Burger Week Is Here and Rockford Is on the Menu!
My oldest son is a major burger fan, so when I learned about Grand Rapids Burger Week, I knew this was an event our family needed to try!
Grand Rapids Burger Week runs July 27 through August 2, 2026, with 15 participating restaurants offering specialty burgers for just $7 to $10. Each restaurant created its own burger for the week, making this a fun and relatively affordable excuse to explore some local restaurants.
This is my first year participating, and I was especially excited to see three restaurants in the greater Rockford area on the list:
Bostwick Lake Inn
Bostwick Lake Inn is offering a $10 Smash Pub Burger with two beef patties, American cheese, shaved lettuce, pickles and house-made Thousand Island dressing.
Since this one is right in our Cannon Township backyard, I think it may need to be our first stop!
Char + Barrel
Located inside Hotel Rose in downtown Rockford, Char + Barrel is offering a $10 Smash Burger made completely from scratch. They bake the bun, grind the beef and even make their own mayonnaise, pickles and cheese. Fries can be added for $2.
Blue Water
Blue Water on Northland Drive is serving a $10 Sweet Chili Boursin Burger featuring a brisket-blend patty, Boursin cheese spread, a ginger ale-battered onion ring, jalapeño coleslaw and sweet chili honey. This one sounds like a full culinary adventure!
How Burger Week Works
Participants can download the official Grand Rapids Burger Week app to see restaurant hours, burger descriptions and an interactive map.
When you visit a participating restaurant, use the app to check in. Anyone who checks in at five or more locations is entered into a drawing to win $500 in gift cards. You can also earn points through check-ins, challenges and featured drink purchases.
A few helpful reminders from the organizers: restaurants may be busy, specials can sell out and dine-in or carryout rules vary by location. Be patient, tip generously and consider adding a drink, fries or another item to support the participating restaurants and their hardworking teams.
My oldest and I are excited to see how many burgers we can try before the week is over. I’m not sure we’ll make it to all 15, but we’re certainly willing to give it our best effort!
Tonight we are trying the BLI Smashburger!
