Akron on the Food Network (Lakewood: rich, car, metro)

[ksu sucks]

I'm not sure how old this is, but I just finished watching a special about the hamburger on the Food Network. There was a huge section that focused on the National Hamburger festival in Akron. Did anyone else see this?

Also, some guy from the Menches Brothers burgers claimed that his grandfather actually invented the hamburger. This got me thinking. I've noticed that there are a lot of local burger chains in the Akron area for how relatively small it is compared to cities like NY and LA. From history rich chains like the Menches bros and Swensons to the newer joints like Metro Burger(my little HS plug), burgers are a very serious part of Akron's culture, even when compared to the rest of the U.S. I wonder why this is?

[CityGrrl77]

I haven't seen it but Im typically tuned to HGTV or MTV.
Supposedly the hamburger was invented by the owner of Menches Bros. way back when. Altho I'm pretty sure there is some kind of rivalry with someone else about who came up with it first (can't remember who, tho).

I guess we Akronites just like burgers? MetroBurger is super awesome, btw! Even better is that it's in walking distance so I don't have to break the car out.

Speaking of the Food Network - I don't know if you know anything about Lakewood, but there is a really good place called Melt Bar & Grilled (so I hear. I have yet to get there). They are going to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri in January.