NAGA CITY ? It is eight inches wide ? about the size of a plate ? some three inches thick and weighs 500 grams.

And that?s just the patty, which is made of pure beef.

Once the beef is in the bun, it is embellished with organic lettuce, red tomatoes and onions without the grease.

Heavenly

For burger lovers, that serving will appear to be a heavenly treat ?enough to appease four grumbling stomachs.

Like wildfire, this uniquely sized burger with grilled patty has been catching the fancy of fast-food lovers in the city because of its out-of-the-box concept.

Couple Ronnie and Rachel Linao came up with what they decided to call ?Whatta Burger.?

After studying the market for months, they launched their own establishment at Cereza on Magsaysay Avenue a day before Valentine?s Day.

?We found that there is space for our product ... [with] ingredients free of monosodium glutamate,? Ronnie says.

The Linaos decided to settle here with their two young boys from Manila in 2007. They are not new to the food business, having previously worked in fast-food restaurants.

A family affair

They chose to name their establishment ?Miguel Angelo?s Whatta Burger? ? something that they must have heard a lot, especially when they presented their burgers to first-time customers.

Being a start-up business, the Whatta Burger operation is a family affair.

Ronnie does the preparation and grilling of the patty, Rachel slices and arranges the lettuce, tomatoes and onions, and packages the finished product, and their two sons, Miguel and Angelo, serve as waiters.

For now, Whatta Burger operates under a tent inside the Cereza compound, giving customers a glimpse of how the huge burgers are prepared as they wait for their orders.

Secrets

Ronnie reveals some of the family?s secrets. He says he prepares the patty using one egg as binder for three kilos of ground beef. He will then add spices and store the patty in a freezer for 24 hours to avoid freeze burn.

?Freeze burn is when the meat is somewhat cooked in the freezer,? Ronnie explains.

When that happens, he adds, the beef ?loses its fresh taste.?

He says freeze-burnt ground beef tends to crack and it will not look good during presentation.

Ronnie cooks the patty for 15-20 minutes under very hot ember to lock the heat inside. When it turns brown, it is ready for the bun.

Since they opened Whatta Burger, the number of customers has risen daily.

Since 1996, Ronnie had worked with seven fast-food restaurants as site and business development officer. Ten years later, he was invited to become part-owner and manager of one of the biggest multinational fastfood chains at the Masaysay commercial strip.

Later, he sold his share in the fastfood restaurant and became operations manager of the restaurant at the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) in Pili, Camarines Sur.

Ronnie stayed with CWC until December last year.

This month, he and his wife started their own venture.

?With the guidance of the Lord, I know we will meet our goal,? he says.