Fergburger

Fergburger opened in February 2001 in a garage off Cow Lane in Queenstown, the adventure-sports town on New Zealand’s South Island. It was hard to find, which only helped: skiers, snowboarders and backpackers spread the word, and the shop moved to bigger premises on Shotover Street a few years later. Today it opens from early morning until well past two at night, and the queue out of the door is part of the experience; at peak times people wait close to an hour.

It has stayed a single shop. The owners have turned down franchise offers and have instead built a small family of businesses around it: a bakery next door since 2011, a bar since 2020, a gelateria and a butcher in nearby Arrowtown. Nobody will say who Ferg was. A manager told CNN the stories ranged from the first man to swim naked to Glenorchy to the first to go down the Shotover River in a barrel.

The menu runs to about twenty hearty burgers, made fresh every day, with New Zealand meats beyond beef: lamb, venison and pork belly, alongside fish, falafel and tofu. Lonely Planet has named it one of the world’s best burger experiences and CNN asked whether it might be the best burger joint on the planet, which is a lot of pressure for a shop that started in a garage.

One burger shop on Shotover Street in Queenstown, next to the Ferg bakery and bar.

• Hungry Jack's (Australia, since 1971). Burger King by another name, because in Australia the name was already taken. Also built on beef.
• BurgerFuel (New Zealand, since 1995). New Zealand’s cheeky burger chain, with beetroot, pineapple and a burger called the Bastard. Also built on beef.
• Grill'd (Australia, since 2004). Australia’s “healthy burger” chain, where your change goes to a local cause. Also built on beef.
• Burger Urge (Australia, since 2007). Brisbane’s gourmet burger chain, as famous for its provocative marketing as its burgers. Also built on beef.