Crazy Money! The $700 Hamburger

It’s Crazy Money Day!

My Dad used to work Saturday mornings and buy a hamburger for lunch. Sometimes I’d join him for a burger, fries, and a soda. America loves its hamburgers! Well, the Drury Beer Garden in Philadelphia makes theirs with meat that’s ground in-house daily. The Classic goes for $19 with fries, but the Gold Standard burger sells for $700. It’s made with Wagyu beef, caviar, truffle, lobster, cognac, gold leaf, and Wexford-aged Irish cheddar. Manuka Honey is drizzled on top of the fries. The meal comes with a 1-ounce side of limited-produced cognac, but $700 is a bargain compared to the $6,000 hamburger sold in a restaurant in Abu Dhabi. It too is made from wagyu beef which comes from Japanese cows that were originally bred for physical endurance. The Japanese government highly regulates production to protect the value and quality of this meat. The higher the grade, the higher the price. Cows can sell for as much as $30,000 with meat running $200 a pound. I think that’s crazy.

I don’t condemn anyone who eats Wagyu beef. It’s easy to delight in luxuries, but soon they’re expected and money spent on ourselves is not available to help the poor and hungry. Let’s not fatten ourselves on self-indulgence. Remember what Jesus said, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) My Dad can still buy a burger, medium fries, and a drink for under $10. He’s content with that!

Now I invite you to join us at Crown’s 2023 Reunion. We plan to gather October 12-15 at Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, North Carolina. For more details and registration, go to crown.org/reunion.