Mich. man sets 'patriotic' hamburger mark

DETROIT, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- A Michigan restaurant owner says going for a Guinness world record for the largest commercially available hamburger was a matter of patriotism.

Steve Mallie, owner of Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar in Southgate, Mich., said he decided to attempt a record burger when he read the current mark for the world's largest was held by Thailand, The Detroit News reported Sunday.

"I said, 'Wait a minute. Hamburgers are American. Why should the record be in Thailand?' So I decided to try to break the record myself," Mallie explained.

His Guinness certificate reads: "The largest commercially available hamburger is 185.8 lbs and is available for U.S. $499 on the menu at Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar USA in Southgate, Michigan, USA."

Mallie joins a long line of Michiganites who've tried for a spot in the Guinness record list, the News said.

Some have made it, like middle school student Allison Coach, 11, with a chain of 22,140 rubber bands stretching 6,956.68 feet long, or 1.3 miles, breaking the record of 5,170 feet.

And some have missed out, like the folks at A.J.'s Cafe in Ferndale, Mich., who submitted for a record after 50 hours of continuously singing "Danny Boy" in 2008.

"We submitted all the forms, but we received an e-mail from Guinness saying they couldn't recognize a category for singing 'Danny Boy,' and weren't interested in creating such a category," owner A.J. O'Neil said.