This is the story of a group of young people who loved hamburgers so much that they were virtually obsessed with everything about them: Grinding the meat, mixing the dough, baking the buns, forming the patties, cooking them, building the burgers with every conceivable recipe...and, of course, eating them. These are people from poor neighborhoods, where ready cash was hard to come by, and getting the burgers they craved was an all-encompassing occupation, taking up most of their waking hours. They could be compared to drug addicts, but their "fixes" were much less expensive and much less dangerous to their health. Their activities are somewhat akin to "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight", almost always twisted, but with the singular goal of "scoring" some burgers.

The ultimate objective of their lives was to have a burger restaurant of their own, where there would always be a supply of their favorite food for themselves, and to profitably serve fellow burger lovers every day. The Bandits were continually plotting to achieve that seemingly impossible dream, enjoying as many burgers as they could along the way.
About the Author: A Burger Lover. Best known for creating the Ronald McDonald character and leading the "You Deserve A Break Today advertising campaign for McDonald's, Barry Klein has been marketing consumer products and services for more than 50 years. Starting as a young copywriter at a retail ad agency in Washington, D.C fresh out of college, he was assigned to write radio commercials for a new drive-in restaurant called McDonald's that sold hamburgers for 15 cents. He recommended that they shift some advertising to the "Bozo the Clown" TV show so that kids could be exposed to the new, fun place to get exactly the kind of food they loved. In a short time, sales at the D.C. area McDonald's exceeded other areas, the local franchisee had made an investment in the Ronald McDonald character, and Barry had become the company's National Advertising Manager. In that position, he was a leader of the development of the award-winning "You Deserve A Break Today" advertising, in addition to the "McDonaldland" children's campaign. Barry then became the General Manager of Twenty First Century Restaurants, a McDonald's franchisee operating 19 locations in New York City. Moving back to advertising and to Los Angeles, Barry was a Sr. V.P. at Wells, Rich, Greene, where he supervised Jack in the Box as well as other brands.

His final move was back to the Chicago area, where he has been a marketing consultant, helping build sales for brands such as Cadillac, Pay Less Shoes, Installs, Inc., Mark Group, Coinstar and many restaurant and retail chains. His marketing and consumer communications projects have touched virtually every category, from package goods to pet food...appliances to airlines...in addition to most aspects of the restaurant industry. He is considered an expert at developing new restaurant concepts and products to fit existing menus, and several food industry suppliers are among his clients. Barry writes articles with commentary regarding the industry and is called upon by publications for his opinions about subjects important to the restaurant busines He still enjoys a great burger as often as possible. The ketchup remains in his veins.