Burger Battle Boosts Revenue for Rural Restaurants & Bars

By Lura Roti for South Dakota Farmers Union

On any given winter day, one Reli-Bar employee can easily serve the 20 locals who show up and order a meal at the Reliance community’s only establishment.

But during the month of February, it takes at least two employees to manage the lunch and supper crowd. And this is because of an annual Burger Battle competition between nine Lyman and Brule County bars and restaurants, explained Angie Reis.

“The meal orders nearly triple. I’m pretty much married to the bar during the Burger Battle because it takes two of us to keep up with orders,” said Angie, who co-owns the bar with her husband, Zane. “Thank God for my staff – Bryce Janis, Jessie Gourneau, Missy Hoffer, Brooke Janis, Taylor Moran and NaTeela Hislaw. Everyone steps up during the Burger Battle month. It is totally a team effort.”

And it’s not just locals who show up to order a burger and cast their vote. “The Burger Battle brings in people from Chamberlain who don’t usually drive the 12 miles to check out a little bar in Reliance,” Angie said.

Driving traffic to local restaurants during what is typically a slower time of year is the reason the Chamberlain/Oacoma Chamber of Commerce launched the Burger Battle in 2021 explained Chamber board president Chad Pinkelman.

“February is the shortest month, but it always feels like the longest,” Pinkelman said. “We want to get people out of the house and doing something fun during this colder season.”

In 2025 the Burger Battle brought in an estimated $27,224.62 in additional revenue spread across the nine businesses who competed. More Burger Battle burgers were sold than votes were cast. During the month of February, 1711 votes were cast for Burger Battle burgers. The 2025 Burger Battle winner was The Smoking Mule.

“We sold 801 Bam Burgers during the 25 days we were open during the Burger Battle,” said The Smoking Mule owner Erica Sperl. “The Burger Battle encourages locals to go out locally instead of traveling to Pierre, Mitchell or Sioux Falls.”

Sperl has been working at The Smoking Mule since her mom and stepdad opened it in 2018. She recently purchased the restaurant and co-created the 2025 Burger Battle winner with her step-dad Terry Gaulke.

“We made three or four options and had our staff sample the burger and give us their feedback. We knew we had a winner because our staff loved it.”

The Bam Burger featured smoked bacon, grilled pineapple, the restaurant’s creamy signature cheese blend and was topped with a crab Rangoon and sweet chili.

And the secret ingredient is…locally raised beef

The Reli-Bar’s West River Rancher burger won the 2024 Burger Battle. In 2025, it was the Queso-Holic burger that was responsible for crowds of diners heading to the Reli-Bar. This ranch-raised burger was topped with homemade queso, pepper bacon and jalapeno bottle caps.

And like all the burgers sold at Reli-Bar, the Queso-Holic burger featured Reis Ranch-raised beef.

“Being able to sell a burger that is made with your own beef – it is better than anything,” Angie said.

“It’s important our customers know who is raising the beef they are eating,” explained Angie’s husband, Zane. “We think it is important that they can actually meet the rancher who raised beef.”

Angie and Zane raise cattle with his parents, David and Brenda, on the Reliance ranch that has been in his family for five generations.

Growing up on his family’s ranch, Zane said he always loved working with cattle, but it wasn’t until he left for college at 18 that he knew he needed to build his life and career on the ranch and in the Reliance community.

“I have been building my cattle herd since my grandma gave me my first heifer when I was 5,” Zane said. “I went through a phase when I wasn’t sure if this was the life I wanted. But one month into college, I just knew. I had to get back home.”

To make things work financially, Zane started a fencing business, which he recently sold to his stepson, Collin Muller. Today, Zane and Angie own and operate two permanent camper communities along the Missouri River: Camp Kiowa and Camp Pleasant.

And in 2018 when the community of Reliance put the bar up for bid, Angie and Zane put in a bid and purchased the bar.

“I’m a small-town guy. And it seems like in this small town, if you lose your bar, which is literally the only business in town, you lose your town completely. And Reliance has a lot of people between the age of 35 to 50, so we did not want the one place to gather to go away,” Zane said. “Our bar also serves as a community center.”

Since taking over ownership, Zane and Angie have put in quite a bit of sweat equity remodeling the interior.

They and their staff have also launched weekly activities, like Pitch on Monday nights, wings on Tuesday nights and steak night on Thursday nights.

“Our community means a lot to us. Reliance is the type of community where if you need anything, people are right there to help you out,” Zane said. “So, we wanted to keep the bar open for the community and the community has been encouraging and helpful.”