year. Visit our online archives at www.glenarborsun.com/archives/2006/05/restaurant_mogu.html for a feature on the Lerchens.

Visitors to Empire absolutely rave about the succulent hamburgers. The Original Friendly Burger and Joe’s Famous Cheeseburger are probably the most popular of the 11 kinds on the menu. Of the specialty burgers, Frank’s favorite is the Bleu Cheese Burger. The fresh ground beef patty gets seared to perfection before being covered with a generous portion of crisp bacon and grilled onions and then smothered with a homemade portion of bleu cheese dressing.
Another “must try” burger is the County Fair Burger. The famous ground chuck is topped with a pile of chili cheese and French fries.
Lenny, one of the cooks at the Friendly, says the burgers are so good because “we grind our meat fresh every morning.” The meat is weighed out and formed into one-third pound patties. Joe’s grinds up and sells nearly 14 tons of fresh hamburgers a year — about 600 or 700 every day during the busy tourist season.
“The process of grinding started about 50 years ago and is our claim to fame,” says Frank.
A stop at Joe’s Friendly Tavern should be on everyone’s “to do” list when visiting Empire.