Burger Battle: Six Hudson Restaurants Face Off to Help Fight Autism

is ready to prove they have the best burger in town through the first Rivertown Burger Battle.

The restaurant, along with , , , and the , are all battling it out in the burger ring.

But the only "blood" to be seen in this battle would be that in a raw burger – the stunt is a fundraiser for Autism through Western Wisconsin Autism Advocacy and Consulting Center.

Customers can buy a $25 card through any of the participating restaurants or the advocacy center and get a free burger at each of the six joints then go online and vote for the best one. The money spent on the card supports the autism group.

"We have a really good burger – we’ve been told it’s the best one in town and we want to prove it," Seasons office manager Carol Rebers said. "The competition is great, but it brings people together and it’s for a really good cause."

Raul Navarro, head cook at the Village Inn, said his kitchen's broiler gives it an advantage over most places that just use a flat grill. That, along with the fact that he's willing to make burgers with any ingredients in the kitchen make Village Inn burgers a real treat.

"We're not afraid to go off-menu," Navarro said. "If we have the ingredients, we'll put them on a burger for you. We'll go out of our way to please the customer."

Jaysen Jones said Kaladi’s 2.0 is in it to win it.

"We want to win, which we have every intention of doing … cooks are highly competitive people," he said. "It’s a pretty outstanding way to raise money for a good cause. It’s fun to have people come in for the first time."

He added he was also excited to see the participating restaurants are both downtown and on the outer skirts of Hudson – "It’s a great way for people to have an incentive to try new places," he said.

Mike Kinney, said he wanted Uncle Mike’s to get involved in the battle to help the local autism group.

"It’s for autism – so participating is for a good cause and we want to participate in things in the community," Kinney said.

Dick’s owner Paul Kremer said he makes it a point for Dick’s to support local adolescent causes – so this fit the bill.

"The battle is for autism, really, and Dicks Bar and Grill is known for doing fundraisers for youth – athletics, cerebral palsy, so I thought this would be good, too," he said. "It’s not about the competition – it’s about the cause and we’re happy to support it."

Agave Kitchen’s head chef William Goss said he’s excited to participate in the battle because it means money is staying in the community.

"The money isn’t going to leave town," he said. "We’re promoting local businesses and the autism group that will be using the money is local – that’s good for everyone."

Goss said there was extra incentive to duke it out in this particular battle because the disorder hits home for some Agave Kitchen employees.

"Two of the servers have children with autism and one of the guys in the kitchen with me- his sister is autistic," he said. "So it’s something we see and know about."

What many of the customers know something about is getting a good burger – this battle is out to showcase some of the best ones around town.

Some of the restaurants opened the complete burger menu for the competition. Agave Kitchen and Dick’s both have over 15 burgers to choose from. Uncle Mike’s offers their 1/3 pound Smash Burger, which is a compacted patty with fried onions. Season’s Tavern entered three burgers – the Blarney (made with corned beef and sauerkraut) the Fajita burger (with grilled peppers, onions and chipotle sauce) and the Slugger (topped with cheese curds and jalapeños). At Kaladi’s 2.0 the suggested burger is the Frisco Melt – which is topped with onions and bacon served on grilled sourdough with American and Swiss cheeses.

Voting for the best burger is done online and is open through Nov. 30.