On Wednesday, August 20, in the Year of Our Lord 2025, Wisconsin burger chain George Webb handed out free burgers at all of its 23 locations. Why? To celebrate the Milwaukee Brewers’ recent 12-game winning streak, that’s why.

You know the story: Webb’s 12-game prediction/promotion has been a thing since the 1940s, but has come to pass only three times: in 1987, when the Brewers opened their season with a 13-game winning streak and George Webb gave away nearly 200,000 free burgers; in 2018, when the Brewers won 12 in a row and George Webb gave away 90,000 free burgers plus 100,000 redeemable vouchers; and in 2025, when the Brewers spent the month of August winning a franchise-record 14 games in a row. Webb has already given away 100,000 vouchers. Wednesday’s physical burger total remains to be seen.

So, on Wednesday, I dropped by the downtown Webb location, 812 N. MLK Jr. Dr. I found plenty of pleasant folks waiting in line, plenty of pleasant employees making sure the line kept moving, and, like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, a free burger in a plastic bin. Here’s what I overheard during my 10-minute wait in line. (Bert Lauderdale, who makes a cameo in this article, will have his own video report later today.)

2:14 p.m.

“I’m always up for a free burger. You can’t go wrong with a free burger!”

“There’s zero line right now! This is crazy!”

“Hi Matt Wild!” [Hi Nickie!]

BERT LAUDERDALE: “Hey Matt, if you want to add this to the collection at the office, they were handing these out earlier.”

2:15 p.m.

“Sandy [Maxx]! Sandy [Maxx]! Did you get a burger?”

“I should change my clothes so I can get another one!”

“I saw the line earlier before they opened. It was all the way down the block!”

“Oh. [points at sign in George Webb window with picture of dude who isn’t allowed inside] That’s the guy I was talking to on the corner. Classic!”

2:17 p.m.

“You gotta get back in this line! If you order extras, you have to get back in line!” [dude in front of me bails]

2:18 p.m.

“Let’s-go-Brew-ers!”

“If you want a plain burger, you’re not going to get it!” [this turns out to be completely false]

“I hope everyone went to the bathroom!”

2:19 p.m.

“You got the voucher? Now you’re getting a burger? Dude.”

“We’re moving!”

2:20 p.m.

[burgers briefly run out]

“Damn! Damn! Damn!”

“That was my buddy who got the last one!”

“Damn!”

BATHROOM GUY: “Can I use the restroom?”

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “You can’t.”

BATHROOM GUY: “He just told me I could!”

GEORGE WEBB MANAGER YELLING ACROSS RESTAURANT: “HE’S A CUSTOMER!”

BATHROOM GUY: “He just said I could again!”

GEORGE WEBB MANAGER YELLING ACROSS RESTAURANT: “HE’S A CUSTOMER!”

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “Okay.”

2:21 p.m.

OTHER GUY: “Is that it?”

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “No, we got some more coming. Your burger is gonna be HOT!”

OTHER GUY: “This is going to be a long day for you.”

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS:: “Until six o’clock!”

OTHER GUY: “With the Brewers winning like this…this will probably never happen again.”

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “Don’t say that!”

OTHER GUY: “If they win 24 in a row do we get two?”

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “Hahahahahaha! That would be nice!”

2:22 p.m.

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “That place that opened up in Shorewood [Cloud Red] was giving out burgers yesterday.” [Cloud Red is located in a former George Webb]

OTHER GUY: “Really? That’s where I was going to go!”

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “Yeah, I went up there and got the burger.”

OTHER GUY: “Hell yeah.”

2:23 p.m.

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “We couldn’t pre-cook the burgers! We knew it started at 2, but we couldn’t start making them at 1. No. We couldn’t do that. That’s not the George Webb way! Nope. We couldn’t do that.”

OTHER GUY: “People want a fresh burger!”

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “Yes. Couldn’t pre-cook the burgers. You get it fresh off the grill. So when the doors opened at 2, that was a fresh burger.”

OTHER GUY: “I love it.”

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “Some guy got mad. He came in here and said, ‘I don’t want any ketchup on this!'”

WOMAN, MAYBE SOMEONE FROM THE NEWS: “It’s a free burger! You can’t really complain.”

GEORGE WEBB EMPLOYEE HANDING OUT BURGERS: “Oh, but he did, though! Just open it up and take off what you don’t want on it!”

[burgers are refilled]

OTHER GUY: “Here we go!”