It’s a slow Tuesday night when Bar Louie, 1520 Sherman Ave., sells fewer than 400 hamburgers.

With a massive burger painted on its front window, the bar charges $1 for its quarter-pound burgers on Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to close at 1 a.m.

“You basically get a whole bunch of food for five or six bucks,” McCormick senior Julius Marchwicki said. He and a group of friends from the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity have eaten burger dinners on five of the last six Tuesdays.

“We just started going this quarter, (but) we plan on finishing out the year,” said McCormick junior Bryan Cohen, another Pike member.

Although cover charges and drink prices could make a night out in Evanston’s bars expensive, scanning the deals on slower days almost always makes for a Dirt Cheap evening.

Bar Louie began offering the burger deal last year to boost attendance on a normally quiet week night.

“We’re slammed on Tuesdays now,” said server Michelle Silver.

The quarter-pound patty comes with a bun and lettuce in a basket. Extra toppings, such as tomato, onions, cheese or jalapeno peppers cost an extra 50 cents. Sauces like ranch or chipotle mayonnaise cost 25 to 50 cents.

“Most people have more than one burger,” manager Loren Rattner said. “You get a drink and you get two or three toppings,”

The standard burger at Bar Louie is a half pounder, which goes for $6.99 and comes with lettuce, tomato and a pickle.

Bargain burgers have proven so effective that Pete Miller’s Steakhouse, 1557 Sherman Ave., also started to lure customers with cheap food.

Two weeks ago, the restaurant began offering quarter pounders for a dollar from midnight to 1:30 a.m. on Saturday nights.

These “Cinderella burgers” come with lettuce, tomato and a pickle. Cheese or bacon cost $1 extra each.

“We’re usually pretty dead (late Saturday night),” said hostess Caitlin Ferrarell.

But instead of advertising with oversized hamburger paintings, Pete Miller’s gives customers small business cards advertising the weekend bargain.

Pete Miller’s runs live jazz, blues and folk music every night except Sunday and never charges cover. The bands stop at 2 a.m. Saturday night. With no bouncer, the bar is under-21 friendly.

Getting into Bar Louie is more complicated late Tuesday night. The bar does not have a bouncer, but those younger than 21 must get to the bar before 10 p.m.

“If you sit down at a table at 10:15, our server will ask for identification,” Rattner said.

Evanston’s bars have flirted with bargain food prices over the years.

Until recently, the 1800 Club, 1800 Sherman Ave., offered $1 appetizers on Wednesdays. Tommy Nevin’s Pub, 1450 Sherman Ave., sold dollar burgers in the past as well.

“It wasn’t worth it,” said manager Michael Noga. “It wasn’t bringing enough people to justify the burgers.”

Beyond food, bars offer a slew of drink specials each night.

Bar Louie and Prairie Moon, 1502 Sherman Ave., offer $5 martinis on Mondays. Martinis go for $4 on Tuesdays at Nevin’s. The 1800 Club sells a bucket of Budweiser or Bud Light beer for $10 on Wednesdays.

On Mondays and Thursdays $3 will buy 32-ounce Bud or Miller beers at The Keg of Evanston, 810 Grove St., and Pete Miller’s offers $3 bottomless drinks from midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday.

The cheap burgers have turned into a ritual for the Pike members, who usually go from Bar Louie to the 1800 Club to play in trivia night.

With so much meat at such low cost, the only hitch seems to be the possibility of overeating.

“The worst I’ve done is three (burgers), but I try to keep it under control” Cohen said. “Their burgers are very good.”

Send any other Dirt Cheap ideas to Daniella Cheslow at [email protected].