Trey Echols (aka @The_fedneck) really does pick the tomatoes off his burgers. While some online food influencers become popular for sneaking cottage cheese into high-protein recipes, and others go viral for simply eating massive quantities of food on camera, Echols is just trying to find a good, honest burger, and he’s gaining a following along the way.
The Birmingham food commentator, who can be found on both Instagram and TikTok, reviews burgers across Alabama, and increasingly the country. He’s perhaps best known for his dislike of tomatoes. His rationale is simple: “Tomatoes can ruin a bun.”
What Makes A Good Burger?
Echols has other rules for a good burger, too. You should be able to bite clean through without the toppings spilling out or causing too much trouble. Tomatoes become a problem here as well, as they tend to come sliding out. Something I not-so-gracefully demonstrated while riding along on a recent review with him (more on that below). That comes back to the quality of the tomato, which we both agreed is all too often served underripe, both firm and pale.
He isn’t particularly fond of lettuce either (it wilts), but iceberg is okay (thanks to its crunch). Arugula is definitely a no (which he pronounces in his Alabama accent: Aah-rue-gue-la). In his review of a burger at Birmingham’s Little Betty Steak Bar, he calls the frilly green “monkey grass.”…