Colombia’s Burger Master 2026 gastronomic festival runs from April 20 to 26, 2026, across 51 Colombian locations. During last year’s edition, participants sold over 3.3 million burgers nationwide, generating more than 80,000 million pesos (roughly US$20 million) in total revenue from burgers, sides, and drinks.
Organizers expect to surpass that record in 2026 with more than 500 participating restaurants. The official price for this edition is 21,000 pesos (about US$5.83) for each signature burger; a value that grants access to artisanal options that usually cost twice as muche in the regular market. Note that fries, other sides, and drinks are charged separately.
Chef and former singer Tulio Zuloaga — known on social media as Tulio Recomienda — is the businessman from Barranquilla behind the event. He has a background as a musician, actor, and food journalist. Zuloaga built a digital marketing platform that currently promotes similar festivals such as Pizza Master and Sushi Master.
When announcing this new edition, the festival creator stated: “More than 10 years ago, they told us it was impossible: That no one would stand in line for a burger, that chefs would not compete, that the country would never unite around a table.”
From Medellin to more than 50 locations in nine years
Burger Master started in 2017 in Medellin, the capital of the department of Antioquia in northwestern Colombia. Zuloaga identified that local burger shops were facing an economic crisis and designed the event to revitalize them. The first edition aimed to sell 12,000 burgers in 12 days, but the first day alone reached that goal. Medellin ran out of bread, cheese, and meat.
In 2026, the contest reaches its 11th edition with 24 major cities, including Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Bucaramanga. The map also includes towns with emerging gastronomic scenes such as Sahagun, Filandia, Pitalito, Popayan, and Leticia.
The titles to defend in the major cities
In Bogota, Bicono earned first place in 2025; meanwhile, in Medellin, Bramante took the title. In the city of Cali, the public rewarded Qrico, and Legendario Burger won in Barranquilla. In Cartagena, the winner was LeTerrasse Gastrobar, while in Bucaramanga, the award went to La Gloriosa Hamburgueseria. All these establishments enter the 2026 edition as the restaurants to beat in their respective cities.
Voting via the app
To participate, users must download the Tulio Recomienda app, where they can consult the restaurant map, learn about the ingredients of each proposal, and cast their vote. Diners rate each burger to determine the five best proposals in the participating restaurant’s geographic area. Last year, the app reached peaks of 300,000 downloads per hour, and the website recorded 500,000 daily visits.
The event’s impact extends beyond the culinary sector. Consumer movement boosts trade in areas where participating venues are concentrated and drives the meat production chain.
Some participants buy up to 7 tons (about 15,430 pounds) of beef to cover the demand of a single week. Ricardo Arenas Ovalle, chain coordinator of the Colombian Federation of Cattle Ranchers (Fedegan), highlighted that the festival gives ranchers and entrepreneurs the chance to integrate into the chain, not only to produce cattle but also to participate in processing and marketing.
“Evidently, the wage increase boosts actual protein consumption possibilities, as long as other economic indicators remain stable,” Ovalle explained.
A model seeking replication in other markets
The Burger Master vets every establishment through quality filters before they enter the contest. This visibility strengthens the financial sustainability of local businesses year-round, helping them compete against large chains. Zuloaga is currently exporting this model to international markets. When he announced the 2025 results, the organizer summarized the event’s spirit: “In the end, all of Colombia won.”