Dec. 26, 2026

Get ready to eat a lot of burgers next month.

Fifty participants were announced today for the 13th annual Downtown Burger Battle, organized by Downtown Sioux Falls Inc. and sponsored by POET for the second consecutive year.

The list includes 13 new participants. The total is 10 more burgers than last year.

“Burger Battle continues to be one of our most engaging events of the year,” said Brandon Hanson, CEO of Downtown Sioux Falls Inc. “It brings people downtown, supports local businesses and gives our restaurants an opportunity to show off their creativity. We’re excited to celebrate the 13th year of this iconic competition.”

Find the full lineup with burger descriptions here.

The competition runs Jan. 1-31.

“POET is excited to sponsor the 2025 Downtown Sioux Falls Burger Battle,” said Erin Branick, POET media manager. “In addition to biofuels, we produce more than 15 billion pounds of high-protein animal feed ingredients every year, supporting livestock farmers and the beef that brings our community together.”

“POET is proud to call Sioux Falls home, and events like the Burger Battle give us a chance to give back to the community that supports us. We’re excited to be part of a tradition that celebrates local businesses and brings people together around good food and friendly competition.”

The competitors will attempt to overtake last year’s winner, Chef Lance’s on Phillips, and the winner the previous two years: Crawford’s Bar & Grill.

Burger lovers can try the restaurants’ creations, then cast their votes on the following categories: flavor, patty, toppings, bun and presentation, using the DTSF Digital Passport app. The restaurant with the highest average score at the end of the month will be crowned the Downtown Burger Battle champion.

The 2025 competition generated an estimated $3.25 million in economic impact, with more than 84,500 burgers sold and almost 42,000 votes cast from almost 30,000 diners.