Owner of Dutch restaurant De Daltons, Robbert Jan de Veen wanted to help those who were hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why he created the world’s most expensive burger–so that he could donate its proceeds to charity.
Costing a whopping $5,964 (AED 21,906 approx.), the burger was sold to Netherlands-based conglomerate Remia International on June 28 with its proceeds being donated to a non-profit organization that assists food banks in The Netherlands. Veen said that it would help the charity purchase almost 1000 food packages for those in need.
Flicking through the archives of the Guinness World Records, Veen discovered that the current record was set in 2011 by an American restaurant in Oregon.
“That burger had a price tag of €4200 (AED 18,304 approx.) that’s definitely not for one person…so I thought I can do better than that… it was really a challenge to create such an expensive dish for a single person,” said Veen.
Dubbing his masterpiece ‘The Golden Boy’, Veen explained that it took him over five months to decide on its ingredients and find the right combination to craft the perfect recipe. Containing expensive ingredients such as Japanese wagyu beef, beluga caviar, Alaskan king crab and white truffle, it took him almost nine hours to prepare it for Chairman of the Royal Dutch Food and Beverage Association Rober Willemse who consumed the burger.
“The ingredients complement each other very well and the flavours are intense. Even though this burger is extremely costly, you should still use your hands because that is the only way to eat a burger. Since the bun is covered in gold leaf, your fingers will be golden by the time you finish.”
Speaking to The National, Veen stated that “Restaurants were closed and there was no food competitions due to the pandemic. Though our food takeaway service was on, I was depressed. I was feeling bad seeing the sufferings of the masses and the dismal situation of the restaurant industry.”
“Therefore, I decided to create the world’s most expensive burger and donate the entire in come to charity to do good for the society.”
His attempt at breaking the world record is being reviewed by the Official World Record Association.
“Breaking a world record has been a childhood dream of mine and it feels amazing. It’s been a difficult year with COVID, but good times are ahead for the entire hospitality industry and this is a great start.”
Veen is now searching for the next potential buyer of ‘The Golden Boy’, so if you’re in the mood for a burger, slide into De Dalton’s Insta DMs.
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