They Love Burgers So Much They Started A Monthly Club — Now It's 10 Years Old. Here’s How They Did It

When we announced LAist was hosting the Tournament of Cheeseburgers (read all about it here, we’re looking to crown the best cheeseburger in L.A. and we need your help) — I was so excited. Why? Because of all the cheeseburger recommendations that would be coming my way.

But something even better than a cheeseburger recommendation landed in my email last week: Reader and cheeseburger expert Donnelle Fuller reached out to tell me about her club — her burger club.

Yes, a monthly burger club affectionately titled Team Burger LA. It’s the way she and her husband get together with friends once a month and choose different cheeseburgers around SoCal.

The best part is that they’ve been doing it for a decade! In total, the burger club has held around 120 “meating” sessions. Members have consumed roughly 180 burgers in almost 10 years of the club's existence. I had to know more, especially since we here at LAist have been delving lately into the severe problem of loneliness in our increasingly device-driven and scattered culture.

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Perhaps one solution to ponder is starting your own version of Fuller’s cheeseburger club.

I reached out to Fuller, who works in digital operations and lives in East Hollywood, and asked her to share how they did it.

A single Oklahoma burger and fries from Burger She Wrote on Beverly Boulevard.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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Origin story

The premise was simple: Agree to get together once a month and try different burgers around Los Angeles.

The group created a private Facebook group called Team Burger to stay organized. Members of the group would submit different burgers to try, and then the group would vote. Whichever burger got the most votes is where they’d go.

Team Burger LA consists of eight people; however, about four to five people usually show up to eat at monthly burger meatups. Of course, there is an IG Account. And they’ve made up shirts with their burger monikers on the back. Fuller is known as Burger Pixie because of her pixie haircut. Others include Burg Brain, T Burg, and Donut Buns.

The rules of Team Burger LA

According to Fuller, the fundamental rule of Team Burger LA is that there must be a quorum, meaning that at least three people must show up for it to be an official monthly “meating.” There aren’t geographic limits, but the group is usually within L.A. limits, including Pasadena, the Valley, and Santa Monica.

And Team Burger goes where the burgers are, whether it's a brick-and-mortar or a pop-up.

After selecting their burger destination, the group meets at the agreed-upon spot and tries a variety of burgers, usually splitting them into fours for sharing. (Unless there is only one type of burger on the menu, in which case each person will get their own). They also divide up sides and desserts so that everyone can try everything.

“It's a very collaborative meal,” says Fuller.

Post-burger grub, the group settles in for some burger talk, comparing and contrasting it with other burgers.

For the love of burgers

If you're looking to start a club of your own, Fuller says it’s imperative that you pick something you'll love to eat again and again, month after month, year after year.

“Do it because you love it," she advises. "Don't do it because you're trying to get some other thing out of it,” says Fuller.

That means content creation isn’t central to Team Burger LA's mission. The burgers and getting together come first, everything else second.

When asked about her favorite burgers, Fuller quickly rattled off Burgers Never Say Die, Burger She Wrote, and Love Hour. (She has good taste, I've featured those all in my Cheap Fast Eats columns.) She also likes Cassell's, Grill Em’ All, and Electric Owl.

Next up for Team Burger LA

Later, during a text message exchange, I asked Fuller if club members were planning on joining us at Tourment of Cheeseburgers on July 7 at Smorgasburg LA.

She responded, “Oh, we will BE THERE 💯.”

Will you?