The Patty Smith: The Blue Frog's Burger Cup-Winning Jacky Zuo

As Blue Frog’s senior kitchen supervisor, Jacky Zuo is one of the main men responsible for the Sanlitun Village restaurant’s triumph in the Beijinger’s recent Burger Cup. We asked him about how he keeps standards up.

What does your job involve?
My jobs are many and varied, but most important is ensuring the food leav ing the kitchen is of the right stand ard every time. We have constant training programs in place. For example, we always train and check that the line cooks cook the meat correctly.

How did you end up doing this?
I was transferred from Kabb, our sister restaurant in my hometown, Shanghai, because of Blue Frog’s expansion in Beijing.

Some people would say making burgers is easy.
It seems easy, but believe me, it takes a lot of skill and experience to cook a perfect burger. You have to know the meat well and the hot spot on the grill. All this takes a lot of practice.

Does working with burgers every day put you off eating them?
Not at all. I enjoy a burger regularly, and it makes me happy when customers keep coming back to Blue Frog for the burgers.

Which is your most popular burger?
The Montana burger and Blue Frog burgers – those are our signatures.

Which do you prefer?
I love the Montana burger. The onion ring is great and the barbecue sauce is finger-licking good!

Which is better, McDonald’s or KFC?
Both McDonald’s and KFC are what they are and many customers love them. However, if customers prefer a venue with more elaborate service and a good environment, they should come to Blue Frog. We’re opening two more restaurants in Beijing in the next few months.

How did it feel to win the Beijinger Burger Cup?
The competition was exciting, especially with the knock-out system. My wife told me to keep doing a good job for the company.

Blue Frog’s new U-Town branch is scheduled to open in late October.