tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption

CHAIN -- Fatburger
Owner -- Privately held
Primary Operating Region -- California, then scattered about
Number of Locations -- 83 (2007)

The impression I've gotten with Fatburger is that their biggest fans are defiant in their belief that Fatburger is the best burger anywhere, particularly when comparing to In-N-Out.  It's like the Mac fanatics ridiculing Windows.  They are insistent to the point of pompous that nobody on the planet has any right to consider Fatburger to have anything but the best burger on the planet.

Uh huh.

Lovie Yancy started Fatburger in Santa Monica, CA in 1952, named as such because of the burger's size, or because "Fat" back then was slang similar to "Phat" was a couple years ago. (Fatburger claims "surveys show" they serve a leaner beef than other chains.)  Yancy started franchising in 1980, then sold out in 1990.  Johnson Development Corp (translation: NBA superstar Earvin "Magic" Johnson) took a majority stake in 2001, then sold out to Fatburger's management team in 2003.  Fatburger is expanding through franchising nationwide. Franchise partners have included some high profile names. Montel Williams is behind the Denver locations.

Fatburger...under the slogan "The Last Great Hamburger Stand"...is using the fast-casual format Panera, Qdoba, and the like are using.  Interior decor is in Fatburger red and yellow with an open black ceiling.  The place is packed. The music is loud. Two cashiers shout orders to the grill, where burgers are cooking at a feverish rate, and grill staff shout back military-style...often seemingly shouting gibberish.  Fatburger uses the same "limited table service" format Carl's Jr does in the sense that you are given a number, and an employee brings your food to your table. There's bar stools and counter space along the grill area if you'd like to sit and watch while you eat. They're a well oiled machine, they are.

The Fatburger is a tall looking 1/3 Pounder made with never frozen ground beef which you can order grilled or charbroiled.  There is a ½ pound version called the Kingburger and, as of late, a smaller version called the "Baby Fat". There's a chicken breast sandwich and a Turkey burger if that's your thing. Standard toppings are: mustard, mayo, lettuce, pickles, onions, relish, and tomato. Optional add-ons include cheese, chili, bacon, ranch, or even an egg. Yes, an egg. You can order double Fatburgers or Kingburgers too.

Every ingredient tastes fresh. The lettuce, onions, and pickles are crispy, cold and tasty. Toppings are generous. It's like getting a really good homemade burger. Meaning, you could replicate this pretty easily. Meaning, while it was good, there was no special signature taste to it. This is a great "Joe Anybody" burger.  Wife #1 only confirmed this when she took her first bite of a Fatburger. She got this warm and happy look on her face as she mumbled "Mmmm. Homemade burger." Yeah. So what? Is it that hard to make a homemade burger? Apparently so, because she wants a Fatburger near us NOW.

Now if you want something really unique, add an egg. You get an egg fried next to the burger patties (therefore it gets some of the fat and season flavoring). It adds a unique taste to the burger that doesn't even come off as egg. I will order all of my Fatburgers with egg going forward.

Alongside your sandwich you have a choice of two types of fries…Fat fries or Skinny fries. The Fat fries are wide steak-style fries, but seasoned like any other fry. I was hoping the Skinny fries would be shoestrings like Steak n Shake's. No, they were just ordinary fast food fries…almost identical in taste and texture to Burger King's. Chili fries are also available. If you like the chili, it's available in a cup, and on a chili dog. The chili dog is a good one. It better be considering I could buy nearly three Wienerschnitzel all-beef chili dogs for the price of this one.

There's also onion rings, which I'd say are above average.

There are two things that stand out on the menu for me. The big one in my opinion is the milkshakes. These are some of the best anywhere. Outstanding. The other thing I really like is their "Fresh lemonade". A cut above to be sure.

Fatburger is a very tasty place to eat, and I'd put the Fatburger in my five best burgers list if I kept such a thing.  It's not as unique as an In-N-Out or a Steak n Shake meal, and it's a bit pricier than either, but that's apparently not stopping people from going crazy-go-nuts over it.

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